The December night air bit at my hands as I dug them as far down into my pockets as they would go. I was nearing the suspicious address the man had provided me and with every step, I could hear my heart beating erratically and totally out of control. Just around the bend, at the corner of a small suburban street, my mysterious friend stood under a street lamp. Waiting. For me.
My breath hitched in my throat and I nearly turned back when I heard him call out from where he stood.
He was wearing a long, black Sherlock-esque overcoat, a complete contradiction of his earlier attire. There was something compelling about his appearance and this time he looked rather...nice, ruggedly handsome perhaps had this fellow not been a complete stranger and potential creep.
I froze in my tracks as he began sauntering towards me.
"They call it 'gaslight street.' It hasn't changed in 60 years and it's tumbling down."
He paused a few feet in front of me, sticking out his hand swiftly. "I'll cut right to the chase, I owe you that. The name's Flint, Jeffrey Flint. Temporal Agent AF 708. Retired Spaceman. Continuum Angel. You see, all this is your past, but I'm your future."
The minute he had opened his mouth I nearly choked on my own saliva. You'd really think by now I'd have gotten used to these kind of things happening...
"W-what did you just say?"
He shook his head. "I think we'd better sit down. Allow me..."
He motioned with his hand to a large house, reminiscent of the Banks residence.
I stepped back quickly, nearly running into another lamp post.
"No." I said flatly, crossing my arms. "I'm not going anywhere with you until you prove that you actually know me."
He pinched the bridge of his nose and looked up to the heavens in mock exasperation. "This isn't going to be easy." he muttered.
I raised an eyebrow. "What-"
"Very well then, Miss. Your name's Wendy Parker, you were born November 29, 2001, coincidentally the death date of George Harrison? I think not. You have been hopelessly infatuated with the lad for lack of better terms throughout your teenage years while the rest of the world dug Harry Styles and BTS, your mother loved Walt Disney so much she named you after Wendy Darling in Peter Pan, your grandfather died of dementia in 2015 followed by your breakup which drove you into a depression where you didn't leave your house and listened only to Rubber Soul, you have a black cat named Susan and you forgot to feed her the day you left wearing your vintage orange and purple jumpsuit you had packed when you left for college and cried when you stained the sleeve with-"
"OK I'LL COME IN THE HOUSE."
Face white and palms shaking, I followed Jeffrey Flint into his house and slammed the door, leaning against it to catch my breath. Looking up and finally daring to meet his eyes, I let out a long sigh.
"Ok, I'll bite. Who are you?"
"I told you, the name's Jeffrey, you may call me Jeff-"
"No, I mean what are you?" I frowned, suddenly taking in my surroundings. "Do you live here?"
He smiled, walking over to a table and pouring himself a cup of tea. "Yes, yes I do. When I'm in London, that is. I'm rather proud of it...all the love I've put into it over the years." He looked up at me. "Tea?"
"No thank...oh what the heck, sure." I said, thinking better of the situation. Being poisoned or drugged by tea was the least of my worries right now. I'd already witnessed the madness of everything else in my life up to this point and considering this man looked like the type who might just fly out of this house with Marry Poppins and I wouldn't bat an eyelash, I figured I'd take my chances. Handing me a small cup, I took a sip with a nod of thanks. It was warm, and I had to admit, nothing felt better on a cold London night. As an American, I had grown quite accustomed to these Londoners and their tea, drinking it regularly at the Asher's, partly because I had nothing better to do then sit around all day with Mrs. Asher when I wasn't with The Beatles as one has to pass time when visiting a decade they don't belong in, and partly because I liked it.
"So I take it you travel a lot, then?" I said, responding to his quip 'when in london.'
He smirked. "You could say that."
I squinted at the chandelier hanging above the staircase.
"To be honest, I thought you were a regular bum."
He let out a laugh.
"A costume, merely to blend in with my surroundings. I assure you I am no pub crawler...although I may have been in another life. And my dear, I can assure you...I am anything but regular."
I frowned. "Wanna run that by me again or do I wanna know?"
"Nevermind."
He shook his head, motioning for me to sit on the sofa across from him, next to a glowing and welcoming fireplace. After warming his hands for a moment, he turned to face me, a look of genuine and implicit trust covering his face.
"Wendy, I'll be as candid and honest with you as I can possibly be...if you will allow it."
I gave a sarcastic but nervous laugh. "Of course. Go for it. At this point, I expect nothing less."
