I entered the world of the future through my own curiosity and exploration. At the same time, however, I could not predict the impact that it would have upon me.

By all accounts, it seemed as though the day would proceed normally. I awoke from bed, showered, went downstairs, and had breakfast. When I had finished the initial part of my morning routine, I thought to myself of what I would do.

When I thought of this, I did not think of it only for myself. I also thought of it for my brother, Matthew. At the time, he was fast asleep in bed. This is because he went to sleep later and as a result, he awoke later than I.

We were two years apart: I was 16 and he was 18. While he was clearly older than me, and consequently was given more responsibility, he did not condescend me, as is (unfortunately) rather common in some relationships.

Instead, he treated me almost as an equal, and the relationship we shared was one in which we were both brothers and friends.

The two of us also shared a younger sister, Patricia, whom we all called Patty. My parents had gone with her to a figure skating tournament.

They decided to leave us at home to ourselves, as they felt that we had matured sufficiently that we could be entrusted with such a delicate responsibility.

I went back into my room. For that brief period, I did not know what I was doing, and it felt as though I were being very unproductive. School was out for the period, as it was summer vacation. On top of that, we were also on a weekend.

I lay in bed a while, listening to music on my iPod and wondering. Finally, I decided to explore around the house. It was at this moment that I heard a sound, almost as though a loud thump.

I was a bit scared, and so I consequently exited my room and went into the hallway. When I entered the hallway, my fears, I realized, were for nothing. It was just Matthew. who having recently awoken, went to eat breakfast.

I greeted him then, and he replied back. We both agreed to talk later. As he went down the stairs, I turned my attention to exploring the house. I was planning to wander in a general manner around the house, but soon, my mind and my thoughts of exploration were taken up by a sound, almost as that of a sucking tube.

I followed the sound, curious of what it was and determined to find out. I followed the sound, and went to the patio. There, I saw a hole.
That hole turned into an elevator which allowed me to enter underground. I entered, and there, in a cavernous space, stood, in bold red letters, the words TIME MACHINE. The time machine was a large door, which opened up to take the person to the selected time. To the right of the time machine was the Time Selector, which allowed the person time traveling to choose whether to head backwards in time or forwards.

A voice, sinister yet cocky at the same time, asked me “Do you wish to head where you have never headed before?”

I answered to the voice “I have to go see my brother first.”

It replied “Sure” with a devilish laugh. I was then ejected out and returned to being in my backyard.

Now that I was in my backyard, I trudged back into the house. By that point, Matthew had finished his breakfast.

He was heading back toward his room. I knew that I needed him to be by my side if I ever went backwards or forwards in time.

Consequently, I entered the house and went up the stairs. I walked down the hallway and knocked on his door three times.

He answered and opened the door. Closing it, he greeted me. I saw that he had changed into his clothes for the day. While he waited for me to engage in conversation, I took a brief note of his physical appearance.

Matthew was tall, at about 6’2 in height. He had dirty blond hair and green eyes. His face had a fair amount of stubble as it was evident that he had not shaved in several days. His broad shoulders and well-apportioned build clearly indicated that he was sporty, something which had been confirmed by having had to attend his games throughout his time in high school. My parents, for their part, were quite proud of his athleticism.

“What’s up?”

“For me, not much, what about you?”

“Same, except for one thing I have to show you.”

“What is it?”

“That’s for me to know and for you to find out.”

That was the last word I said. I asked him to join me and he reluctantly agreed. I had a feeling that he was bored at the present moment and that he wanted to do something different.

I did not ask him at that very moment, however, because I disliked him or because the relationship between us was tense, but rather because I wanted to enjoy the silence as we went together.

The two of us went down the stairs and exited into the backyard. Upon exiting to the backyard, I saw the thing I most wanted to see: the passage to the time machine itself.

I showed it to him, and he could not see it, because it had been cleverly camouflaged from the last time I saw it.

My eye could not be fooled, however. I knew where it was, and sure enough, my intuition proved correct. The stone turned into the elevator through which we descended to the time machine.

