I'm Not the Man I Was

I'M NOT THE MAN I WAS

(But Time Will Tell)

A Short Novel

By

Phillip N. Hancock, Sr.

Edited by Bernadine Hancock

Original Cover Art by

Patricia J. Hancock

Text copyright @ 2017 Phillip N. Hancock, Sr.

ISBN: 9781370601554

All Rights Reserved

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Table of Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Prologue

Other Books

Epilogue

Before You Go

Comments

Prologue

Time travel novels, I think I may have read them all from 'The Time Machine' by H. G. Wells, 'A Wrinkle in Time' by Madeleine L 'Engle and Hope Larson, 'Doctor Who' by Terrance Dicks, 'Time Crimes' by H. Beam Piper, 'Time Bandits' by Charles Alverson, 'The Time Travelers Wife' by Audrey Niflenegger, and I loved the movie 'The Butterfly Effect' written and directed by Eric Bress and J. Mackye Gruber and, to me, it becomes very clear. A wrong step in the past could very well eliminate the future you currently know.

As far as I'm concerned, building a machine powerful enough to bend the fabric of time seems a pipe dream. What if the ability to traverse time is inherent to just one person or maybe a few certain people and that ability is not transferable to others no matter what they do or what they wish.

I have found that we all dream, and to some extent, travel back in time giving us another look, albeit a more informed view, at those wonderful days of our youth. We can see where we wasted chances as we were too young to simply realize what lay ahead or visualize a future we would aspire to have. These brief glimpses of those past days are randomly selected and presented to us while we sleep the night away. That is most of us, however, Aaron Conroy discovers that he has a slightly altered dream state and an unrealized ability that he will ultimately use to his benefit.

Dreams are one of the most powerful influential path directing tools ever discover and they are available to the whole human race. Poems are written, songs are composed and murders are sometimes planned and committed, all the result of a simple but inspiring dream. The only thing lacking in our dreams is the actually physical projection of a person into them either as a witness or as a willing participant. What if one found out he or she had the power to do just that and send themselves back into their past and make minor changes, thereby insuring a safer and more rewarding future. This fictional story is about one young man who discovers that he is one and maybe the only one. Someone who has the ability to insert himself into his dreams. Traveling through that impenetrable fragile fabric of time where he can tinker with what had been then change it to what he wanted it to be.

Chapter 1

One Strike and you're out

His parents had left Waverly City two years ago for a quieter residence out here in the country. Their home now bordered a large government protected forest area instead of the noisy strip mall that was their city home. These neighboring woods were open to hikers and daytime only campers, no overnighters allowed and it banned any and all types of hunting.

The young man was an explorer and had spent numerous hours walking the trails and learning the ways and beauty of these woods. His dad had made sure that Aaron knew how to handle himself while out exploring as his dad, before his unexpected young death, had explored most of this area with him. It had been five months since his dad’s passing and Aaron had just now returned to his adventures in these woods.

Just about everything he did, saw or touched brought reflections of his exploration along beside his dad. Tears were simply a fee he paid for the memories that flooded his thoughts, memories too fresh to not cause pain even in someone so young.

Aaron Conroy was seven when he first saw the strange man. The man wasn't strange looking, he was just someone Aaron didn't know and Aaron was quite surprised to see him on that side of the chasm.

The log Aaron used to cross above the river that flowed so swiftly through the gorge, almost sixty feet below, spanned a little over fourteen feet side to side. It was the only way to get to and from his secret place and he had safely made that crossing many times, all unbeknown to his mom. He had no doubts about his ability to make it again until the man stepped out from somewhere and blocked his path.

Don't cross just yet, wait here with me and watch for a moment, The man's voice was deep and modulated. His six foot five inch height probably assisted in causing his voice to be so low and, to Aaron, it had such a sincere ring that he obeyed without hesitation. The man also looked kind of familiar in an older, well he didn't actually know just what was familiar, but it caused him to impolitely crane his neck up and stare.

The crashing noise of a large boulder, that had somehow become loosened during the previous rain storm, pulled his attention to the cliff side above the log that crossed the chasm. The large boulder tumbled down the embankment careening as it went. It became airborne from hitting the last ledge before reaching the log. As it fell by, it brushed the crossing log just enough to make anyone, that happened to be out on that narrow makeshift bridge, a candidate for an uncontrolled plummet into that chasm and the raging river below.

Even at seven years old, Aaron knew enough to know that the man had probably saved his life. He turned and looked up at the man, Did you know that was going to happen?

It's safe to cross now but I suggest you steer clear of this area in the future, it is very dangerous and somewhat unstable, A smile was added in this dismissal.

