Summary

A scientist relives the night he accidentally caused his wife's death at a Nobel Prize ceremony through multiple time-traveling iterations, attempting to alter the tragic outcome.

Abstract

The narrative revolves around a scientist who, after accidentally causing his wife's death during his Nobel Prize acceptance, uses his time-traveling invention to try to save her. Despite the statistically improbable nature of the event, he blames himself and embarks on numerous attempts to change the past, each with unforeseen and bizarre consequences. His scientific approach to life and love leads him to meticulously document each iteration, hoping to find the precise action that will prevent her death. The story begins and ends with him entering the time machine chamber, praying for success, and is interspersed with his internal struggle with guilt and responsibility. It concludes with a note of personal achievement, as the story was shortlisted in a writing contest, which the author celebrates with their grandson.

Opinions

The author conveys a sense of personal responsibility and guilt felt by the protagonist for his wife's death, emphasizing the depth of his love and regret.
The iterative process of trial and error in attempting to change the past reflects the complexity and unpredictability of chaotic systems, both in science and in life.
The story subtly critiques the protagonist's reliance on logic and science to fix a deeply emotional and human problem, suggesting that some outcomes may be beyond our control despite our technological advancements.
The inclusion of the author's note adds a meta-layer to the narrative, celebrating the success of the story within a story, and acknowledging the writing constraints that shaped the narrative.
The use of specific words (FLAG, FLAME, FLASH, FLATTER) and the requirement of something being inflated are cleverly integrated into the story, showcasing the author's skill in adhering to the contest's rules while maintaining a cohesive narrative.

Furious Fiction Challenge: September 2023 — Shortlisted!

Try Again

And again

I enter the chamber, close my eyes, and pray it will work this time.

I’m back at the Nobel Prize award ceremony. It was supposed to be an evening of flattering compliments under the flashes of the international press, the best day of my life for me and my inflated ego.

But it turned into a nightmare when I killed my wife.

People keep telling me it was an accident, one of these statistically improbable quantum effects. There was nothing I could do.

But I know it’s my fault.

I KNOW IT.

I couldn’t save her that time, but I should try again. It’s what a loving husband does. If I could invent a time-traveling machine, I should be able to find a way to save my wife.

I take out my notebook. I’m always following the scientific approach. I don’t know any other way. Life is a chaotic system. A small change in initial conditions can quickly ripple into a tsunami. Or the death of a loved one.

Instruction for iteration #233: Touch the flag pin on your suit before lighting up your wife’s cigarette.

“Here you go, honey.”

My wife draws closer to the flame, takes a drag, and before she can exhale the smoke, a giant cockroach materializes and bites her head off. It has a yellow rose painted on its abdomen. I’ve never seen that color before. A small change in initial conditions can also ripple into an inconsequential change in the result.

I press the emergency reset button before the cockroach turns into the usual giant tiramisu.

I’m back at the lab, ready for iteration #234.

I enter the chamber, close my eyes, and pray it will work this time.

Author’s note

This story was my entry to the September Furious Fiction challenge organized by the Australian Writers Challenge, and I got shortlisted. I’m drinking hot cocoa with my grandson to celebrate!

The constraints were to write a 500-word maximum story respecting the following criteria:

Your story must start and end with the same sentence.
Your story must feature something being inflated.
Your story must include the words FLAG, FLAME, FLASH and FLATTER.

Click below to read other entries by Medium writers, and here to read the shortlisted stories.

List: Furious Fiction - September 2023 | Curated by Grandma Smillew | Medium

8 stories · Entries to the September Furious Fiction Contest by some of the best Medium writers.

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