by

The two high school seniors were up in Marlin Hobbs' room, looking for a special tool that might be useful in working on their latest project. That is, Marlin was looking, while Gilmer Rains' interest might best described as snooping. He stopped before a framed snapshot.

"Who are the beautiful girls in this picture?", Gilmer asked as he held it up.

"You know one of them," Marlin grinned. "That's my mother and her younger sister, my Aunt Loraine. We don't talk about her."

"Why not?," inquired Gilmer, who was prone to ignore hints.

"The picture is pretty old," explained Marlin. "The way I heard it, my mother and her sister were rivals for my father's attention. My mother won, and the sisters haven't spoken since. I believe Aunt Loraine lives somewhere like San Saba or Santa Elena, something like that. Come on, I found the adjuster tool. Let's go work on the time machine."

Five minutes bike ride brought them to Gilmer's home. A room in back of the extended garage had been given over to the boys for their various activities, their 'space' as Gilmer's dad had put it. In this room, they created such an unmanageable mess that even Gilmer's mom gave up after two tries at straightening things up. Thereafter, neither parent went near the place.

Together, Marlin and Gil had invented several useful and useless items, such as an animal trap, a device for locating lost contact lens, childrens toys, and a new type of garden tool. Not to mention a sea wave counter. To avoid boredom, they began work to assemble a time machine.

"I see Time as being round," theorized Marlin. "Most people think of it as a continijum, but why should it be? We live on a round planet, we eat from round plates, our car tires are round, clocks are on a round basis, I could go on and on."

"Point taken," agreed Gil. "There are no square baseballs or checkers."

"Therefore, we will build our time machine to not only go forward and back in Time, but also to move in any of 360 degrees while doing so.,, Marlin was very convincing.

Most parts were locally available, from hardware stores, lumberyards, and scientific instrument houses. Other parts were more difficult; two small motors, unusual gears, and an expensive custom made round knob about two inches in diameter.

"It's the heart of the machine," noted Marlin, as the work neared completion. "Also the most expensive part. Took all of our allowances. It's specially ground, and the outside is covered with Palladium."

Final examinations and graduation were upon them, forcing a delay in dealing with anything else. The only'times the two friends shared any activities together were the trips to and from school. One afternoon, as they pedaled down Main Street, Marlin suddenly screeched to a halt in front of the hardware store.

"Look, Gil, in the window. Isn't that the kind of garden tool you made?"

"Sure looks the same. Evidently, someone else thought of it too, and got a patent." Gilmer was downcast as they moved on.

"Forget it. We'll just invent something else, after school's out." Marlin tried to be sympathetic.

The week-end came. marlin had to go with his parents to visit relatives in the next state, ninety miles away.

Gilmer wandered about, lonely, with nothing in particular to do, with exams over and done. Finally, he went into the workshop, tinkering with one thing and another until his curiousity got the better of him. Taking off the cover from the gleaming little machine, he toyed with the dial for compass degrees. Although the machine was designed for solar power, the primary start-up came from powerful batteries. He moved the switch for power to ON. The time machine quivered slighly.

At that precise instant a wasp, having lately found a home under the inner parts of the time machine, became disturbed, and expressed its disapproval by stinging Gilmer's right thigh just above the knee. The sudden pain caused him to jerk his leg upward and against the Palladium knob. There was a soft sound, along with a low flash of light. The wasp turned back again, looking for another place to sting. But Gilmer and the time machine were gone.

The disappearance of Gilmer Rains alarmed the entire community. He became the focus for an intensive search, from the town into the countryside. There was much speculation. Was he abducted, did he-run away, was he hiding somewhere? No one could recall seeing strangers or a strange automobile. With graduation one week away, there was no basis for the other two possibilities. His parents were in anguish, as the days passed without a clue.

Marlin was questioned, among others, for Gilmer was well liked and had never been in trouble.

The only person who thought he knew what might have happened was Marlin, but what could he tell them? Could he say, 'Mr. and Mrs. Rains, your son left in a time machine?'." Even if he had said it, there was absolutely no evidence left to prove it. So he kept his mouth shut and continued to be baffled, the same as everyone else. Baffled he really was, for there was no way to determine whether Gil had gone forward or backward in Time, how far, or in what lateral direction. He felt that he would never see his friend again, and hated himself for ever having helped to build the contraption. Neither he nor Gil had really thought the thing would work, but apparently it had, and only too well. That thought gave him some hope, as surely Gil would reset the machine to return to the Present.

It didn't happen. A somber senior class graduated, with the graduates going their several ways, some to college, some'taking vacations, two couples getting married, and the remainder seeking employment.

Marlin and half a dozen others submitted their applications to the new factory on the edge of town, with little enthusiasm, since the plant had not advertised for employees. There were conflicting rumors as to just what was to be manufactured there.

Four days passed. Marlin busied himself about the house, wrote letters, visited his father at work, and even tried fishing. Upon returning home from that, without any fish, his mother stopped him.

"You had a phone call. The secretary at the factory wants you to call her."

Marlin picked up the phone.

Maybe his appication had been acted upon.

"He is ready to see you now," the secretary announced. "Go right in."

Marlin faced a man who appeared to be in his early forties, losing a little at the scalp and gaining a percentage at the waist.

"Have a seat, young man. I"ve been going over your application. Your academic record is excellent, your references give you good marks, and you look healthy cnough. Why do you want to come to work for this company?"

"I could give several reasons, Sir, but the bottom line is, I need a job."

"That's certainly honest. I'll get to the point, too. You're hired."

"Sir?." Marlin wasn't sure he had heard correctly.

"Marlin," the owner used the first name, "your application is far too modest. You excel in Math and Science, especially in design. You are adept in inventing things, which is what we are looking for.,,

Uh, how do you know all these things?"

"Personal contact. You also have a rather large mole on your left hip, and you have an ingrowing toenail that gives you fits."

Marlin stared, open mouthed.

The factory owner turned his nameplate around.

"Hello, chum. I'm Gilmer Rains."

"Why didn't you come back?," was Marlin's natural question.

"Couldn't. The controlling knob came off during the trip, and it's somewhere along that line of travel. That's a lot of geography to search. You had the knob especially made, and I didn't know where."

"You didn't try to get back here, anyway?"

"Why? You weren't born yet, and my parents hadn't even met. Besides, there's a rule about meeting yourself, and I was not able to return until after I disappeared."

"It must have been tough for you, all alone in a strange world," said Marlin, who was only now beginning to believe the mature, confident businessman.

"It was. When I left, I had seven dollars and some change in my pockets. The first town I came to, I gave the same reason you did; I needed a job. Four years later, I was a Foreman, and in nine years I owned my own shop. Six years ago, we began our manufacturing. Our products are garden tools, traps, lens locaters, toys. The things you and I invented, plus a couple I thought of myself - - - the reversable chair back, and a portable heat sensor for hunters."

"What did you have in mind for me?," Marlin was almost afraid to ask. "It would be my first real job. I have no formal work experience...

"I thought you could head up Research and Development. In a few years, our patents will expire, and we will need to begin making new products. I've been handling that part myself, but it's time we had a whole department for research. What do you say? To begin with, you would have two large rooms, an office, and one assistant. Is that enough for a first job?"

"Yes!," stammered Marlin, stunned. one week out of high school and head of a department!

"You'll have an expense account to work with, while I try to figure out what a fair portion of this business you are entitled to, as the inventor of half of our items." He flipped the communicator to speak to his secretary. "Ask Mrs. Rains to come in."

An appealing brunette tapped on the door and entered the office. She glanced at her husband, smiled, then turned her interest to Marlin who stared. Somehow, the lady looked familiar.