"Precisely that. To whatever date you care to choose."
The professor's innocent expression did not waver for a second. Either he was a brazen liar or he had actually begun to believe in his tale. Perhaps the years of solitary study were finally taking their toll. I glanced at the unpromising assemblage of dials, cogs and levers in front of us, for all the world like the workings of a huge clock that had been torn apart and rebuilt inside out.
"And this contraption is a time machine?"
"Please," chided the professor, "it is not a contraption, as you put it, but a complex and delicate apparatus, the product of my life's work. I would be grateful if you showed it the respect it deserves."
"I apologise for my scepticism. But surely you understand why I find all this – a little hard to swallow."
The professor shrugged. "It is what I have come to expect, although I had hoped you would be rather more open minded. Perhaps there is only one way in which I can convince you. Would you care to take part in an experiment?"
If it was all fiction, it was time to call the old man's bluff.
"What have I got to lose?"
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