Chapter 7: Preparations

We were up bright and early and Wilbur did have the advantage of our experience with healing. Though he did grumble about forsaking his breakfast, watching us stuff ourselves, he performed his ablutions, took a cleansing bath and went without much ado to the next pool.

He knew that he had to be careful but insisted we carried on with our meal while he tested the waters as it were. He immersed himself very, very slowly, giving us a running commentary on his status. He did share most of our minor ailments, dry skin, gout, arthritis, rheumatism and the like, so that we were able to warn him from time to time, when less speed would be better. But unlike Alfred he did listen and refrained from doing anything foolish. His occasional hesitation and grimaces told us that he too met with some heavier doings. Again, it took him less than an hour to completely restore his superficial self. Of course he also experienced the same side-effects but just got out at the other side of the pool, chuckling as he did.

"This is indeed a welcome surprise. We must start work soon on setting up schedules of visitors, who knows how long this will last."

We let him rest for an hour or so before Alfred fired up his laptop and I got the harness ready. The obvious changes in Wilbur were very impressive. He got his hair back, white and just a stubble as yet of course, his skin looked taut with less wrinkles and, after fiddling with his half-glasses unsuccessfully he tossed them away, claiming he saw more than he needed to in any case.

"Alfred, you may still consider me just a quack despite of all my recorded successes. But I do suggest we let Wilbur have a drink of my special potion. It would certainly give him some extra strength to start with and cheer him up as well. Whether we should give him some weed you will have to decide."

Wilbur perked up immediately.

"Yes, a drink would be nice. But we will leave the grass for more carefree times. I would rather be levelheaded for this great experiment."

The drink was mixed, served, tasted and approved. When half of it had disappeared down Wilbur's eager gullet, I took the glass and set it aside.

"Time to face the music, Wilbur. Get into the harness and Alfred will start us off."

Alfred had altered the programme's presets to allow for natural, healthy ageing up to 90 years of age. It became obvious immediately that for Wilbur no complementary specimen was needed. Wear and tear on his octogenarian body was quite heavy of course but, with the exception of his liver, his organs were sound. We were able to progress rather quickly from his feet and legs up, via pelvis and lower abdomen with, from all appearances, just moderate pain and discomfort.

"Wilbur, that's your liver coming up now. Brace yourself. Berthold, another small dose of your magic, please."

Alfred had a very hard time to remain serious. He was so happy with the rapid progress and how well Wilbur was coping, that he was not prepared to slow down the proceedings. Thank God for the harness. I managed to pull Wilbur up short, supported him with one arm and waited for him to overcome his tribulations. He was as rigid as a plank for quite a few moments, breathing shallowly and hesitatingly, his eyes squeezed tightly shut.

"Now I begin to understand what you guys had to go through to become healthy. Thanks to what I call clean living and, mostly, sober habits I shall be able to continue once I have another sip of your potion, Berthold."

After that there were no nasty surprises. To be sure, the old ticker needed some serious tweaking, the lungs likewise and what all happened inside his domed head I could only guess. But the pain was obviously bearable as we went very slowly and carefully step by step, Alfred now watching like a hawk till Wilbur was almost fully submerged.

"That's it," Alfred shouted gleefully. "Dunk him, Berthold, he will never be healthier again."

Despite my misgivings I gently pushed Wilbur under. No struggling from him though: he meekly went along with our eccentric healing methods, knowing fully well that not even the most liberal and progressive medical aid society would approve.

But what the hell, our combined antics were entirely successful. I released him from the harness and pronounced him healthy once more. He went up to the side and started to get out of the pool. Suddenly he blushed like a teenie caught putting hand to him and submerged himself once more. Apparently, he had forgotten about that one last part of the healing. Laughing, Alfred and myself turned away to give him some privacy but told him to get a hold on himself, there was to be no perving around on our serene island.

Wilbur just snorted.

"Of course, this is the result of me telling all and sundry that science should be fun. One of these days I shall try and compute the odds of two almost identical crackpots like you finding each other via some whacky programme nobody in his right mind would ever think of using — they have to be mindboggling. Why ever couldn't I be satisfied with all those lovely mediocrely dumb students?"

Alfred had never enjoyed himself more.

"That's just a small payback for all the pranks you played on me, Wilbur. But don't despair. Berthold has already fulfilled his main function on this Elysian isle and served a few drinks for us. Let us imbibe and revel while we can."

After the drinks Alfred set up everything to take Wilbur back to a youthful 50. No problem whatsoever. Once the procedure was completed and after he overcame his repeated embarrassment, Wilbur looked exactly what a prematurely aged 50-year old could be expected to look like. His hair was thick, pure silver, his eyebrows bushy, eyes sparkling, body reasonably fit looking as he walked jauntily into the cave, re-emerging wearing one of the ridiculous Bermudas Alfred considered to be the apex of fashion and some sneakers.

"Come, you jokers. Let's go down to the beach and have some more fun. And we shall talk about sharing this resort so we will really be able to enjoy all its features."

