The Second Hand Man
May 9th, 1989

Today is my physical body’s birthday. It has turned 30, which makes my mental age now to be 79.

But, although my consciousness is almost octogenarian, the healthy state of my present physical brain is now capable of keeping my mental faculties functioning at peak performance.

The same can be said of my physical accomplishments. I am experiencing absolutely none of the detrimental effects that come with extreme old age. My libido, which is a result of both mind and body, has not suffered in the least. I must certainly be the most virile man of my age.

I recently had a vasectomy. The decision for this was two-fold.

Firstly, even though I make a point of practicing safe sex at all times, accidents do happen, and I have no intention of bringing any little unwanted Crane’s into the world.

Secondly, should I ever experience some primal urge to procreate, I have made sure that such a period will pass safely. I do not want to have the pain of losing a loved one, especially if it’s my own flesh and blood, forever to the same strange oblivion to which I condemned my brother Claude when I returned to the past.

Yep, even if I knew the exact date and time at which conception was achieved, the chances of producing the same child from the same woman would be near-impossible.

No, it is better to live my lives as a eunuch – although I’m happy to repeat – a very virile one!

I am now at the point in time where I had originally hoped to be projected back to. Well, this time round, Steve and I will definitely be sure to find a means to prevent the reactor from spiking and causing the damnable surge that forced my consciousness too far back into the stream of time; I don’t see any chance to endure through yet another childhood. Two have been more than sufficient!!!

It was a damn good idea of mine to start writing these diaries. The next time I choose to use the Consciousness Projector, all I need to do is check the latest entries in my memoirs in order to bring myself up to speed concerning the current events of wherever and whenever I may end up in the past. They will be an invaluable source in helping me to orientate myself back into a once-familiar setting turned foreign through the passing of much time. We never quite recall our past as accurately as we would like to believe. I know this fact better than any other person on this planet. Even our mind’s eye has a tendency to wear a rose-colored monocle. Why else do we keep talking about ‘The good ol’ days’ so often? Yep, today, the present, is just a miserable schlep of hand to mouth existence, but ten years down the road we’ll be calling it, ‘The good ol’ days.’

That can only mean one very depressing revelation:

Life is bad – it gets worse – and then you die!

Of course, I could be the eternal pessimist myself:

Life is bad – it gets worse – and then you go back to do it all over again!

But no, right now, my life is pretty much the way I would want it to be.

It is strange to think that I will be displacing this very same mind that I have now. Who knows, it might even be at this very same time, right now, that I could one day be returning to.

I hope so!!!

At this moment, I have everything I want and need – including good health!

I also have the means to get just about anything else I might ever require. In fact, the only thing lacking in my life right now is the Consciousness Projector. But that will soon be within my grasp. Once that happens, I may well feel as though I am touching the face of…immortality.

Yes, I have the power and the means to be a god amongst the creatures that thrive and die on this mortal plane.

I may not be invincible, but with care I can be immortal. Not too unlike Achilles and his heel.

As long as I don’t do something foolish, like step in front of a bus, board a faulty plane, piss off a mugger, have a tire blowout at 125mph in my new sports car, or have my parachute not open, I could easily keep doing this for…well, all eternity – or at least till the futility and banality of existence eventually forces me to change my mind.

I have absolutely no inclinations or aspirations to partake in any Extreme Sports.

The only Cave Diving, BASE Jumping, Abseiling or Dune Ramping that I’m interested in, is the type one does safely in the confines of one’s bedroom!

At the moment I have knowledge, money, control, and every optimistic hope for a positive outcome.

The sense of great power is euphoric!

Yep, as the song goes, ‘The future’s so bright I gotta wear shades.’

The very important interphase chip, designed and produced by the Westronik Company in Germany will only become available in early 2013. So, although Steve and I can prepare all the necessary equipment needed to complete the projection of a consciousness back through time, it will still be like having a microwave oven before the advent of electricity – completely useless; unless you wanted to store your candles inside it?

Luckily I happen to know when all the right parts will become available. That is a considerably great advantage to have.

I am the type of person who is able to recognize a great new idea when it arrives. So, although I may not be able to come up with any inventions of my own, I can most certainly spot a good idea or…a great thinker when it/he/she comes along.

Think of me as a talent scout in the world of technology. Of course, there are many others like me, so it is important for me to constantly apply myself to stay ahead of the ravenous pack. To this end I am constantly keeping an eye on all the latest developments.

It was during one of these excursions in my first life that I came upon the name and work of one Steven Matthew Ferran.

To describe my relationship with Steve, think of a camera maker and a photographer. A camera maker might make a great product but never ever take a great photo. Likewise, a photographer may take a great photograph but know absolutely nothing about constructing a great camera.

Steve could build a pretty good camera, but he just never had the vision, the photographer’s eye to utilize his equipment to its full potential.

That’s where I came in!

It was over drinks one day, no sober person would ever have conceived of the insane concept that I had thrown at Steve that day, let alone ever imagined it to be possible, when I had asked him if he thought it possible to build the special…camera that I had envisioned.

The query had arisen out of an earlier discussion of ours regarding the human consciousness and the mechanics involved in memory.

Who would ever have imagined that it would lead to the construction of the greatest invention that the world would never see?

Happy 30th birthday to me! Again!!!

Sᴇarch the FindNovel.net website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.