Matthew, who had not ever seen this space before, seemed amazed at its existence, and I could see a sense of pleasure coming out him. Matthew was an adrenaline junkie, and seeing something that he had never before seen had drawn out that emotion of adventure and of a desire to go out and see what would happen.

The elevator stopped, and we exited. We were now in front of the time machine.

At this point, I had Matthew, and I knew that regardless of what might happen, together, we could handle anything that came our way.

Now in front of the machine, I was uncertain of what time I wanted to go, but I knew I wanted to go into the past.

This opinion was not shared by Matthew, however, and the two of us were at loggerheads over this. I wanted to see the past, those things which I had only read in history books. I wanted to experience them, not merely read about them. Matthew, however, did not want to see the past. He wanted to see the future.

This fundamental difference nearly threatened to split us apart. Luckily, we found a solution to resolve the dispute peacefully: a game of Rock, Paper, and Scissors.

We began playing the game, and the first two rounds were inconclusive at best. The third round, however, ended up being the pivotal one. I released my hand as paper, while Matthew, clearly having anticipated from the outset that I would pick this position, went to his right hand. He grabbed his second and third fingers and formed them into the scissor shape.

Since scissors beats paper, he won, and as a result, he got to pick which time period we would go to. After all, it was only fair.

He decided to head into the future. However, he was uncertain of which year to pick. That was when I took matters into my own hands.  Thinking quickly, I picked the year 2320 for us to head to.

I briefly paused, and considered whether or not I should do this. Ultimately, I decided to do this, and so did Matthew. We entered inside the door, and as the door closed, the avatar of the time machine, grinning, said “You will be given a timer to remind you of how many days you have, because you only have three days. Ha ha ha ha!”

The voice of the time machine stopped. We were inside the time machine. It spun five times before the bottom of the machine fell off. As the bottom of the machine fell off, so did we.

It seemed as though we would plunge precariously to our deaths. That fate was averted, however, by a sudden movement. It felt like the roar of a motor, except more subtle, and it permeated the air around, almost as though we were frozen in place. As we fell, we saw an item stop. We deduced that item to be a flying car. It opened up the bubble top roof and we fell in to the car’s seats.

We were in a sort of daze up until we were awoken. The car was being run by a young man who appeared to be in his twenties.

I saw that he had dark brown hair and brown eyes. He also seemed to have a mustache (of sorts) growing on his face.

He was of a medium build and seemed younger than he was.

The man looked to be the driver, but it turned out that he wasn’t actually driving the car. We asked him and he commented, in direct language “The car drives itself. I just sit here and tell it where to go.”

The car soon descended from the sky and hit a driveway. We saw that the car parked itself in what would, for our standards, be considered a small house.

As the car came to a stop in the house’s driveway, we saw ourselves in the car’s bubbletop. Then, the bubbletop opened, and we exited the vehicle.

When we exited the vehicle, we saw that the house’s landscaping and curb appeal was very elaborate and well-designed. It was evident that a great deal of care and thought went into the design.

We remarked this as we entered into the house. When we finally entered the house, we saw that it was small, but was very neat and tidy.

He told us that the house had three bedrooms and three bathrooms. He had the first bedroom along with his wife, who was at work, he stated.

The second bedroom was used as an office, while the third bedroom had a spare bed. Since we were two, and there was only one bedroom, we were forced to share the same room. I did not want this, and consequently, I left the room for Matthew’s use. I crashed on the couch.

I was very tired, and consequently, fell fast asleep. When I awoke three hours later, the young man came up to me again. He introduced himself as Mark, and I in turn introduced myself as John.

With my introduction to him finished, he asked me if I wanted any meals cooked. I did want a meal, as I had not eaten since breakfast that morning. It was at that point that I in earnest began to see the futurism of the time I picked in all its naked appearance.

The kitchen was fully automated; since I was his guest, Mark allowed me to pick what I had for dinner. I wanted to have fried chicken with macaroni and cheese and a biscuit. Mark had macaroni and cheese, but not fried chicken and a biscuit.

Consequently, he went to his refrigerator. The refrigerator had in front of it a 20-inch touchscreen. With this, he selected an offer for 8 pieces of fried chicken, four buttermilk biscuits, and two four-liter bottles of soda

The meal cost him a total of $26.15. This amount of money he paid by a facial scanner. It recognized his face and ordered the food.

