{"id":791,"date":"2017-12-13T07:00:19","date_gmt":"2017-12-13T07:00:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/urbanvolcano.net\/en\/?p=791"},"modified":"2025-03-30T14:41:45","modified_gmt":"2025-03-30T14:41:45","slug":"the-time-machine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/urbanvolcano.net\/en\/the-time-machine\/","title":{"rendered":"The time machine"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<aside class=\"other-formats\">Other formats: <a title=\"The time-machine (PDF)\" href=\"https:\/\/urbanvolcano.net\/ebooks\/en\/pdf\/the-time-machine.pdf\">PDF<\/a> | <a title=\"La m\u00e1quina del tiempo (espa\u00f1ol)\" href=\"https:\/\/urbanvolcano.net\/es\/la-maquina-del-tiempo\/\">espa\u00f1ol<\/a> | <a title=\"T\u00edmav\u00e9lin (\u00edslenska)\" href=\"https:\/\/urbanvolcano.net\/is\/timavelin\/\">\u00edslenska<\/a><\/aside>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image is-resized\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-medium\"><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/urbanvolcano.net\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/W50.png?ssl=1\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/urbanvolcano.net\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/W50.png?resize=300%2C300&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"The time machine \u2014 Illustration by B\u00f6rkur Sigurbj\u00f6rnsson\" class=\"wp-image-792\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/urbanvolcano.net\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/W50.png?resize=300%2C300&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/urbanvolcano.net\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/W50.png?resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/urbanvolcano.net\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/W50.png?resize=768%2C768&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/urbanvolcano.net\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/W50.png?resize=1024%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/urbanvolcano.net\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/W50.png?w=1025&amp;ssl=1 1025w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Illustration by B\u00f6rkur Sigurbj\u00f6rnsson<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>Billy fixed the last screw. His life was about to change for the better. During the forty-five years since he was born he had lived in the same boring town. In a place where truly nothing happened. Now, things were about to change. He had built a time-machine allowing him to travel back and forth in time to past and future glory-days of this place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Billy took a seat in the time-machine and turned the dial forward 30 years \u2014 to 2047. There was a roaring noise for a moment until the machine calmed down again. Billy peaked out through the window and could see an aged image of himself swaying back and forth in a rocking chair besides a rusting piece of metal that looked a lot like his time-machine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Disappointed with the lack of action Billy quickly turned the dial back to 1600. Again, there was a roaring noise before the calm. Billy stepped out of the time-machine and found himself in the middle of an uncultivated field. The sun burned in the sky and there was nothing to be seen except grass, as far as the eye could reach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Billy spent the rest of the afternoon going back and forth in time, seeking exciting eras. He found none and came to the conclusion that this town was simply the most boring place on earth \u2014 independent of time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After a few hours of time-travel he returned to 2017, grabbed a cold beer from the fridge and sat down in the rocking chair on his porch. He looked at the time-machine and said to himself: \u201cI had to try.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<aside class=\"wp-block-group book-ad has-text-color has-background\" style=\"color:#000000;background-color:#65aab1\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text is-stacked-on-mobile\" style=\"grid-template-columns:33% auto\"><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1348\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/urbanvolcano.net\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Flash_52.png?resize=1024%2C1348&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Flash 52 \u2014 Cover by Ana Pi\u00f1eyro\" class=\"wp-image-1294 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/urbanvolcano.net\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Flash_52.png?w=1024&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/urbanvolcano.net\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Flash_52.png?resize=228%2C300&amp;ssl=1 228w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/urbanvolcano.net\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Flash_52.png?resize=778%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 778w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/urbanvolcano.net\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Flash_52.png?resize=768%2C1011&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/urbanvolcano.net\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Flash_52.png?resize=900%2C1185&amp;ssl=1 900w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/urbanvolcano.net\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Flash_52.png?resize=500%2C658&amp;ssl=1 500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Flash 52<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>This piece of flash fiction appeared in the flash fiction collection Flash 52.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you enjoyed the story, we encourage you to support the publication by buying a copy of the book. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Flash 52<\/em> is available as paperbacks from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.co.uk\/dp\/9935933741\">Amazon<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.barnesandnoble.com\/w\/flash-52-b-rkur-sigurbj-rnsson\/1127580259\">Barnes and Noble<\/a> and e-books from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.co.uk\/Flash-52-B%C3%B6rkur-Sigurbj%C3%B6rnsson-ebook\/dp\/B077SXHPPW\">Kindle Store<\/a>,  <a href=\"https:\/\/books.apple.com\/us\/book\/flash-52\/id1318217780\">Apple Books<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kobo.com\/us\/en\/ebook\/flash-52\">Kobo<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.storytel.com\/in\/books\/flash-52-2028503\">Storytel<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can also support the author through <a href=\"https:\/\/patreon.com\/UrbanVolcano\">Patreon<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/buymeacoffee.com\/borkur\">Buy Me a Coffee<\/a> or by rating the book on <a title=\"Flash fiction collection Flash 52 on Goodreads\" href=\"https:\/\/www.goodreads.com\/book\/show\/36695952-flash-52\">Goodreads<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-horizontal is-content-justification-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-buttons-is-layout-499968f5 wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button has-custom-width wp-block-button__width-50\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-text-color has-background wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/urbanvolcano.net\/en\/flash-52\/\" style=\"border-radius:50px;color:#ffffff;background-color:#000000\">book details<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/aside>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A flash fiction by B\u00f6rkur Sigurbj\u00f6rnsson. Bored by his life in a place where nothing ever happens, Billy decides to go traveling in time.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":792,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[28],"tags":[50],"class_list":["post-791","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-flash-fiction","tag-science-and-technology","col-md-6 col-sm-6"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/urbanvolcano.net\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/W50.png?fit=1025%2C1025&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/urbanvolcano.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/791","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/urbanvolcano.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/urbanvolcano.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/urbanvolcano.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/urbanvolcano.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=791"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/urbanvolcano.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/791\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2257,"href":"https:\/\/urbanvolcano.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/791\/revisions\/2257"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/urbanvolcano.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/792"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/urbanvolcano.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=791"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/urbanvolcano.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=791"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/urbanvolcano.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=791"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}