Chapter 13

“Sandy, if this is 2026 PV technology, we can’t let it be generally known in this time, for it hasn’t been invented yet, apart from that small experiment in America a few years ago. We have it here, but only for us and this machine.”

She glowered at me for spoiling whatever she was thinking of, then got the point.

“So I can’t talk about it at the university?”

“Not unless you are merely speculating about what the future might hold. You daren’t talk about specifics. For instance, the idea of a powerful battery may be correct, but it is still speculation with us. Large PV panels, as you described them, cannot be possible in our time, as the technological methods can’t have been devised yet, so you can’t mention them. You would be treated as a fantasist in your classes, I suspect. Many inventors who only talked about their ideas were treated as visionaries or speculators, or simply mad, and you have nothing to show them without bringing them here and revealing our time travel device, which would be disastrous for us.”

“Damn, Bob, must you be so sensible all the time? Forgive me my own fantasies.”

“We all can have our fantasies, as long as they don’t clash with the reality of this time, darling Sandy.”

“Okay, but tell me this: how the heck did all these panels and other equipment get here from 2026?”

“Good question,” I answered. “I am sure you will be able to solve that one with your university-trained logic. I can only think about that box I arrived in at 2026. Why was there a box at all? Everywhere else you can go to with the machine, there is no box.”

Sandy looked at me querulously, thinking hard.

“Interesting observation, Bob. What size was the box, and what was it made of?”

I used my hand to stretch out the dimensions horizontally, but I had no idea if the box had a top to it.

“About this size,” I said, “Certainly a lot wider than a human being, probably enough space for three people to stand together. It must have been taller then me, so I would take a guess at six feet high, maybe more. There is no way of telling. As to material, it appeared to be glass, but it didn’t feel like glass when I touched it. It wasn’t cold, like glass tends to feel, and it gave me the impression of a ‘rubbery’ feel; not like rubber, but that slipperiness that rubber or Bakelite has to it. That is why I think it is not glass; perhaps perspex?”

“Hmm ... that is a possibility, “Sandy said thoughtfully. “Sounds like a plastic of some kind, probably used as a lighter and more flexible material than glass, and probably shatterproof. But why bother with a box at the sending end, when there is never a box at the arriving end of the transfer and nothing when sending a person from here?”

“A limitation of what the machine can do?” I offered, hesitantly. This got me a nod, then a frown.

“It can’t be as obvious as that, for all you would need, to show you where to stand, would be a square marked on the floor. No, I think it has to be connected to taking things with you. I have already proved you can carry things with you. The panels may either fit into the box or be foldable to fit. Everything inside the box would go to here.”

“But you don’t bring a section of carpet with you, despite standing on it and so being in contact with it.”

“True. Possibly the box has its own floor that you stand on and that small elevation means that when you return you won’t bring back what you are standing on. The next question is whether you have to be touching an item to bring it with you. Or at least have it inside your clothing, such as in a pocket. That would still constitute touching.”

“We could solve that question very simply: I could move to 2026 taking two bricks; one in my hands and one sitting on the floor by my feet. We see what goes through, and hey presto: you have the answer.”

“That means waiting until you have bricks, dear. Keep it simple. Go to 2026 and collect two gold ingots. Get in the box, place one in your pocket and one on the floor, and come back here. You arrive with one bar or two, and question answered. Quicker and more useful.”

“Yes, I could do that; simpler, as you say. It might take me several minutes to open a casing and collect two ingots, so I should allow ten minutes for the duration there.”

With that agreed, Sandy was anxious to go ahead with that test, so I hurried to do all that we needed to do to get ready. An instant later I was in the laboratory, and quickly got hold of a screwdriver and unfastened the screws of the side panel. I collected two bars, one after the other, placed them aside, and refastened the equipment panel. I then had time for a quick perusal of the lab. Nothing seemed to be different, so I transferred one ingot to the floor of the box, which I should now call the plastic box. The other went into my pocket, causing it to sag. Checking my watch, I still had a couple of minutes before departure. Was there anything I could take that would amuse Sandy? Yes, there was that pad with a glass screen on its front that was lying on the work table; whatever the pad was. I picked it up and placed it in my other pocket. It helped the balance, but only a little; it was surprisingly lightweight.

Now fully prepared, I stepped back in the plastic box and waited. I looked down and the ingot was sitting there patiently waiting for me to transport it, if it might come, being untouched.

