"Will you just buy a newspaper?"
"I don't need a newspaper. I'm going to say 1985."
"No way, it can't be any later than 1973. Look at the can."
"I see the can, but -"
"Then you see the logo style. That's totally an early seventies steel can. Just buy a paper so we can figure out when we are."
"Look, the phone has a Southwestern Bell logo. That means it's AFTER the breakup of AT&T. Therefore, we are sometime in the mid-eighties."
"But soft drink companies had already switched to aluminum cans. How do you explain that?"
"I don't know, but -"
"You mean you can't!"
"Call it an anomaly, alright? Or maybe we're in Georgia. They kept using steel cans long after the rest of the U.S. went to aluminum."
"Really?"
"No, not really, I just said that to make you shut up."
"Are you going to buy a paper?"
"Yes, fine, I'll buy a newspaper. Give me ten bucks."
Comments
rebeccaebrown over 14 years ago
Heh heh I loved this. I'm guessing it's a husband and wife, similar to the "Will you just ask directions?" sort of thing? Fabulous!
Galen over 14 years ago
Hah! Didn't expect this storyline at all. You successfully got into the perceivers' heads, avoiding getting stuck on the object.
lekvarlover over 14 years ago
Very clever and subtle with the theme.
ganymeder over 14 years ago
Hehe... great take on the prompt. I love Time Travel stories!
TonyNoland
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I don't always write fast, but I always try to write well. If you read something of mine and think, "Well, that was crap.", please read it again. Sometimes my jokes and layered meanings don't always come across instantly. If I make you work for the punchline, I hope you realize that I wouldn't even set up the hurdle for you if I didn't think you were able to clear it.
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