Unbeknownst to me, the order was transferred to the local supermarket. The local supermarket, who had responded to that order, picked those two items.

The food was then given to a robot, who then delivered it to the house. Sure enough, we heard a sound on the door 15 minutes later.

It was a humanoid robot, who carried himself through what seemed a sort of jet propulsion, and who in his outstretched hands carried the food.

Mark then called his robot. Using a command, his robot came. The robot then grabbed the food and placed it on the kitchen counter.

The kitchen then fully automated its processes. Several robots worked in the kitchen. They grabbed plates, prepared the food, set the table, and made the final arrangements.

We then sat down to eat the food. Halfway through the meal, we were interrupted by Matthew’s decision to make an appearance.

He appeared to lumber through the kitchen. Shirtless and in his boxers, he sat on the kitchen table. We looked at him askance, and told to him that he must go back to his room and put clothing on.

He reluctantly obliged and changed into his clothing.

With his clothes changed, we sat down and ate our food. While the meal went on, I asked him how it was that could have the help of robotic intermediaries.

This was a question on my part because these robots did tasks which I excepted to be handled by human hands.

His reply to me was succinct.

“I am able to afford these robots because I am an upper-middle class person. Robots are expensive, and as a result, my high wages allow me to afford the robots. I am a neurosurgeon, while my wife works as a finance systems analyst. Since our dual incomes are high, we can indulge ourselves in these luxuries. Consequently, it becomes easier most of the time to rely upon the robots as opposed to ourselves.”

Turning on to me, however, he expressed his concern for the future. “I fear that there will be a time of reckoning.”

I did not understand what he meant, but this would become something which we would soon realize was a harbinger of things to come.

The meal finally came to an end. When the meal finished, the wife returned home. Mark kissed her and in turn introduced her to the two of us. After introducing ourselves, she introduced herself as Michelle.

At that time, Matthew went upstairs.

I stayed downstairs, and wished good night to them. Mark and Michelle went upstairs. I then, with my voice, stated “Lights off.”

In a flash, all the lights in the room went off. I then saw the window. Cars were flying in a glittery, very modern metropolis that resembled that of Blade Runner, albeit even more futuristic.

I briefly remarked on this incredible evolution of technologies which I had seen. I then put my head on my pillow, closed my eyes, and fell very deeply asleep.

The next morning, I awoke to a very unsettling scene. I saw people protesting on the streets, with picket signs. .

These people demanded an end to what they called “An unjust distribution of labor” and demanded that robots be replaced with humans.

They continued to protest until robotic police forces fired on the crowd. Twenty were killed and 10 were wounded.

All throughout, I saw that there was somewhat of an undercurrent of revolution; however, I was in a daze, an idealized world that existed nowhere except in the bubble of the upper middle class.

It was the upper middle class that I was with, and it was with the upper middle class that I would be associated with.

The next morning, I was awakened from my sleep at 8:00 a.m. I received semi-concert by my favorite artist in holographic form. He awoke me. From there, I went to the restroom, and underwent my daily routine. The rest of the people there would not awaken until 9:30 a.m. First to awaken was Matthew, followed by Mark, and Michelle in last place.

Once they awoke, we learned it was Sunday. They had to go on errands, and since we were staying with them, we were required to accompany them.

Before we could go out at all however, we decided to have breakfast. We sat down and ate together.

After breakfast was finished, we left. First off, Mark and Michelle needed to stop by the Rendering Office.

I asked what the Office served use for; I learned that it was the place were plans were drafted by humans before being converted into robotic code. This code would then be used for surgeries, which would then be carried out by robots in times of high demand. I asked why he engaged in a task which seemed almost suicidal to himself, and I learned that his boss (a robot) required him to do so.

I then asked him “How is it that you can still make money as a neurosurgeon if large portions of your job are done by robots.”

He replied back to me “Wealthy patients and some middle and lower class people who are skeptical of robots.”

“But is that not hypocritical?  You yourself take full advantage of the services of robots, and yet, you take advantage of the prejudices of people toward a technology you commonly use to make yourself wealthy.”

