The butterflies fluttered in their cluttered cage on the far side of the room. A fast-moving collage of blues, greens, reds and yellows enchanted my eyes as I watched them, displaying ever-changing ambient patterns like nature’s kaleidoscope. Simply watching them lulled me into a higher state of mind. The colours smoothed the contours of the thinking channels, allowing the travel of ideas to run more efficiently. That is precisely what gave me the idea for the name of my latest invention - The Kaleidoscope - the first working time-travel device ever built by a human being.

The Kaleidoscope is nothing fancy. In fact, the materials can be found lying around the house of every common man. It is how you use the materials that is important. All you need is an old refrigerator and a simple radio. First you take the casing off the radio, and place it in the old refrigerator to allow for the radio waves to energise the….hang on, this is my invention, build your own time machine.

So I bet you are wondering why I built the The Kaleidoscope?? It is simple. Change. You have all heard of the phenomena of ‘The Butterfly Effect’, am I correct? One simple action can cause many reactions, which in turn each become actions, which consequently cause many reactions, and then they themselves become actions, which then….so, do you understand? Good. The crux of the matter is that one simple change somewhere in the past could alter the present to our benefit. I’m not just a crazy old man - imagine it…just for a second. Wars could be prevented. Tragic disasters could be avoided. The massive force of tsunamis and volcanic eruptions could be predicted and harnessed for scientific use. Recent society’s most prolific psychopaths, murderers and dictators could be apprehended far earlier and ‘nipped in the bud.’. I could enlighten the world, all the greatest inventions throughout the years could eventually be transcribed to our distant ancestors. The process could be infinitely repeated, and our masses could eventually become a refined, perfect human race. It would all be because of me…I could be a prophet, a mystic, a legendary time-travelling saviour. A god among men.

The only slight problem with this prototype model of The Kaleidoscope is that you can’t choose the destination in time. It is a completely random process. This minor defect will be remedied in the finished model of the device, and should provide no problems during my initial experiments. The lottery of where in time I will land does highlight the fundamental dangers of time-travel, but as long as I stay in control of the machine I’m sure that all will be right as rain.

Please excuse me my reader. I must prepare. I kindly ask you to redirect your eyes while I change into my quantum-suit. This device is crucial to the success of the experiment, and although it looks like simple kitchen tin-foil, I can assure you it is equipment of a much more expensive nature. Righto, that’s it. Now the final stage of my preparation. My pretty butterflies. I must watch them, and let my mind be at ease for the journey.

Now. I step into the fridge, and turn on the transistor radio so that I can allow the waves to function. I must warn you I have no idea what I will leave behind in this room. There may be an explosion, or a rip in the ether, all I have to do now is turn this dial…and press this button



(Ending 1)

The plan could not have been implemented more smoothly. I allowed the uncivilised pagans of the ancient world to embrace me. I brought them guns, I showed them how to make fire, and after a while I managed to communicate with them in a mutually intelligible language (the children’s alphabet books I planted in my quantum-suit pocket helped with that). Before long we were making wheels, and I was laying the foundations for me to reveal the rest of the human race’s greatest inventions and philosophies. There would be no need for Edison, or Einsten. Galileo would be no more than an Italian peasant - only if, of course, I decided that the language of Italian was important enough to preserve. Pythagoras, Shakespeare and Newton would all be out of a job. I would maybe even ‘invent’ the guitar. I could be The Beatles. I could be Elvis Presley, or William Shakespeare. I could be whomever I wanted. I built The Kaleidoscope, and I changed the human race for the better. You can call me His Majesty, King of the most advanced race in existence.



(Ending 2)

Where was I? Had the experiment worked? It was dark, and I could feel no walls or objects around me. Was I still travelling through time? Could I stick an arm out into the Napoleonic wars? Could I pop my head from the darkness and spy upon Stalin and Trotsky in post revolution Russia? I felt as if I was floating through the sky, although my body seemed relaxed beyond my control. Suddenly, I heard a voice above me.

“How dare you?” The invisible voice said.

“Who…Who are you?” I asked, my lip quivering.

“I am what you pathetic humans might call god. I am absolutely everything. I am time, I am fate, and I am coincidence. I control what happens in the material realm that you consider your precious existence. I see and hear everything. I know what you are thinking. How dare you? So you think it is that simple to upstage me? You silly little man. Fine then. Have it your way. I’ll put your plan into action. However, you must pay the price. You are condemned to remain here in the transient vacuum of time. You will infinitely exist in this hollow dimension. Without purpose or company. Isn’t that what you humans call purgatory?”

“Hang on…” I called, but the voice never returned. I was trapped in time.



(Ending 3)

What happened? My Kaleidoscope. My precious Kaleidoscope. The experiment had failed, I was still here in my dirty old lab, inside a smoking old refrigerator. Maybe I was just a crazy old man after all. I quickly picked myself up from inside the refrigerator and sprayed a fire extinguisher on the radio, which had caught fire in the explosion that occurred when I pressed the button. All my work had resulted in failure. Again.

Although, on second thoughts, maybe the experiment did work…maybe I was sent into the past or future, but somehow I also remained here. How could I ever tell? I guess I couldn’t. I wonder how I faired in the other dimensions. Maybe I became the King of the world, or maybe I suffered a fate worse than death. Nobody would ever know; and in this case time would never tell.