Aaron crossed the log unhampered then, safely back on the other side and on solid ground, he stopped and turned around to wave to the man. Searching the area with his eyes revealed nothing, evidently the man had left and the young man wondered if the stranger had found another route from that area. The young man didn't dare mention the incident or he would have to tell his mom about his secret place and the dangerous crossing he used.

The second time he saw the man Aaron was twelve years old. It was the third inning of his little league game and he was due up to bat. Some inclement weather was closing in and a small amount of precipitation had started to fall and, if it increased, it might delay completion of the their game.

Aaron stored his fielding glove in his personal equipment bag. He picked up his upside down batting helmet from the numerous wooden cubbies in the back of the dugout. He removed his batting gloves he had left inside the helmet. He shoved the helmet under one arm then put the batting gloves on and adjusted the glove's Velcro straps. He took a quick look inside the helmet at the note he had transferred from his old helmet to this new one, it simply said, Stay Loose, written some years ago by his dad using a black felt tip marker. He put the helmet on then made some minor adjustments to the way it was situated as memories of his dad flashed before his eyes.

Aaron turned and reached for the red and silver aluminum bat he always used. All the bats hung from a metal bat rack attached to a wire fence. This cyclone fence shielded and protected the players from arrant throws while they waited in the dugout. Its open construction still allowed unhampered views of the playing field.

Hey team! Get over here for a moment! was shouted from outside close to one end of their dugout, over near third base. The players all responded and came out of the dugout and around to whom they assumed was the coach who had called them. I need you guys to pay attention for a moment, the man said but he wasn't the coach, however, he was an adult, and extremely tall adult, so they stayed where he had called them.

The actual team's coach, who was over near the bleachers where he had been answering a question from one of the parents, realized that his team had left the dugout and were gathered around a tall stranger just off to the side of the field, over near third base. Hey, what's going on here? Why are you guys out of the dugout? The coach shouted and headed toward the group and the stranger.

An ominous black cloud gathered quickly almost directly above the ball field. Precipitation increased and began to fall much heavier than expected and parents started looking for some rain protection, opening umbrellas, putting papers over their heads or raising hoods of their jackets to keep as dry as possible.

No one was looking that way when the lightning struck the dugout with its thousands of volts of pure energy. The enclosing fence and the metal bat rack seemed to be the target of that vicious charge. That metal bat rack exploded away from the fence and the hanging bats were blown around the dugout enclosure breaking boards and knocking helmets out of their cubbies. The power of the lightning strike also threw buckets of balls around in the dugout as if they were pin balls in an arcade game. There was no place, high or low, no corner of the dugout that would have been safe for anyone. The surrounding cyclone fence simply kept most of the ping pong activity inside that dugout. Only one bat went out through an opening followed by a couple of balls that rolled out onto the playing field.

The spectators were also affected as the force of the blow knocked anyone standing off their feet. The echoing cacophony caused moms and dads to jerk around looking for their children. One mom was crying and screaming her son's name as she abandoned the bleachers and raced toward the remains of the dugout that had started to burn in the aftermath.

The opposing team, waiting out on the field, abandoned gloves and other gear and quickly followed their coach off the field away from the fencing and away from their own dugout. The coach led them to a nearby house and begged entrance from the occupants to protect the children from harm. The home owner, who had heard the lightning strike and could see the burning dugout in the near distance, didn't hesitate to invite the frightened children inside out of danger..

Aaron and his team mates had all been shaken and knocked off their feet. They, for the most part, were now laying sprawled in the dirt just past third base. Aaron could feel the heat from the fire that had now engulfed the dugout. He looked around and found the stranger just rising from the ground and again he asked the question, Did you know that was going to happen?

You'll be ok now, go let your Mom know that you are safe, The stranger said then the stranger looked past Aaron staring at something long enough to cause Aaron to turn and look. On turning Aaron saw a silver glimmering vision of what appeared to be a young man standing and watching the flames as the dugout burned. The glimmering vision only lasted a moment then was gone and when Aaron turned back around the stranger was also gone.

Aaron went as he was told. He saw his mom coming, running from the bleachers. Aaron turned again looking for the stranger but a cursory search of the area showed no signs of the man. Aaron thought, he looks so familiar, I should know who he is.

Aaron's mom hadn't seen the stranger and the coach's comments didn't help. Yes there was a stranger here who had called the team out of the dugout saving their lives. I'm sorry, I saw the kids gathered around this stranger and I headed that way to see why and then the lightning struck. Now I can't find him, I just wanted to thank him but he's not here so I guess he's gone. I hope he realizes he is a hero.

Aaron told his mom he had seen the stranger and thought he looked familiar but he really couldn't place him. He didn't mention that this was the second time the stranger had appeared and saved his life.

Chapter 2

There's nothing like a good movie

Aaron was a good