By Nate Swanson
Spark scanned the street, a typical mid-town scene: corner bodega, laundry, electronics repair store, coffee shop, all with residential spaces perched above. Nothing to merit the strange sensation prickling him. Several normal-looking people walked by; a couple surreptitiously glanced his way. Spark nodded to himself. He was always the most interesting person in any setting. It made sense everyone was looking at him. So why—
Whack! Spark staggered with the sudden sharp pain at the back of his head.
“Did you hit me?” Spark almost cursed at the dirty man slinking behind him. The time traveler was already on edge.
“Nope, you gots the wrong—” the bum protested. Fake bum—he was too fat and muscular to be a street person.
Spark grabbed the man’s arm, his purple blazer tightening with the motion. “But you know who did, doncha? I don’t wanna be on anyone’s bad side, so when I walk into the hood and someone cracks me on the back of the head, I need to know why.”
The man tried to shrug his way out of his grip, but Spark didn’t let go. “Listen,” the man said, “if you wan’ answers, you gotta to talk wif da boss.”
Spark’s head was clearing, and he remembered why he ’ported here. He needed to find the gear for his temporal shift watch. But that strange something… It felt kind of like meeting someone who was wearing your cologne, weird. Damn that curse. I need this watch working. “Your boss Bad Danny?”
“Yeah. That’s—”
“Okay, let’s go talk to him.”
Releasing the man, Spark smoothed his jacket and lime green pants. He glanced around; people still watched as he added a swagger to his step.
The fake bum walked through the streets like he owned the place. Spark followed, and eventually they turned into a familiar alley.
Spark said, “I got it from here.”
“Da boss asked—”
“I know. Get lost.”
Spark pulled the door open. The bouncer inside looked surprised for a moment but nodded. He walked to the empty waiting room. The receptionist picked up her phone. “Spark is here, sir… Yeah.”
She indicated the door. “You can go right in.” But he was already walking in, anxiously rubbing the watch inside his coat pocket. He needed that fix. One day.
Spark entered Bad Danny’s office, the familiar scent of leather and cigar smoke enveloping him. The room was dimly lit, with only one lamp highlighting Danny’s smirking face.
“You’re a sight for sore eyes,” Danny said, his voice slick. “I understand you’ve had a rough day.”
Spark, wincing at the knot on his head, replied, “Business as usual, Danny. What’s with the goon? You sending me a message?”
Danny chuckled. “More like a wake-up call. You’ve been nosing around for some rather… exotic tech parts. I need to know your intentions.”
“The watch,” Spark confirmed. “It’s personal, Danny. No danger to your business.”
Danny leaned forward, his eyes glinting. “Personal, huh? Well, here’s the twist. I’ll give you what you need, but you’ve got to do something for me. One of my shipments of… exotic parts has gone missing. Find it, and the gear is yours.”
Spark raised his eyebrows. “A traitor? That’s a big deal, Danny.”
“It’s a big deal for both of us if you want your watch fixed before your time runs out.”
Spark considered the offer. “All right, I’ll find your goods. But I work alone,” he lied, hoping to buy time and access to Danny’s more private shops.
“Wouldn’t have it any other way,” Danny replied, his smile bland.
Exiting the office building, a sense of danger struck Spark again. Not threatening but… familiar. Rubbing at the watch, he mumbled, “Just over a day.” He strode toward the electronic repair store he’d had his eyes on before the blasted bum had intercepted him; tech enthusiasts often knew more than they let on.
As he walked, Spark noticed something odd in the reflection of a shop window—a figure mirroring his movements too perfectly. He spun, but the street was empty. Shrugging it off as paranoia, he entered the shop.
The odd sensation persisted. Spark casually mentioned needing parts for a “timepiece,” watching the owner’s reaction. That feeling intensified.
The man’s eyes darted around. “You’re looking in the wrong place for what you need,” the owner whispered. “Check the old clock tower. There’s someone there who might help.”
Spark made his way to the clock tower, for once avoiding prying eyes. Inside, he found nothing but firmly locked doors.
Stepping outside, he looked up and saw a figure sitting on a ledge fifteen feet above him. He was cloaked in shadow—the one he’d seen earlier in the reflection. “You’ve been following me.”
The figure flipped his hood back, revealing Spark’s own face but older, weathered by time. “I’m here because you’re about to make a choice that will trap you in a loop. You can’t trust Danny.”
Spark felt the temporal pressure again and knew he was meeting himself. “So, what do I do?”
“I have no idea.” Old Spark winked as he flicked something coin-sized into the air and disappeared.
Spark caught the item neatly, feeling the rub of the gear’s teeth between his fingers. He examined the gear, realizing it was the exact piece he needed for his watch.
With a swift movement, he inserted the gear into his watch, the mechanism humming back to life, the screen showing a full reset. Just over a day flipped to just over six years.
A grin spread across Spark’s face as he looked up at the now-empty ledge. “Thanks, future me,” he murmured, pocketing the watch. He could use that second gear, and perhaps a few others. But Danny didn’t need to know he’d already found one. “Time to play this my way.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Fun twist!
Thanks Pamala!
Anachrony is a worker-placement board game that uses this same mechanic as old Spark giving young Spark the gear: You give yourself resources from the future so you can use them in the early game, but then you need to produce them to send them back to yourself in the later game. It’s a complex game, not for beginners, but I’d recommend it
The lesson being that young Spark now has to produce an entirely new gear to give to himself when he becomes old Spark. He can’t just hand back the one he’s using, otherwise we’ve got ourselves a boot-strapping time paradox!
Ha ha, I will need to find a copy of that game. Thanks for the suggestion.
Looks like it’s not in print anymore. Preowned copies are around $300 on boardgamegeek, so unless you have that kind of money to spare, I think your chance has passed. Unless your future self can send you a copy… 😉😢🤣
I really liked the introduction of a “future me.”
Great story! It’s always better to work with yourself than against yourself!
Great twist. Thanks for the posting.
Nice take on Spark, and a clever engaging story. Loved that he got to see “future he.”