Time Leap by Steve Howrie Page B

Niki. In the end we decided to take a big kitchen knife
and the pepper spray she bought last year after a few street
robberies were reported in the area, plus our IDs and a bit of food
and drink – and some money.
    Having packed everything
we thought we needed, we took the tube to Lancaster Gate and found
a suitable spot for our trip – close to a tree in the Italian
Gardens of the Park. When no–one was around, I changed my phone’s
date to exactly ten years in the future, held Niki’s hand, smiled
at her and pressed ‘save’.
    After the jump, we found
that the tree was larger, which was good because it prevented us
from being seen by anyone. We emerged cautiously, to find the
weather warmer and a few more people around the park. Apart from
that, nothing seemed so very different.
    “ I’ll get a
paper,” I said to Niki. A newspaper seemed to be an obvious way to
check World events. But as I made my way out of the garden, I
nearly jumped out of my skin.
    “ I thought I’d
find you here,” a voice said – my voice.
    I’d come face to face
with myself before – in our apartment when my other self had jumped
back to give us the lottery results; but this time there were ten
years separating us, not just one day. Naturally, I looked a little
older: several more wrinkles, a different hairstyle, and different
clothes (presumably more contemporary, although the style looked
like one from the 1940s). Apart from that, it was me.
    “ If you’re
looking for a newspaper, don’t bother. Nothing’s changed very much.
Oh, except the currency. You’ll need Euros now mate. You don’t have
any, do you?” I had to admit I hadn’t, and he took out a 500 euro
note and handed it to me. “Inflation’s gone crazy… that’s about
fifty quid in old money.” Then he asked if Niki was with
me.
    “ Yes, she is,”
I said. “Just a sec…” I called towards the big tree. “Nik – I think
you’d better come over here…” She appeared cautiously, and then her
eyes popped: two Joes again!
    “ Jeez… you
look so young – you both do,” Joe2 exclaimed.
    “ How did you
find us?” Nik asked.
    “ Not too
difficult kiddo. Would you like to meet Niki? I mean my Niki of
course.” Nik nodded and Joe2 took out his mobile phone, turning his
back towards us. Then we saw him shake his head, put the phone away
and turn back to face us. “Battery’s dead – can I use yours mate?”
At this point, alarm bells should have been ringing in my ears. But
this was Joe – me – and he’d just given me 500 Euros. How could
anything be wrong? I handed him my phone, and as soon as I did,
realisation hit me like a lead weight.
    I’d caught a
glimpse of his phone when he removed it from his pocket. You get to
know your own phone, and it was definitely not mine he pulled out.
Somehow in my mind I had rationalised that his phone should be different –
we’d gone into the future and technology had moved on. And anyway,
how could there be two copies of my phone in the same place at the
same time: But… but… my phone is unique, isn’t it?
    “ You’ve
noticed my phone, right? Well, you have to move with the times,
mate.”
    “ Then how
about time–travel… how does that work now – if you’ve changed your
phone?” Nik asked.
    “ Ah, well… you
really should have asked me that before giving me the mobile. About
five years ago, I had a problem with the phone. It kept locking…
the touch screen didn’t work, and it became more or less useless. I
didn’t want to take it for repair, but in the end I had to. After
it came back, it worked again – but only as an ordinary
phone.”
    “ So, no time
jumps?” Nik asked.
    “ No – that was
over. I did think of going back to the store and saying, ‘Hey,
you’ve messed up my phone: I can’t time–travel anymore’, but they’d
probably send me to the Funny Farm. In the end, I thought the only
solution was to meet up with you guys…”
    “… And steal my
phone,” I said