Eccentrics are everyday people in this city. He was dressed like a 19th century dandy. Not unusual for this part of town. Could have come from a theatre. Perhaps he was an actor, or part of the chorus line in a musical. He stood in the middle of the road, wide-eyed like a wild horse looking this way and that. The traffic started up again, darting at him from both directions. Unsure which way to go, he jumped to the left, cars honked loudly as they swerved to avoid him. He jumped back into the second stream of oncoming traffic and narrowly avoided a collision. When the traffic lights were in our favour, cars came to a halt. I raced into the middle of the road and guided him to the corner. He stood there looking left and right again. Peering up, he shielded his eyes against the afternoon sun, then looked down. He bent over, hands on his knees, his mouth agape, panting, eyes still wide.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
“Hmm?”
“Are you okay?”
Seeming on high alert, the man peered around me as though he was expecting someone to be there or to approach us.
I pulled him away from the kerb and we stood together in the boarded up entrance of a vacant store.
Eventually, he stopped looking around, his breathing went back to normal. His eyes ran from my toes to my head. We regarded each other.
"Wh-What time is it?” He said, halting. I took my phone from my pocket, checked the hour. He was astounded. “What is that?”
“My phone.”
He appeared to be puzzled I showed him the device. He took it tentatively from me and reverently touched the screen. The hour, day, month and year showed on the face. “2022?”
I nodded.
He paled. My phone clattered to the ground. The man leant against the wall for support. I picked up my phone and cleaned the screen by rubbing it on my trouser leg.
I said, “What year did you think it is?”
“1822.”
“Your accent.”
“Hmm?”
“Where are you from?”
He stared at me as though I’d spoken another language.
Just then my phone rang and I answered, “Hullo?” He took this moment to slip into the crowd. I called out, “Wait!” But he was gone.
My lover was on the other end of the line. Breathlessly, I said, “You have no idea what just happened! There was this guy looking like a dandy…must’ve been off his face on something… he nearly got run over. Said he was from 1822...”
As I was talking, a man wearing a similar suit to the other dandy stopped near me. He appeared to be searching the crowd and when he overheard me, grabbed my arm and asked urgently, “Where?”
“What?”
“Where is he?”
I shrugged, “I dunno.”
“Did you see where he may have gone?” His accent was clipped.
“Sorry.”
The second man turned and melted into the city chaos. I told my lover, “I’ve gotta go. I’ll call you.”
I raced in the direction of Dandy number Two. Pushing past this person, squeezing past that one. I saw the top of his curly haired head and finally caught up with him at a cross walk. Tugging on his velvet coated sleeve I said, “Hey.”
He looked down at me, questioningly.
I said, “We spoke a couple of blocks back.” I pointed behind us.
“Can I help you?” he said.
“I want to help you.”
“Why?”
“I think your friend could be a a bit…” I whistled, made a circular motion at the side of my temple with an index finger. “Crazy, you know.” I pulled a face.
“Interesting.”
“He said he was from1822.”
“What year is this?”
“Year? It’s 2022.”
“He’s not from... we’re not from 1822 we just shot under.”
“Beg pardon? Shot?”
“Missed each other by seconds. It’s imperative that I find him. It could mean…I really don’t know what it could mean. It’s the first time this has happened.”
Feeling frightened I began to back away and bumped into Dandy One who cried, “Brennan!”
“Avery!” They said as they hugged each other. “Thought I’d lost you for good."
Brennan said, “I’m starving, need to eat.”
They looked at me pointedly, and at that, I hoped they hadn’t intended to eat me. I indictaed a home style diner two doors down.
They raced in the direction of the diner and once again, I followed.
In the diner’s booth, they had no idea what to order. I suggested soup, salad and a sandwich, to cover all bases.
While I sipped coffee, I asked, "Where are you from?"
"2122." Said Brennan.
"What's it like?"
Dandy 2, Avery, said, “Cleaner than this.”
“Are you explorers, or, or scientists?"
Brennan said, “My sister is the creator of the POD.”
I sputtered my coffee, “The what now?”
Avery interjected, “A personal time machine. Allows you to pop seamlessly any when in time. Whether millions of years in the future or past.
Brennan said, ”Avery and I are making it a universal POD. You can go anywhere or any when in space and time.”
Avery said, “We’re refining it.”
I asked, “Why 1822?”
“It seemed like a good idea. Not too far from where we originated.”
When they had finished their meals, Avery and Brennan rose and left without paying. I paid for them and hurried after them into the street.
“What were you doing?” Avery asked.
“Paying the bill.”
“What’s that?"
“Payment for goods and services.”
“You pay for food?” He sounded outraged.
“Well, yes.”
Brennan said, “Stordinry!” He turned away from me.
I asked, “Where are you going now?”
“Home.”
They walked ahead of me into a deadend alley not far from the diner. I heard the sound of a cork being pulled from a bottle. I searched for them. Waited for hours, but they never reappeared.