I could sense that he was becoming increasingly aggravated.

“I act that way because I need the money. I know it’s hypocritical and I don’t need you to act like a granny. So shut up, and don’t ask me those kinds of questions.

“Alright then.”

We stopped by the Office. Just before exiting, Mark interacted with the car. I learned then that he called the car Reginald.

“Reginald, remember to return here at an hour and a half from now.”

“Also, what time is it?”

“It’s 11:40 a.m., sir.”

“Great. Remember to return to the front of the Office by 1:10 p.m.”

“Will do.”

The car, then, of its own accord, left, and prepared to carry out those tasks which had been given to it.

We entered the Office, and saw its structures. The office itself had a design that was very similar to the work of the noted architect Eero Saarinen; it even had his noted chairs.

Mark and Michelle went to bring their renders.

We stayed seated, and waited for them to finish their work. An hour and a half later, they were finished, and just like they had planned, and made compulsory of the car, it was waiting in front for them.

The three of us boarded in the car and headed to our next location.

This next location was more unexpected than I thought. We stopped by a department store.

I questioned the necessity of department stores in an era where robots dominated commerce and interactions, but keeping in mind the experience I had with Mark, stayed silent.

We went into the store and saw that all of the tasks were done by robots. The robots handled all our tasks with a precision and efficiency which I had not seen in any human clerk.

Matthew and I chatted while this was going on, and even though we were in the future, we both felt it was not all it was cracked up to be: the people seemed more tense, there was an air of revolt, and the situation as it was did not seem as good as it was.

We began to question why we ever decided to go forward in time. Matthew and I also missed our parents, and Patricia too.

We thought all these things.

The last part of the trip was definitely the most exciting, and probably the high watermark of the entire trip; we headed into the downtown district.

By this time, it was 2:30 in the afternoon. However, my hopes were dashed, because while we would be going to the downtown district, it would not be right then and there.

Instead, we stopped by a restaurant and grabbed lunch. We entered Samoli’s, an Italian restaurant, and ordered a large pizza. We also ordered lasagna and Stromboli, along with salad, soup and breadsticks. It was a large spread, and I noticed that the food was cooked by robots.

I asked how it was that robots could be in a kitchen with their metallic bodies.

Mark, who apparently had gotten over our confrontation earlier, replied that “These are a special brand of robot, designed for restaurants and cooking, which are coated in a fireproof coating, and built from the ground up to be that way.

With that in mind, we waited for our food. 25 minutes later, our food was ready. It was the best meal of Italian food I have ever eaten. It was better than even that cooked by an Italian grandmother, as heretical as that may sound to a purist.

Once we finished our meal, we then walked to the downtown district. The flying car appeared to have returned back home.

In the downtown district, we saw the numerous flying cars flying above us, the various buildings stacked upon each other, urban farms, large energy complexes, hydrogen fuel charging stations, and a military base.

Continuing down, we saw the shopping district. There, numerous stores, most of them staffed by robots, were available to shop for. At the very end of the district was the Presidential Palace; there, the president (Frederick Lane) collaborated with robotic advisors to make decisions for the good of the country.

Halfway while walking, we then saw a large crowd of people enter. Brandishing rifles, they fired upon the robots, and destroyed them. They then stated “Those who have collaborated with these unthinking, unfeeling and perfidious (faithless) machines, will not meet upon our mercy.”

The people were upset at the robots because companies replaced human workers in menial jobs with robotic workers, as they were much cheaper to maintain and pay when compared to humans. This made companies more profitable, and vastly reduced expenses for them, but significantly increased the unemployment rate. Couple this with tensions between the remaining human workers and the robots, and there was an undercurrent of anti-robot sentiment, which certain parties used to gain popular support.

The group attacking were members of one of those parties, and they demanded that Mark cease to use or support robots.

Mark resisted, and as a consequence, they killed Michelle. Mark then ran away. We then saw one of the members, a short and stout man, who appeared to be of Mexican descent chase him.

Lining him up, as though he were the doe in his eye, he fired the shot. It hit him in the head, causing him to die instantly. They then threw bombs and entered the presidential palace.

