The Story of Friends from Different Generations By Abdalkader Alkhatib

The Story of Friends from Different Generations By Abdalkader Alkhatib In the year 2070, there was a professor at the University of Cambridge who was studying a new method to transfer people to different periods of time, akin to a time machine. He was motivated by a desire to go back in time to rectify some of the mistakes he had made in his life, mistakes that he deeply regretted. This professor was a serious man, bald with a pinkish face and gray eyes. He was of medium build and was very enthusiastic about the concept of a time machine. The mistakes he wished to correct were primarily related to his relationships with his family. He had not been a good son to his parents. He was stubborn and often ignored their advice. One significant regret was his refusal to visit his dying grandfather, despite being a well-known doctor who could have potentially helped him. This refusal caused his parents to harbor feelings of resentment and even hatred towards him. Additionally, he had let down many of his friends. One of his friends, Henry, was in need of money, but the professor, despite having plenty of it, refused to lend him a small amount. This refusal strained their friendship. The professor’s mother was cured of cancer, but he was devastated and financially broke at the time, unable to help her. Despite their lifelong friendship, the professor refused to assist Henry, even though he had the means to do so. The professor, named Henry, also struggled with depression and resorted to taking harmful medications, which eventually led to drug abuse and liver damage. He believed that creating a time machine would be the solution to all his problems. Henry worked tirelessly on his project, day and night. By the age of 65, after spending five years studying the principles of time travel, he finally succeeded in creating his own time machine. He did not inform anyone about his invention, nor did he seek approval from the government. On July 13, 2078, Henry tested his time machine, intending to travel back to the year 2000, when he was only four years old, to fix all his past mistakes. However, due to a small miscalculation, he ended up in the year 1701. He found himself in a completely different era, unable to understand the language or customs of the people. While walking through the old streets of London, he encountered a man who looked exactly like him. After a difficult conversation, he discovered that this man was his seventh great-grandfather. Henry was shocked and unsure whether to reveal the truth. He feared that his ancestor would think he was crazy, so he pretended to be a distant cousin and asked for help. Knowing his family history, Henry was able to make his story believable. He asked his great-grandfather for some money to buy food, as he was starving. Henry’s appearance had changed, and he was unsure how to return to his own time. He was ready to accept all the problems he had caused, but living in the past was unacceptable to him. He was shocked and nervous, unsure of what to do next. Even if he tried to create a new time machine, he would not succeed due to the lack of available resources. Electricity had not yet been invented, and there were only basic food items and some metals. Life was simple, and people were largely ignorant. He decided to take advantage of this situation and meet Sir Isaac Newton. He thought that by sharing new ideas in physics, he could collaborate with Newton and advance the field. However, to meet Newton, he needed to prove himself, as Newton only interacted with exceptional individuals. The first step he took was to apply to the University of London to meet Professor Sir Isaac Newton. Lacking funds, he decided to work with his grandfather, who pretended to be his cousin, as a housekeeper to save money for university fees. Despite his extensive knowledge of physics from the 21st century, no one would listen to him without an official certificate. People would not believe him until he could prove himself with a formal qualification. After two years of saving, he was able to enroll in the university’s Department of Physics. He pretended to know only what was common knowledge in that era, easily passing exams. After five years, he officially became a physicist. When he began sharing ideas from the 21st century, the professors were astonished by his knowledge, unaware that these concepts were standard in his original time. He initially tried to present the theory of relativity as his own, but no one believed him, just as they had not in the 20th century. Realizing this approach would not work, he shifted his focus to electricity. He believed that introducing electricity would make him famous. After successfully creating a lamp and generating electricity, he was hailed as the inventor of electricity, despite merely recalling concepts from his own time. His newfound fame allowed him to finally meet Sir Isaac Newton. When he eventually encountered Newton near the university, Newton recognized him as the famous physicist who invented electricity. Henry introduced himself and expressed his desire to work with Newton, who, after some hesitation, agreed. After working with Newton for several months, Henry realized that he knew much more than Newton. He had initially thought Newton could help him, but it turned out that he was the one helping Newton, thanks to his advanced knowledge from the 21st century. Despite his fame, Henry understood that his achievements were based on knowledge from a future era. He was merely trying to explain ideas from the 21st century to people in the 18th century, pretending that these ideas were his own. He felt deeply depressed, finding himself in a place where he knew no one. Everything seemed incredibly dull, even Newton himself. He had expected Newton to be more interesting, but everything was so monotonous. There were no cars, no social media, no airplanes—nothing. He realized that everything he had done was not worth the disaster that had occurred. He went to his wooden house in old London, feeling utterly despondent. As he looked up at the sky, he saw a half-moon and numerous stars. He wished he had not said anything and that everything had remained normal. He realized he should have accepted himself and all the mistakes he had made, but it was too late. As he tried to sleep, he suddenly heard the sound of an alarm behind him. Shocked, he woke up to find that it had all been a dream. He looked up happily and said to himself, “My Lord, my life is amazing. I don’t want to change anything.” He realized it might not be too late after all. That same day, he went to his parents, who were now very old, and asked them for forgiveness for everything he had done. They smiled and told him that they would love him no matter what because he was their son. He also called his old friend, who was now a billionaire living in France, to apologize for what he had done. However, he discovered that his friend had passed away ten years ago. He realized that perhaps what he had done was not worth it, but that was the reality he had to accept. -the end- By Abdalkader Alkhatib