gotten home from Israel.
The screen went black for a moment and then a face appeared on the screen. David almost fell over backwards with shock as his own wizened and old eyes stared back at him.
“David, what I wouldn’t give to see your face when you see what this device proves. It’s changed the way we think about time and will provide you with the freedom to embark on a great adventure,” the voice of an older David echoed from the computer speakers.
David stared at his face on the screen, wrinkled and tan. Tan? Had he spent time in the sun? Before David could continue his line of thinking, the computerized recording continued its one-way dialogue.
“I know what you’re thinking, David,” the future David said. “You’ll be spending a few more days in the sun than you’re used to. Remember, I was once you sitting in front of our old computer monitor listening to myself talk to myself. Heh, I could make your life boring and tell you how things turn out, but that would ruin the fun now, wouldn’t it?”
The image of David leaned in close and smiled wide. “I will tell you one thing, though…”
David leaned closer to the computer as though he were about to hear a secret.
“Modern science will make amazing advances in dentistry in the future, so don’t trouble yourself with Tom’s teasing about your soda habit.”
David leaned back with a smile on his face. He was funny.
“Enjoy,” his future self said with a wink.
Then his face disappeared and was replaced by a black screen. Two sets of numbers appeared and began scrolling higher and higher, into the billions. Both numbers stopped at 598,098,982,001. Two jagged lines appeared, labeled True Time and Present Time. The lines stretched across the screen, stopped and then overlapped. They were identical. A number labeled Time Variance, in the bottom right of the screen, began to scroll backwards from 100. David watched eagerly, waiting to see his theory be proved by machinery created by his future self. The number stopped at 0.00000000000. David smiled as the message, “Time Variance Not Detected-Time Stream Intact,” appeared on the screen.
David leaned back in the chair, relieved because he finally knew beyond a shadow of a doubt, time could not be changed. But then his stomach sank. He knew the truth. He knew the inevitable outcome of Tom’s past and future. He knew when, where and how Tom would die, and telling him wouldn’t do any good. It was set in stone, recorded in history; Tom was going to die thousands of years in the past.
Tom was beginning to wonder where David had gone. David left more than five hours ago and time wasn’t an object. If he stayed away for a year, he still could have come back just seconds after he left. Tom worried that something might have happened to David-maybe some kind of malfunction with the time travel devices or maybe David needed his help.
Tom’s thoughts were crushed by the loud laughter from the men around him. Jesus was to his right and the other men around the table were just a few of the other eleven disciples Jesus had appointed earlier that day. Tom formulated a plan and was about to excuse himself when David entered the tavern.
“Tom!” David said excitedly, as he moved to the table full of men, “Tom, can I talk to you for a minute?”
“Is this a friend of yours?” Matthew asked. He was a rotund yet muscular man sitting across from Tom.
“I don’t go anywhere without him.” Tom turned to David. “Isn’t that right, David?”
“Ha Ha! Welcome!” Matthew shouted to David, and then more loudly to the barkeep, “A drink for our friend!”
Matthew expertly flung a coin to the barkeep, who caught and pocketed it. David was about to try to speak again, but Tom wouldn’t give him the chance. “David, I’d like you to meet, Matthew.”
“M-Matthew?” David would later realize how stunned he must have looked. Here he was, meeting one of the disciples and future authors of the Bible. David’s jaw was wide open. Not that Matthew seemed to notice.
“Fine to meet you!” Matthew shouted, as he gave David a firm whack on the back that nearly knocked all the air from David’s lungs.
Matthew leaned back as best he could and revealed a small mousy man sitting behind him. “Our shy friend here is Judas.” Judas gave a little wave.
“Judas? Him?” David couldn’t believe who he was meeting and the look on his face said it all.
“You have a look of knowledge about you. Perhaps you have met Judas before?” Jesus asked David with a suspicious look in his eyes.
“No…No, I haven’t,” David replied.
The man sitting next to Jesus extended his long, skinny arm to David. “I’m Peter.”
David tried harder to repress his shock this time around, knowing it was bound to happen at least eight more times. “Hi, hello…” David said, as he shook Peter’s hand. “Tom, we need to talk. It’s important that you know this.”
“You’re among friends here, David. You have nothing to fear from us. Speak your mind,” Jesus said.
“Yeah, what’s so important?” Tom added.
David was in a corner and struggled for words. “I, uh, I just wanted to congratulate you on becoming one of the twelve apostles-uh, I mean disciples! Disciples I meant.”
“Bartender, cancel his drink,” Matthew shouted, “He’s had too much to drink already!”
Tom smiled and said, “Well thanks for stopping by…hey, we’re heading out to the Sea of Galilee tomorrow. You want to join us?”
David was on the spot and could see Tom was enjoying it. Everyone’s eyes burrowed into David, urging him for an answer. David smiled. It was time to turn the tables on Tom. “Yes, of course.”
Tom’s facial expression went blank.
“Excellent!” Matthew said.
David turned to Jesus and said, “Is it…would it be all right if I traveled with you? With the disciples?”
Jesus mulled over the question briefly and then replied, “You may travel with me and the twelve, but some of my teachings you do not need to hear. Do you understand?”
Butterflies filled David’s stomach as he realized that this was Jesus, the man he believed to be God. Surely, Jesus knew who he was, where and when he was from. Was that comment, that question directed toward David as someone who knew what was going to happen in the years to follow, who already believed? “I understand,” David replied.
“Good,” said Tom, “The walking will do you good. You need to give those flaccid, old muscles of yours a workout!”
The group burst out laughing. Even David, no longer held captive by fears of catastrophic time alterations, was able to find the humor. He chuckled with the group.
“Be nice,” Jesus added, “He’s in excellent shape…for someone his age!”
The group laughed again and David’s laughter was among the loudest. Tom was laughing too, but his was a skillful ruse, deployed so that no one would notice the fear in his eyes. He had heard and seen enough to know that life here in ancient Israel was no picnic. He had begun to reconsider his plot to stay. Maybe it was too risky? Maybe they would change the future? Tom cursed himself for not talking to David when he had asked. He fully expected David to throw a fit, drag him outside and demand that they leave. What did David know, and why did he agree to stay?
Tom couldn’t make sense of anything since Jesus appointed him the twelfth disciple. The only thoughts Tom could hold onto kept repeating in his head, How the hell did this happen? And why is David suddenly making things worse?
NINE
First Steps