They were 4,000 men (and women) in total. They united in one goal, the elimination of all working robots and those who sympathized with their growing influence.

We pretended to be on their side just long enough to get out. We then left and ran back to Mark and Michelle’s house.

That night, we watched the news.

Anchoring the news was Paul Sawyer. He announced that the President had been killed along with all of his robotic advisors, and that the men and women who attacked and led the revolt against the growing influence of robots had taken over the government.

Calling themselves the “Human Liberation Council” they declared martial law and ordered a purge of the military.

They removed the robotic soldiers, generals, and support, as well as anyone who was remotely in favor of the robotic presence.

Luddites, buoyed by the news of the revolt’s success, went and attacked robotic police, as well as those companies who manufactured robots.

Instead of being disciplined, they were glorified, called “Heroes for Humanity.”

The government increasingly became less and less tolerant of robots. Robots found were destroyed, and anyone guilty of having robots awaited death.

We knew this and yet we developed too much of a relationship with the robots we took over from Mark and Michelle to eliminate them. We knew the fate that would befall us would not be pretty, but we were willing to take it.

It was in this moment of reverie that the timer rang. It had a loud alarm, much like one of those stereotypical 1950s alarms.

The timer’s ring told us that we had one day left. We would have to return soon, and we were actually kind of glad to return.

After all, the situation had become increasingly unstable, and we risked losing our lives for our sympathetic attitude toward the robots.

The next morning, we walked outside and saw that robots, once almost universally present, were almost totally gone. Several toy robots were still around, but all the useful ones were destroyed.

Humans resumed taking their jobs.

While the unemployment rate did drop, hostility increased immensely.
It was clear to us that we were no longer welcome there. This explains what happened next.

The police swarmed the property and arrested us for “Supporting those who would desire our end.”

We were charged with supporting robots, and were consequently dragged to prison. At our trial later that day, we were charged with the death penalty.

At our cell in prison, we received a letter from “Secret Advisor.”

In the letter, the Advisor informed us that there would be a major prison riot, and advised us to take advantage of the riot.

The prisoners true to form began a revolt against the guards. Many of the guards were killed as the prisoners took over the jail and freed everyone. Now that we were free, we escaped from prison.

We then ran to a poverty-stricken part of town. It was one of those parts of town where criminal gangs ruled the city and police did not dare enter, both for their sakes and for the sakes of the residents.

We went into an abandoned apartment. The apartment’s faded sign said RESERVOIR TOWERS.

The door was open slightly, which allowed us to get in. We then tightly locked the door. At the check-in area, we saw the keys of the people who stayed there. When the apartments closed, the keys were not taken. These keys, however, were not your typical key. Rather, they were biometric keys. The doors were body scanners, in which the doors would scan the person’s body and allow them to get in.

We grabbed one of these keys for room 302. We then went up a set of rickety stairs. The stairs seemed brittle, as though they might break at any moment. Luckily, they did not.

We then arrived on the third floor. Walking down the hallway, we found the room, 302.

There we entered and prepared ourselves for the action that we would soon undertake.

Before we did anything, however, we saw the room around us. The room was clearly filthy, and it seemed as though there may have been vagrants who stayed there. We looked out the windows and saw that the city’s downtown and suburbs were up in smoke.

The revolution had become radicalized, and we saw that the future was not going to evolve. Rather, it was more likely to return to an older state. We regretted the actions of the people present, but could not undo the course of history.

As a result, we allowed the events to proceed. Matthew then held the timer in his hand. He had taken it from the house when we were arrested (and no one found it, either) thankfully.

We then pressed a button on the timer for what was called Early Release. We may still have had 12 hours, but as this future was continuously regressing,, we were losing any stomach for staying there.

We had lost all hope in the future, and to a certain extent in ourselves, for being so gullible as to believe that going to a different time would solve our problems.

I also became very cynical, and I think Matthew also went into cynicism, for we saw that no matter how much societies, technologies, peoples, and cultures evolve, there will qalways be those primitive and reactionary parts of society which hold societies back and destroy them. There will also be those well-meaning people who mean to do good but end up causing harm.

Through all this time, the door, which served as our portal here, would also serve as our mechanism to return back home.