Nodding, he set his cup down on the table and folded his hands together.
"As I told you, I am from your future...24th century to be precise. We travel across the galaxy 'fixing' the space continuum and working in outer space. When man first started tinkering with time in the 21st century, that's where we came in, fixing all of the things that could possibly go wrong, things that these early scientists never bothered to take into consideration. Humanity should know better than to alter anything as sacred as time, a race so broken, so corrupt." He scoffed, and a look of great sadness passed over his face. "First, they messed around with immortality and now this. They often altered history in the early days and we were sent to fix it back. I am an agent, a 'handyman of time' so to speak."
He raised an eyebrow, pausing slightly to make sure I was tracking with him before continuing. I gave a slight nod before something occured to me.
"Who's we?"
He seemed to ignore my question, plunging on obliviously.
"Where I come from, time has no meaning. We have these beings called 'Q's' who ultimately give themselves more credit than they ought to. They're all the same -bragadocious and manipulative, practical jokesters in their own right. It's a bunch of rubbish, really. They look like ants still and pale in comparison to God."
I opened my mouth a couple of times and shut it, like a fish. "Um..."
"Nevermind, Wendy. We haven't the time. I couldn't possibly show you everything. Perhaps someday when you return to your own time you will learn..."
"I mean, technically you just said time had no meaning, so don't we have all the time in the world..."
"Alright, put a sock in it."
I pursed my lips.
"So essentially, you were sent here to fix the experiment with me?"
"You could say that, yes. However, you do have a purpose...you were always intended to come."
My heart sped up.
"Are you telling me that there is a greater meaning in my being here?"
He nodded.
"Yes, Wendy. It isn't as though you were just sort of drifting through to fulfill some cock-eyed lab experiment. Of course that was part of it but the real reason you're here is to play a critical role in history. Something happens here in the next month that is very important for the boys." He paused, raising an eyebrow. "Do you know what that might be?"
I frowned. "Well, they're about to start their tour. But I don't..." I stopped, as it suddenly came together before me. "Is it...is it Ed Sulivan?"
He nodded. "Yes, that is correct. You see Wendy, something went wrong when you were beamed here from the future. You were always supposed to come, but not yet, you leapt far too soon...the date you arrived on was months prior. That's where I came in. The good news is you don't have to worry about what you've altered. Just the first week of February, do you understand?"
I bit my lip anxiously. "I...I think so. So what is it that I'm to do?"
"You are instrumental in making sure the boys don't go to America until that night. You already helped in more ways than you know for mentioning this to Brian the other week. It's your job to stay as low profile as you can in the next month all the while making sure everything is good to go for February 9. Got it?"
"Ok, yeah, just make sure the universe doesn't explode, sure thing, no problem."
The corners of Jeffrey's mouth twitched upwards and he reached out and patted my head gently.
"Good girl."
It was then that a thought suddenly occurred to me.
"So you came here for the sole purpose of helping me know what to do?"
"That's right."
I grinned. "Like my guardian angel?"
He chuckled. "I will accept space angel, yes, but I suppose so." He set his cup down on the table and leaned back. "Oh, and by the way, I don't think you'll need to worry about your professor coming for visits anymore. I've taken care of things so that he won't get mixed up in this further."
I laughed. "Spinetti's a nut. I sure hope he's not losing his mind too badly."
"Well, time is passing at a much slower rate for him, so I wouldn't worry too much about it."
A look passed across his face, a look of temporary sadness and I felt a pang in my heart.
"Jeffrey?"
"Yes, what is it?"
"There's one thing you haven't yet explained to me and I think I know the answer although I'm not so sure that I want to know..."
The man let out a sigh. "You want to know when it is that you'll get warped back. And how it will be adjusting to going home. And how George will take it when you leave...how your own heart will take it..."
I nodded slowly, unable to meet his eyes.
He looked down.
"I can't promise that your heart won't be broken, Wendy. Life is full of trauma. I'm not going to sit here and tell you fabricated lies nor will I keep anything from you. The next months of your life will be hard...it may take a bit for you to fully adjust. But what I can tell you is that you have a most promising and happy future...with a most promising someone who you cannot possibly begin to comprehend the love you will share." He paused with a sad smile. "And I promise that you will not be forgotten when you go. The boys will always remember your time spent together."