I was losing track of time when suddenly I was back in the vestibule, and Sandy gasped at my sudden appearance. It is one thing to do your own move and accept it, another to see someone appear from nowhere in front of your eyes.

“Bob! You are back safe!”

I stepped over to her and took her in my arms. “With you, I am safe, Sandy.”

She shuddered and said, “The reality looks so different, Bob. I was fine when doing my own transfer, but when it looks like a magic trick in front of your eyes, emotionally it is a shock. I am glad to see you back, safe and sound.”

“And I am glad to be back with you, my love.”

She pulled herself together and asked, “Did it work?”

“Did what work? Oh, the ingots...” I noted the weight in my pocket, than looked down by me feet. Nothing. There was no ingot near me.

“Sandy, to appears that you have to be touching an object for it to come through with you. The second gold bar must be still back in 2026.”

“We assume so, but is it there? Go back and check, Bob.”

I saw her logic, so it placed my hands on the control knobs; set it for the same trip, and engaged the operation.

Nothing happened. I remained where I was. I looked at the small rectangle above the target knob and it displayed, ‘power low’. I pointed it out.

“What do you think that means, Sandy?”

“It must be that the rate of recharge is not enough to go straight back to 2026. We have to wait until it builds up enough charge to operate the system again from this direction.”

“Is that minutes, or hours, or days?”

“In the past, you made several trips in a relatively short period of time, but that was the first time it had been used in ages, so the battery would be fully charged. Each time you use it, there is a loss of power, so it is a seesaw effect. You use it and lower the charge level, and the solar panels start to build it up again. The more frequently you use it, the more it takes the power level down and it gets to a point where there is not enough charge to operate. You then have to wait until the charging system can build it up to a functional level.

I think we should give it some time to recharge, as the power in sunlight hitting the roof can’t be that much, particularly if it is cloudy outside, unless it also works with infra-red. No-one is going to see that ingot sitting there in 2026, I take it? If it is not there, but missing in transit, there will be nothing for anyone to see.”

“You can take that for granted, Sandy. Do we leave it until next Saturday to run that check? I expect it is simply left behind. What can we infer from that?”

Sandy was in exploration mode.

“If nothing comes through unless being held, it means that these large solar arrays, or panels, must be able to be taken through in sections, or if they can fold, come in folded form. Assume you were James Clyde. You would order the materials as part of your lab construction project, and simply store them in the lab in anticipation of being able to use them to power a duplicate of the transfer device.

The whole system of device and power supply would be prepared for moving, a bit at a time, but each part would have to be able to fit into the box with you, with you touching it at a minimum. I would assume the more fingers you have on the object the better.”

“Sounds workable to me. If the panels were able to plug together easily, it would a be a simple task to slowly bring through all the pieces, and later carry them to the roof and fit them on. I presume there would be wires going down to where the battery would be, and some sort of mechanism to take the current and shove it into the battery. Now that I think of it, the battery must come in sections or modules as well, and plug together once here and in place. The power must flow to whatever mechanism actually makes the transfer system work.”

Sandy commented, “Sounds almost Heath Robinson to me, but if it works, it works. They had over sixty years to perfect the sunlight power system, so it must be a lot more efficient by now. I would bet that nationally there would be a lot of electricity being produced by solar conversion.”

“Not nuclear power?” I asked her.

She pondered that for a moment, then voiced an opinion.

“The years it takes to build a nuclear power station, and the sheer cost to do that, is not going to make electricity very cheap that way. Solar energy panels should end up being much cheaper in the long term, but a lot depends on what the politicians decide, and who has their ear. There is probably more money to be made by firms from constructing power stations than manufacturing solar panels. Solar panels can be mass-produced fairly cheaply, I would think, whereas a nuclear power station is almost entirely a one-off major construction job, only able to be taken on by the largest firms, and would be big earners for them. These firms would be lobbying M.P.s for nuclear power stations to be built, I am certain.”

I reminded her of the bar I had brought back from 2026, saying, “You might as well have this ingot, Sandy, and hand it over to Georgina in exchange for its value in pounds. You will then be able to order all the kitchen appliances you want for here, plus all the other utensils that the kitchen lacks.”

“Thanks, dear. It is astonishing how quickly you have adjusted to being rich enough to splash gold about with abandon.”