We entered into the door as it proceeded with its motions. The door spun three times, and then the bottom hatch opened up.

We fell from the time machine, and we landed in our backyard.

A massive sense of relief washed over us to know what we had returned to our family and to our life, and that we would no longer be targeted.

I also noticed that the time machine and the apparatuses used to access it completely disappeared.

We realized then and there just how lucky we were not just to be alive, but also to be together, united as one.

It was in this spirit that we hugged each other in joy at being together again where we truly belonged.

Returning to the inside of the house, we showered and fell asleep. While it was still daytime were we were at, the two of us were so tired that we fell asleep quickly.

That sleep brought a wave of relaxation over us.

The next morning, the two of us woke up in a laid back manner. It was as though the two of us were almost in sync.

I made breakfast both for Matthew and myself. As the two of us went through the day, I felt that something was different. Something was a little bit off about the day.

I then went upstairs and checked my calendar. I realized that today was Monday, and that today was when my mother, father, and Patricia returned from the ice skating competition.

I told this to Matthew, and the two of us felt an incredible sense of gratitude to them; we, who normally stayed a slight distance to them, wanted to have a bonding activity, as we  missed them to such a great extent during our time in the future.

We then decided to do a movie marathon on Netflix. Halfway while watching DieHard, our parents came home, and we were excited to see them and Patty.

We rushed out to greet and embrace them. They were also excited to see us, and we were excited to see them.

Dad clearly noticed something not completely right about us, but in the end, he just shook his head. Quickly, his emotion was replaced with excitement.

He asked us “Who wants to eat hamburgers.”

“We do.”

With that in mind, we left the house and went to Freddy’s, the local fast-food chain. Inspired by the décor of the 1950s and located near the bay, we sat down and ordered our burgers.

I ordered a bacon cheeseburger with fries and a chocolate malt. Matthew ordered two of them. My mother and father ordered the restaurant’s double cheeseburger. We were attended by a plump waitress, who took our orders quickly.

With our food taken, I stood up to see the restaurant’s décor. It was very clear that it successfully replicated the ambience of the Fifties. I then also went to the balcony area of the restaurant and saw the waves crashing on the shore. The white sand appeared to lap against the waves as the waves lapped back.

I stayed on the deck for another five minutes. Since the food was not finished yet, I sat on the table.

I saw that my family, congregated at the table, were engaged in conversation. As I sat down, they briefly stopped their conversation before finally starting it anew. I joined this conversation.

We then chatted as we waited for our food to arrive. Once it did, we ate it together.

After the meal, our parents allowed Matthew and I to walk along the pier. We saw the sunset and the night enter into being. With the full moon shining brightly, we chatted at length about the topics that we each liked and disliked.

At the end of the pier, we walked back.

Returning home, we went to sleep (or at least, that was the plan.)

While my parents, Matthew, and Patty were able to fall asleep, I stayed awake, unsure of myself and doubting whether I really deserved the privileged station I had in life. Halfway through my sleep, I awoke. I could have gone downstairs, but I did not want to merely watch the television until the sun shone on everyone.

I also did not want to see my parents, because I knew full well that they would not be able to relate to what the two of us went through and saw. With that in mind, I entered Matthew’s room. I saw that he was fast asleep, and as a result, I roused him slightly. That, however, was not enough. I tried speaking at normal volume. He did not wake up. I tried speaking even louder than that. He also did not wake up.

Finally, I tickled him. This is what woke him up, albeit after about ten minutes of doing it.

“John, is that you?” he asked groggily.

“Sorry to interrupt you, but I haven’t been able to fall asleep. I have these thoughts in my head that I need to air out.”

“Let them all out.” he replied

And so I did. I spent the next two hours telling him what I felt and he in turn told me what he felt. When the two of us were done interchanging our emotions, he invited me to be in the room with him, at least for that night.

I did want to sleep next to someone, and so I acquiesced.

The next morning, the two of us woke up.

I went and prepared myself, as did Matthew.

We then sat down for breakfast.

At breakfast, Dad asked me if I thought waiting for the future would be worth it. Immediately, I knew the answer.

Enthusiastically, I replied.
 “There’s no time like the present.”