The Return of Yesterday

It was 1962, Keith Miller is very proud of his happy little life. He has a wife and a son. He has a stable job in accounting. And frankly, he is very content.

One ordinary day his son, Derek was being very stubborn. "Father!! I want to go to the carnival it will only be here for one day the entire year." Derek whines. 

"I know, but your father has some very important work to finish" Keith's Wife Beth chimes in. 

"No, It's alright dear I will take him to the carnival if wants to go so badly" Keith smiled at his son lovingly "What do you say to your father?" Beth urges, "Thank you, Dad, Now let's go!" 

"Alright," Keith sighed and blew a kiss to his wife. He grabbed his coat and hat and with a nod left the house following his son to their car. They drove downtown. Once they have reached their destination Keith looked at his son's grin and laughed. "Where would you like to go first?" "The fortune-telling booth!" So with a nod of his hat to the ticket man they were off. 

Derek guided his father through the crowd to a red and white striped tent. But once they had entered inside they tent the found nothing but a glass orb. "That's Disappointing" Derek sighed and ran out of the tent. But Keith stayed he examined the ball. There was an inscription on the gold base on which it rested. It read "Magicians Future Machine" He tapped it it made a soft "Clink" and with that Keith's Hat blew away and the tented walls turned to titanium. The orb was replaced by a high tech looking screen. Keith shook his head in disbelief. He turned the nob on the door to the now metal fortune tellers tent. He looked around he was somehow indoors He saw a banner. It read "WELCOME TO THE TECH CONVENTION 2022" There is no possible way he has somehow traveled 60 years in the future he was sure of it. He saw a little girl holding an elderly man's hand. 

"Excuse me?" Keith politely gestured for her to come over. 

"Do not talk to strangers," The older man erupted suspiciously. Keith automatically recognized the voice. "Derek?" Keith smiled "How do you know my name?" Derek quizzed. "Well, you're my son" 

"My father abandoned us years ago he's probably dead anyway. Not to mention you are younger than me" 

"I not quite sure what is going on either. I might sound a small bit insane but I think I might have traveled in time" 

"You sound very insane sir are you feeling alright?" Derek sounded confused 

"Yes, I'm quite fine" "What year is it?" 

"2022" Keith scoffed 

"Are you sure?"

"Quite certain" Keith pinched himself. He stumbled away until he found a kind-looking woman at a desk. "Hello, how may I help you?" She happily exclaimed. 

"Has there been in recent articles in the paper about Keith Edward Miller?" 

She laughed. "Would you like me to google him?" 

"Do what?" Keith proposed. "Look him up on the internet?" 

"Sure" She began typing furiously. He seems pretty normal for the sixties. Had a son and a wife. He abandoned his son at a carnival in 1962. He was never seen again. Pretty boring why are you searching for him?" 

"I am him" 

"I'm sorry what?" She giggled "That is me, Ma'am" 

"Sure you believe that. NEXT!" She called. He hung his head. Is this really how people remembered him. He fought his way back through the crowd until he found the little metal booth. He knocked and the door flew open. 

"Maybe if I think about where I want to go I will go there," He thought to himself he tapped on the screen until she heard the "clink". "1950," He thought. The room began to spin and soon as it had begun it stopped. He walked out of what was once again a tent. He saw a mirror and rush over to it he was once again young looking. In 1950 he had been twenty years old. He saw Beth and her friend Monica. They rushed over to him.

"Keith!" Monica smiled. His memory jogged, that's right this was when he was still dating Monica. He had always regretted not proposing to Beth sooner. Monica kissed him. Beth looked at the floor. 

He could make different decisions and change his whole life. But he was happy exactly the way his life had been. It was a hard decision. But he remembered how in the future they had thought of him as a boring man who had disappeared. He had to change everything. So right at that moment, he did something miraculous. He broke up with Monica. 

Previously it had taken him a year to realize his feelings for Beth. But he invited her to a nice restaurant and proposed to her on the spot. She smiled widely and hugged him. "I had no idea you felt this way, Keith!" She exclaimed. He kissed her on the cheek. 

There was one more thing he had to do. He walked Beth home. And then he sped through the streets to his college. He knocked on the door of his professor. "Excuse me, sir?" Keith nervously tapped him on the shoulder. "What might be the matter Mr. Miller?" 

"I quit" 

"I'm Sorry What?" The professor remarked "I am done with college Sir I want to follow my dreams" 

"And do what exactly?" He quizzed. 

"I want to be an artist" So that day Keith Millers' life changed. He ran back through town and found the little tent. "2022," He thought The room spun once again and he opened the titanium door. But instead of a technology convention, he walked out into an art gallery. He was in a room full of his paintings a room dedicated just to him. He smiled. "Do you know who Keith Miller is?" He said to a passerby examining one of his paintings. 

"Well of course! Keith was one of the world's finest artists" The woman said joyfully.

"How wonderful" Keith laughed. He found the metal box just outside the gallery. He entered it and watched the room spin in circles again. He was jolted he opened the door and almost fell to his doom. There had been a glitch in time. 

He knocked on his head. "What should I do?" He wondered. "I just got everything right!" He pleaded as he looked down at the pit of darkness. "Think Keith, Think" He paced back and forth. A bright light appeared Keith could see a tunnel and through it was a glimpse back to the day. That wretchedly hot day at the carnival. 

He could see Derek and the tent. It was close enough for him to jump in and resume his boring life. But he couldn't. Not knowing that he had seen what his life could be. He would just be an accountant in that life. Not a famous artist. He would have never proposed to Beth a year before he even knew how he felt about his future wife. He sighed. Should he do it? Maybe if he just waited long enough another wormhole would appear. 

Maybe he could time travel again? use that same magic orb on the same wretched hot day? But there was no way to guarantee it would work twice was there? 

He sat down and laid is head in his knees "What to do?" As he lay there helpless the tunnel closed. Now all hope was lost as was he lost in time and space. Even hope of a plain future was gone all chances of anything were gone. he took his hanker chief out of his back pocket a wiped a tear from his eye.

"I will miss you Beth" He sobbed. Just as he had given up all hope, the tunnel reopened. This was it. At least if he went back to his plain life he would have a wife and a son. So he took a leap of faith. His heart flew from his chest as he landed back where he had started. He is an accountant he has a son and a wife. "Dad!" Derek yelled as he bolted over to him. He hugged his son hard. Where were you? we missed you Dad! "Oh, you wouldn't believe me even if I told you" Just then Beth emerged from the shadows. "KEITH!" She dropped her hat and ran to him. Keith laughed joyfully. They all embraced one another in a big hug. I wouldn't trade you for the world. Keith announced.