The Cycle

“Is that what I think it is?”

“Well, if it depends if you think it’s the door to the largest, most secure privately owned vault in the world.” Chuckled Ross John, my recently acquired attorney.

“What’s in it?” I asked, unable to keep the curiosity from my voice.

“I’m not entirely certain. I do know that there is another locked vault inside. Remember, you need to enter the inner vault and when you come out we’ll sign the paperwork to finalize the inheritance. Feel free to take as long as you need. I’ll head upstairs to my office when you’re finished.” Mr. John said amiably.

What an insane week, I thought as the security officers began the process of opening the large vault door. Just a few days ago I had written my last exam of the year and had been looking forward to a relaxing two weeks before going from weekends only to full time at the restaurant where I worked part time during the school year. Then out of the blue, Mr. John showed up and told me I had been listed as an heir to an estate of a man I had never heard of.

Naturally suspicious my parents had gotten their lawyer to look over the paperwork. It was legit. I couldn’t believe it. I was set to inherit an estate valued at over 250 billion dollars, a team of accountants and the legal services of Mr. John. The only condition was that I was required to enter this vault alone before I could sign the paperwork. It seemed like the plot out of an old cartoon from the 60s. So, my folks and I flew with Mr. John in my new private jet to a sprawling 500 acre estate in South Dakota. A huge 20 bedroom complex with swimming pools, saunas, hot tubs, fully stocked bars, gyms, and more bathrooms than the house I grew up in had rooms! And it was only one of many properties I was to inherit.

Finally, the massive vault door was swinging open.

“Just use the intercom inside when you’re finished and we’ll open it up for you sir,” the security chief of the estate said.

“Umm. Sure. Thanks.” I stammered as I entered the vault.

As the vault door closed I began to take a look around. The vault was huge. Easily 100 feet by 100 feet with a large metal door on the wall directly opposite the main door. I couldn’t believe it! The room was packed floor to ceiling with shelves. I walked to the nearest shelf and gasped! It was filled with toys from my childhood. Transformers, He-Man, Superpowers and more! Multiple copies of each toy and all still in the packaging! Why would a billionaire collect toys from the 80s?

As I walked down the shelf it changed to an awesome collection of LPs.

“Holy shit!” I exclaimed. In a hard plastic case was an unopened copy of Beatles for Sale. And an original pressing of the famous Butcher cover album! These things are priceless. And as a massive Beatles fan I had always dreamed of having a copy.

I looked further along the wall and noticed after the records the shelves were filled with comic books. Action Comics #1, Detective Comics #27, Amazing Fantasy #15 among others! All sealed in hard plastic cases. Never in my wildest dreams would I have even been able to even get one of these books! The first appearance of Superman, Batman or Spiderman? Not in a hundred lifetimes.

“It’s like this whole place was made just for me,” I mused aloud. All my hobbies, collected, organized and curated with obvious care. Curiouser and curiouser, I thought feeling quite like Alice tumbled down into my own Wonderland. As I headed towards the door along the rear wall I noticed other objects of interest around the room. One section seemed to be bottles of alcohol, another sports memorabilia, another was guitars hung along a wall, and even bookshelves with a host of original copies of famous books. I recognized a number of classics from Dickens to Twain.

“Well, at least I know it’s not just stuff I like.” I said with a feeling of some relief. I had always wanted to learn to play guitar but had never gotten around to it. I was mostly indifferent to sports and being 19 still wasn’t into collecting booze.

I stood in front of the final door and unlocked it with a shaking hand. If all this was out here, what could possibly be valuable enough to put in a second vault? The door opened easily and quietly being perfectly balanced on its hinges. A gaping black maw stared back at me. I ran my hand along the inside wall and with a soft click found the light switch. A soft light filled the room, which was relatively small with a single chair and table in the center. On the table was a letter with my name on it. I walked over and looked at it. The letter rested on an old black moleskin book.

I opened the letter, sat down and began to read:

Max,

Welcome to your new life! You are the latest of us to join the cycle. I’ll keep this brief as I know exactly what you’re thinking. First, time travel is real. Second, you can’t go into your own past. That would create a paradox. But you can go back to a different past identical to the one you know. The original Max had been friends someone who invented the technology and had been there the first time it was used. All he had with him was his wallet, cell phone and the moleskin diary you see on the table next to you. He had been sent back to 1946 and used his memories of the future to make himself a rich man. Not as rich as what you’re inheriting but rich enough to buy the lab where time travel would be developed. What he did was genius. He recorded every investment he made, every person he met who should be avoided, all his mistakes and successes in that black moleskin diary. It is the single most valuable thing in here! You only have one thing to do. Read every page in that book. Follow the lessons we’ve learned and make sure you are at the lab at the right time. Then you’ll be sent back to 1946 like the rest of us to start the cycle anew. But since you’re aware of what will happen make sure you have the black moleskin diary, and the briefcase with one million dollars in 40s era cash and your new identification (it’s in the main vault waiting for you). You will be who I was. Jordan Robert the richest man alive. Stay out of the spotlight, enjoy yourself and record everything in that book! Read it through before you go sign the paperwork with Ross. You have investments to make before you get sent back in 2009.

Max the 27th in the Cycle

PS – Don’t touch the scotch until you’re at least 30.

I reread the letter three times before I could process it. I picked up the moleskin diary and began to leaf through it. “What’s a Google?” I asked myself. Well, whatever it is I suppose I’ll listen to me and invest.

I spent the next hour reading before carefully setting the moleskin diary on the table and relocking the inner vault. I grabbed a random bottle of scotch, headed towards the intercom and the rest of my life as the 28th Max in the most amazing cycle of time travel I could have imagined.