“It is not splashing it when my fiancée is using it to feather our own nest, Sandy my love. It is an investment in our future.”

She replied, “We can go to the shop together. You can carry the ingot and hand it over. Before you leave for your train, Georgina will expect a goodbye kiss, and so will I, though I might see you off at the station.”

So that is what we did, after locking up the house and sauntering down to Kempock Street, hand in hand. It felt comfortable. The shop was empty again, but for an estate agency, they only needed a few sales per week for the commission to cover their costs.

Georgina welcomed us happily, and as soon as I got close enough, I was wrapped in her arms and kissed soundly. Only after that did she welcome Sandy.

Sandy professed to be upset at not being greeted first, but Georgina informed her, “Bob is to be my new brother-in-law, so surely I should greet him as close family?”

Sandy moaned to her, “Not that close, sis! Once we are married, I will be fine with you treating him as worth kissing, but I should have the priority for now. Oh, and Bob has something to give you.”

Reminded, I pulled out the gold ingot and handed it over to Georgina, who smiled at its appearance.

“Oh, good. More commission for the agency, and for me.”

Sandy came back at her, “Don’t be so mercenary, Georgie.”

Georgina retorted, “He just hands you money, Sandy. I have to earn it.”

“Georgie, the cash he hands me is to buy things for the house. The house is short of kitchen equipment and there is no crockery or cutlery, for example. If you want to eat in our house, we need to buy the things to prepare and serve the eats.”

“The house has no kitchen equipment? What, nothing?”

“Nothing except a sink. No cooker, no refrigerator, almost no store cupboards, and certainly no food, not even tinned or dried. You see why I need to buy stuff?”

“Is there gas for the cooker?”

“No gas. It will have to be an electric cooker.”

“Ladies, if I can interrupt ... I have to get to the station before my train leaves, and time is running short.”

Sandy whirled.

“I promised I would be there to see you off!”

“I have to stay here,” Georgina bemoaned. “Can I have a goodbye kiss, Bob?”

I quickly went to her and kissed her, then turned to grab Sandy by the hand.

“Let’s go, woman.”

We rushed to the station, and the train was sitting there with the steam engine in front hissing gently while waiting for its start time. The ancient carriages were still in use, and I loved the window-style central doors for each compartment. You used a leather strap to pull up the glass window to close it (and keep out the steam and soot if you were near the engine). The strap for lifting the window was held in place by snagging the nearest hole into a holding prong on the door.

The seating was one long cushioned seat on each side of the compartment, and there were framed prints above the back cushion, usually of tranquil scenes around the UK.

I had a love for these old carriages, except for the simple fact that some of them had no corridor down one side to where you had access to a toilet at the end of the carriage. Fortunately most the surviving carriages were corridor ones, but it did not concern me as I had a journey of only a few miles to Greenock Central, via Fort Matilda and Greenock West stations. I probably spent nearly as much time walking up the roads to my parents’ house after these trips as I spent on the train journey.

I kept the door window pulled closed, as the journey was smoky one, going through one long tunnel from Fort Matilda to the West Station, then another tunnel from there to Central Station. Long tunnels and steam engines did not mix very well for us air breathers.

At dinner that night I explained that Sandy was seeing about kitchen equipment for our house, and my mother exclaimed “What house?”. I realised I had not mentioned the house previously. I tried to make amends.

“Oh, the house was part of the old guy’s assets. It became mine when the lawyer confirmed the letter made me the legal owner of his assets, even if many of them were not in the form of cash. Law is a complicated thing, I gather. Oh, talking about lawyers, I met Sandy’s father today. He and the other lawyer had been talking about me and Sandy, so he wanted to see the young man who proposed to marry his daughter. Quite intimidating, it was, but Sandy put him at ease about us, and we have his blessing to the nuptials.”

“Nuptials?” said my mother. “You and your big words. Did you ask for her hand in marriage?”

“I did, Mum, and he said yes, even though in Scots law parental approval is not needed after you are sixteen.”

“You seem to know a lot about the law, Bob.”

“I read widely as you know, mum. The ladies at the Central Library are amazed at what I read.”

“Well, you don’t know much about clothes and fashion. You will need to visit a hire shop for your wedding outfit, and if you can afford it, buy a going-away outfit for the honeymoon. You know about honeymoons, I take it?”