"So George won't forget me?" I barely whispered, relief flooding my soul. At the end of the day, I had always known that this wouldn't, couldn't last forever. I belonged to another place, another time. Another life to live that was mine, as did George...with Pattie and with Olivia. And this was something I had come to grips with early on. But there had always been that one fear, the fear that I would be forgotten. The mere thought that any part of the memory of me would remain after I was gone was enough to make me cry with relief. And nothing was more assuring than that thought.
Jeffrey smiled.
"No Wendy, George will never forget you. Mark my words, your time here will fade like a blip on a map, but your legacy with the boys will live on for years to come."
Waves of relief swept through my body as I nodded in contentment. It was in that instance, I knew that this was enough. Here sat a man before me, a man full of such mystery and adventure and power, with all the keys to the future. And yet it was just enough for me to know that I would not be forgotten. And for the first time since my arrival, I was ready to return home and I knew what I had to do. The hardest part would be saying goodbye. As wonderful as my days had been here in this magical pocket in time, I realized, in that moment, that I wanted what Flint had. He had given me just a taste, a glimmer of what was to come in the future. And I would never get to experience any of it if I stayed here, living a static life. No, the future wasn't perfect, and quite frankly, I loathed the decade to which I would soon be returning, but it was where I belonged and I realized that now. Flint seemed to read my mind and let out a gentle sigh.
"2019 needs you, my dear. And 2020. And 2021, and 2022. And the years to come after. In all of my lifetimes, I haven't had the privilege of meeting too many free-thinking souls like you. You're a rare breed, Wendy. You must keep the world alive, and fresh, and new. Good art, good music. Forever teaching people to think for themselves. Not this stagnant man eats man world we live in. You're not weird, you're eclectic. Oh so loved, valued and cherished. You are needed. The world needs you. Never lose sight of who you are or where you came from." He leaned in close, placing a hand on top of mine. "In this galaxy, there's a mathematical probability of three million earth-type planets...and in all the universe, three million million galaxies like this one. And in all of that...and perhaps more...only one of each of us. Don't destroy the one named Wendy Parker."
I hadn't realized I'd been crying until I felt tears cascading down my face. It had been so long since I'd heard someone talk to me that way and I hadn't realized how much I'd needed the validation.
"Thanks, Jeff." I sniffled, barreling myself into his arms, causing him to step back slightly in surprise, chuckling.
"Hey, it's what I'm here for."
After I'd calmed down a bit, I sat back, thinking. I couldn't help but think he looked slightly familiar.
"Jeffrey, how old are you, anyway? You seem like you've been around for eons and yet aren't even aging."
He sighed. "That, my dear, is for me to know and you to wonder."
I nodded. "Good enough. I'm beginning to think I can't take much more of this time stuff anyway."
We talked and laughed over another cup of tea until I realized that I should probably be heading back to Jane's. Knowing Jane, if she woke up in the night to find me gone, she'd definitely call the police.
"Here, here. How about a lift?" said Jeffrey, buttoning his coat, and motioning for me to follow. "We can't have you wandering around the streets of London at this hour, can we now? Don't think Harrison would take too kindly to that."
I grinned sadly, thinking about my Beatle. "No, I don't think he would."
"Come along, then!" Flint said, entering a small entry way on which a panel opened up into the wall. Punching a few digits into the unit, the floor opened up revealing what appeared to be a small saucer, reminiscent of some 60s space com or the Twilight Zone. I let out a small gasp.
"Is that...is that your space ship?"
Jeffrey's eyes twinkled slightly. "Wendy, she's one of several. Care to get in?"
"I'd love it!" I yelled, throwing caution at the wind. The door slid upward and I crawled inside, the cockpit area barely large enough to fit two.
"Hold on tight." Flint said, climbing in beside me as the floor closed back up and we plummeted upward. As we reached the ceiling in true Willy Wonka glass elevator style, we slid out the top, the roof latching below, a sky full of chimneys and chimney sweeps beneath us. I let out a gasp.
"But...but...but they can see you!"
Flint smirked slightly. "Not necessarily." He turned in his seat, pressing a button from behind. "Rayna, engage cloaking device."
"Cloaking mechanism engaged." said a small computer. I grinned, shaking my head in utter astonishment.
"Boy, they sure do think of everything! 24th century, you say?"
"Round about, yes."
"Just like Star Trek?"
Flint just grinned. "Just like Star Trek."
And we were off across London, zooming through the night sky.