We put the bikes, now three, to good use. Alfred had brought the weed, the beer tasted excellent as we sat in the shade, looking out over the lake, smoking peacefully while we considered how sharing could be done.

"Wilbur, somehow I think you are not married, just like Alfred, so both of you could choose whomever you wanted when. I would like to introduce my wife to the island first, if she wants to come, and then to the two of you, providing you promise to be on your best behaviour. But it would probably be more agreeable to all of us if at first we could be on our separate own whenever we transport visitors. So we would have to set up some kind of schedule, some way of knowing whether the island is 'free' as it were, and when company is wanted. And how would the time shift work out? Five minutes in the other reality translates into unlimited time here. How would we handle the overlaps? What do you think?"

After some lengthy musing, Alfred spoke up. "Yes, these are a few of the considerations. Some solutions come readily, others ... Even though it is not necessary to use MasterBuilder® as such any longer — except if you ever do get around to design landscapes for your other hobbies, Berthold —, we could easily use the programme to set up flags. 'Occupied, do not come. — Occupied, but please come, I could do with some company.' You get the idea. As for the time spans, can you come up with an idea, Wilbur?"

Wilbur let us not wait long. When he spoke it was with a chuckle.

"You know, I considered the job to be finished with the establishment of routines for transportation and back. But this creates a nice little puzzle for me. I am sure I can work something out, maybe along the lines of different frequencies or energy levels. It might also be possible to replicate the island, since we are all of us so pleased with this creation, and put the copies into different time spans, using, say, this island for common use and giving each of us a private one. Yes, this should work. I will do it like that."

I, however, was very much against this.

"Look, I know I am quite the junior partner here, age not withstanding. But to me, just popping off more islands would dilute the appeal of our original creation. With time being what you chaps made it, there will be lots of time spans, 288 I think, each day. So there really is no need to go overboard. Unless, of course, Wilbur, if you really would like to have an island all of your own. But wouldn't it be nice if we just carried on perfecting this one?"

Alfred agreed enthusiastically.

"Don't try and snow us with this junior partner rubbish, Berthold. To hell with democracy, but we are all on equal footing here. But yes, I too have become rather fond of this little garden spot. Especially after I have literally bloodied it in lieu of a christening. And you are certainly right about the many time slots available. You, Wilbur, are welcome to create your own; Berthold and myself will just supply some of the more sophisticated features like surprise ponds and boisterous ostriches."

Wilbur gave up readily.

"You are right. I probably would be very much the lonely man on some superfluous real estate. Sometimes it's hard to appreciate just how much we have here."

After that we were quite happy to talk about minor aspects like catering for instance. We agreed that we would take care of our own supplies and throw everything together as needed. Alfred would show Wilbur and myself exactly how to go about transporting man, beast or burden, using the new improved programme saying that the procedure was foolproof; it would either work or fail, with no damage either way.

"You will have no problems, Berthold, after you have installed the module on your computer, or rather on the one I will advise you to buy. Don't worry, it will be an almost off-the-shelf unit, just maxed out with gigabytes of RAM, a separate extra-large hard disc to keep the module driver isolated from the operating system as well as a much heftier power-supply unit. Nothing to it. And the module itself I will transport to you, instructions included."

Of course, Alfred being ever true to himself, I knew exactly what he meant to say. He was as subtle about it as an elephant farting: even a dolt like you will be able to do it.

"You do realise now, Wilbur, don't you, why Alfred and I had some initial problems working together? And he had the cheek to accuse me of a lack of social graces!"

"Yeah, the pot calling the kettle black, I know. I had to listen to Alfred complaining about you all the time. The two of you together are so hilarious it is going to kill me."

No sympathy to be found there. So we just sat together contentedly till Alfred suddenly jumped onto his bike, shouting.

"Catch me if you can, you old sluggards."

Of course, Wilbur and I took him up on the challenge, trying not to lose sight of him pedalling furiously in the distance. I really did give it my best when, suddenly, I got this feeling he might be up to no good, especially when I saw him disappear behind that small outcrop. I made as if I was tiring and allowed Wilbur to overtake me, receiving a pitying look from him as he shot past me. This was soon followed by a magnificent scream and a tremendous splash after he rounded the hillock. Of course now I remembered the small pond hidden behind it.

Alfred was having himself a ball as he watched Wilbur struggle to get out of the pond, slipping back repeatedly, his white top speckled with algae and other unmentionable stuff.

"Berthold, why did you hold back? I saw you were first off the mark after me. Don't tell me you couldn't keep up with Wilbur."

"No, dammit, just in time I realised you must be scheming something and I would have warned Wilbur, too, except that he was showing off in passing me. He got what he deserved, didn't he?"

We both laughed again as a very bedraggled Wilbur finally managed to climb out onto the shores, pulling his bike after him and looking daggers at me as he sat down heavily.

"Berthold, I have to surmise that you knew what this scallywag had in store for us. You should have warned me. Now you will have to watch out for me in future, too. This treachery I cannot forgive."