12.

Robert and Jeff were indeed out in the barn, the very place Dan told Melvin they'd be, and they weren't there alone as Frederick was there too. Melvin approached slowly and could hear some of the conversation as he got close to the barn. The main discussion seemed to be between Robert and Jeff. This discussion, what Melvin could hear of it, seemed to be about dismantling the equipment within the barn and of what the removed parts could and should be used for.

'Wait, wait, wait ...' Melvin began speaking before he even got to the barn entrance. 'I can take it that all this stuff in here is what brought us here to this place, right? So, any talk of things being dismantled should not be discussed without me.'

'There is nothing to discuss' spoke Robert 'it is a dangerous machine. It should never have been able to do what it has done. To use it again in any manner would be extremely risky.'

'Wait, wait a minute, so you are saying that you are going to leave me stranded here?'

'Nobody is being stranded anywhere, this may be a new place to you, a new world, but you are in no way stranded.'

'So, you are going to send me back?'

'No, I did not say that.'

Jeff moves in between the two men and extends his right hand to Melvin.

'I am Jeff, by the way.'

Not trying to be rude or anything like that, Melvin bypasses Jeff to continue his somewhat heated discussion with Robert.

'You took a risk in getting Dan back, right? And that risk brought me and Frederick here. You are telling me now that you won't do the same to get me home?'

'Sending you home is next to impossible. You could end up anywhere at any time. Sending Dan was unintentional. It was an accident. With retrieval, we had something to home in on. With sending you back there, we'd have nothing to home in on. We cannot be sure you would even make it back to Earth at all, let alone to your time period.'

'I am sure we can at least try, yeah?'

'No, we can't and this is what I am trying to tell you.'

'Well, I am not willing to accept that.'

'You are going to have to accept it. You are alive and you have your health ...'

Jeff moved to stand a couple of feet in front of Robert. Eye contact was made and it was as if Jeff was suggesting that the attempt should be made. They have to at least try, they must try, surely, they must. A silent pause lasted a moment or two before Robert would speak once more.

'Alright, alright we will try this. I cannot guarantee anything and I refuse to accept any of the responsibility.'

Melvin moved right up to Robert to shake his hand, placing his free hand on Jeff's right shoulder.

'I will need some time to set this up to give it the best chance possible of success.'

'We know very little of each other though I can say I trust you, whatever the outcome with trying to send me home is ... it is preferable to not trying at all.'

13.

Two days passed and evening arrived. If this was ever to happen then the time to make that attempt had come. It has become a little more difficult now. All the wondering, all the what ifs ... all of what might be out there in the universe and now Melvin has come to be on a foreign world, with other Humans of course, apart from Dan that is, at a moment in time many years from his own time, and now he might just be going home and back to a normal existence ... either that or ... well.

Is he crazy in wanting to do this? There is no one back there of note who will miss him. His life had been ordinary. Right here and right now it could be something quite extra-ordinary. So, what is it he really wants?

Robert felt he was as ready as he ever was going to be if he was going to do this. He felt uneasy and swore that once this attempt was complete then what it is that he had spent so much time working on would have to be dismantled and completely destroyed. If this project or technology would ever become a means of transportation, then it would not have been Robert's invention that would be used.

The time in between the decision being made and up to this point was pleasant for Melvin, Jeff, Dan, and even Frederick too. Robert spent most of this time preparing for this moment. Everyone had gathered in the barn. Melvin and Frederick clasped hands.

'Are you sure about this?' asked Frederick. 'We have a good thing going here. It is a good set up and we are among good people here and that includes Dan, we can call him a people.'

Smiles were shared, by everyone and not just between Melvin and Frederick.

'Yeah, I am sure. I have to get back home. It is where I must be. Are you sure you want to stay? You don't have to, ya know?'

'Oh yes, I am as sure as sure can be. I want to keep all my molecules in one place, besides I kinda like it here.'

'Take care of yourself, alright?'

'I will indeed, you too.'

Melvin and Frederick hugged before Melvin moved on to shake Jeff's hand.

'Good luck' spoke Jeff.

