It was a 25 year old young man wearing a "McGovern for President" t-shirt. "Yes, folks, that was 'Mercedes Benz' the B-side of Joplin's latest smash hit, 'Cry Baby'," said a tinny voice coming from the small transistor radio he carried.
Muffy gasped. Could it be? Had she and E Chartres actually passed through the space-time continuum? Where were they now and, more importantly, when were they?
"Who are you and why are you staring at me", Muffy said quite annoyed the young man was gazing at her midsection.
"Why, your legs, of course", said the man clicking off the radio, "isn't that why you're dressed that way?"
Muffy looked down. She shrieked: "Oh my God, now I'm wearing HOT PANTS!!!"
"That you are. That you are. And I likes what I sees there Miss. Allow me to introduce myself. The names William, but my friends call me Willy. Care to take a ride with me in my El Camino?"
"Astro-turf in the back? How tacky," Muffy thought. "Gee, thanks, but my... my"... but E Chartres was nowhere to be found... "my father is supposed to... to... Oh, what the heck. I'm hungry. Let's go get a bite to eat."
Muffy it seems was hurtling backwards in time along with the music. "Poor Chartres," she said to herself, "he loved Mozart".
Muffy climbed into the passenger seat of Willy's vehicle. Immediately she was overcome my the sweet yet piquant smell of smoke. "Smells to me like you've been having a good time in here all by yourself, Willy."
"Awww... well now Miss, nothing like the fragrance of a little weed. The secret is to smell it and not inhale it, if you catch my drift."
With that, Willie and Muffy sped off to the nearest diner. Muffy really wasn't hungry, she was just hoping to find a newspaper and a telephone.
"Go find a table, Willie, I'll be right there after I call my... my father," said Muffy. Once Willie's head was turned she made a beeline to the newspaper vending machine. The date: June 13, 1971! "I... I... I've actually traveled back in time," Muffy thought to herself in disbelief. She suddenly had no idea what to do or who to call, nor even who to trust.
Dazed and confused, she walked back into the diner and sat down on the other side of the booth Willy had chosen.
"Willie," said the waitress, "Willie Clinton! How y'all be this fine day. What brings you here to Starr's Diner?"
- Jeff |
