The Time Machine
Fiction
The pterodactyls wouldn’t leave them alone.
The captain and his first mate had somehow landed in the Jurassic period, but it was never their intention. Their time machine that coupled as a high-tech aircraft must have malfunctioned.
“Keep evading them!” the captain said to his first mate, who had taken control of the flight. “I’ll set us back on course.”
“Hurry,” the first mate said as he wiped his brow. “They won’t leave us alone! I can’t seem to shake them.”
The captain disappeared into the control room, pressing buttons and pulling levers. “Anything?” he called out.
“Nothing — you better hurry!”
The captain tried to work faster, frantically hitting switches, spinning dials.
“Whoa! We’ve been hit. They’re flying right into us! I’m going to initiate our shield so we can —”
“Jerry!” a woman’s voice echoed from somewhere beyond. “Miguel! Time for lunch!”
Within moments, the control room vanished. So did the flying time machine and pterodactyls.
“Ah, bummer,” the captain said. “I almost had it figured out.”
His first mate clapped him on the shoulder before he slid down the slide. “Come on,” he said. “I’m starving. It’ll be here when we get back.”
The captain followed suit and slid down to the soft earth below. He glanced at the time machine over his shoulder, which had somehow transformed back into a swing set.
Bellies grumbling, the boys scampered toward the porch.
Thanks so much for reading “The Time Machine” — I really enjoyed writing it.
Writing Prompt: If you’d like to get some words on the page, write about an imaginative childhood game you used to play. Tap into a memory to bring you to the specifics: taste, sight, sound, smell, and touch. Or, instead, write a story about the power of childhood imagination — or maybe the importance of never letting one’s imagination go.
Feel free to share your response below.
Have a great weekend.
Love this story!
This is a fun story!