'Thank you, I appreciate this' speaks Melvin having moved on over to Robert. 'And I'd consider holding onto what you have here. With any new invention, there are bound to be one or two ... bugs.'

Robert nodded respectfully and offered another handshake. Melvin moved on and over to Dan.

'And Dan my friend, I cannot explain what this whole experience means to me. All this and having met you, it just seems it was meant to be, it was meant to happen to me.'

'Thank you so much for taking care of me and looking out for me. So many would not have done what you have done so I am forever grateful to you my friend, and who knows? Maybe we will meet again.'

'Anything is possible.'

Robert indicates that Melvin should make his way over and onto the circular platform nearest to them and this is what he did. Robert works his controls. As before, five red lights light up one by one around the side of the platform then one by one these red lights went out. A low-level hum sounded and a bright white light appeared under Melvin's feet. He vanished, the hum stopped and the light dimmed. Five green lights appeared one by one where the red lights had been.

***

On a quiet dark and long stretch of road a singular vehicle moves quickly moving through the bends and turns with ease. Music plays loudly. Melvin sings along with the song currently playing on the radio while also tapping on the steering wheel. Both drivers' side and passenger side front windows are slightly lowered allowing a cool breeze to flow through the car on a warm dry evening.

Melvin's attention is distracted from the road for a very slight moment though when his attention does return to the road, it is just in time to notice something standing in the middle of the road not all that far away and this causes him to swerve into a field and come to a halt.

'Hello' calls out Melvin having got out of his car.

There was someone out on the road, or at least there had been. Why anyone would be out on a road at this time of night would hit him as being a very strange thing, stranger still for a split-second Melvin was sure that this man out on the road was ... well, himself. Unless Melvin has a twin that he doesn't know of, or has a doppelganger then another him out on the middle of a dark road is next to impossible, right?

Having received no reply to his call out of 'hello', Melvin gets back into his car and heads back out onto the road. Using the headlights, Melvin checks for any sign of life and finds none. He had seen something, he was sure of it. At this point there was nothing he could do but head home despite the fact that something about this very moment felt in some way familiar.

Work the following day and a program being implemented for the benefit of staff was to begin. It includes an assessment of employee mental health. A psychologist had been hired by the firm Melvin worked for and an office had been set aside for this new recruit. Melvin was required to pay this psychologist a visit despite the resistance he may feel about having to make such a visit.

'Hello, I am Doctor Frederick Williams' spoke the psychologist as he reached for Melvin's had after having invited him into the office. 'Please take a seat.'

'I feel as if I am having some kind of Deja Vu like moment, I hope that this doesn't give you reason to note me down as being crazy or something to that effect.'

'Not at all, sure Deja Vu is a common occurrence and now that you mention it, I seem to be having somewhat of a Deja Vu moment of my own.'

'Do I know you?' asked Melvin. 'I must admit you seem somewhat familiar.'

'Not that I am aware, but I can ask the very same question of you. There is some kind of odd familiarity here. Hey, have you ever looked up at the stars at night and wondered as to if there is anything out there?'

'As a matter of fact, I have.'

The workday soon comes to pass. Melvin is to have the best night's rest he feels he has had in a long time during which it comes to him, all of it, he remembers everything, but it was only a dream, right?

With this Doctor Frederick Williams having a part in this dream, Melvin looked forward to returning to work and possibly having a second meeting with this doctor fellow though as Melvin would be told, apparently this doctor person has vanished into thin air, no one knows where he is ...

Robert Stanford stands in the barn looking at the equipment he had spent so much time working on. It did seem to him that it would almost be a tragedy to have to dismantle it. With both platforms being inside the barn Robert covered it all, exited the barn and went to bed. He will leave it be ... for a while at least.

Jeff had been watching from the living room window; he had a feeling that Robert would not be able to dismantle his creation. Frederick, well he is happy as is. Dan the Alien stood out in the center of the field looking up at the multitude of stars wondering as to if Melvin had made it home successfully.

'You never know my friend, maybe one day we will meet again ....'

THE END