© Google 2018
Eccentric billionaire Randolph Houston was making the adjustments on the temporal transfer device at the bottom of Arizona’s Grand Canyon as his fourth wife, 26-year-old Paulette watched.
“Why not wait for that expert, what’s his name?”
“Carlos Bradley, and he’s late.” The aging scientist continued his adjustments.
“What is he? A geologist, paleontologist, archaeologist?”
“All, which was why I hired him. By attaching the TTD to strata here in the canyon, I can travel back to the formation’s origins 2.5 billion years ago.
“How do you know what you’ll find?”
“Bradley, if he had been on time, was to tell me.”
“You’re going now?”
“The battery will only last fifteen minutes. Tempus fugit.” The 75-year-old flipped a switch and vanished.
Carlos arrived and passionately embraced Paulette.
“You’re sure he’s never coming back.”
“My dear, 2.5 billion years ago, there was almost no oxygen in the atmosphere. He would have died in seconds.”
I wrote this for the What Pegman Saw challenge. The idea is to use a Google Maps image/location as the prompt for crafting a piece of flash fiction no more than 150 words long. My word count is 150.
Today, the Pegman takes us to Grand Canyon, Arizona, which I’ve visited many times. I looked up the history of the Grand Canyon and found that “nearly two billion years of Earth’s geological history have been exposed as the Colorado River and its tributaries cut their channels through layer after layer of rock.”
I looked up what was going on about 2.5 billion years ago, and found out, among other things, that there was hardly any oxygen in the atmosphere. Too bad Randolph didn’t do his homework.
To read other tales based on the prompt, visit InLinkz.com.
poweredbyrobots.com 
You have come up with a very interesting idea! Loved it. 😂
LikeLike
Thanks. 150 words didn’t do it justice.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Then you can write a full story with it later!
LikeLike
Too busy with writing class, which is why I’ve slowed down here.
LikeLiked by 1 person
How funny! Ironically when I was researching my story this morning I came across the oxygen thing–and it was my first thought when I read 2.5 billion years. The knowledge didn’t ruin the pleasure of the story’s reveal. Nicely done!
LikeLike
Thanks, Karen.
LikeLiked by 1 person
The captain of an alien ship was visting the Earth at the time. Before leaving he left Randolph (pronounced as “Adam” – in the alien language) an oxygen producer AND left his daughter (Eve) behind to maintain it.
The rest… well… is his-story
LikeLike
*** just kidding ***
LikeLike
Ha!
LikeLike
Sick burn! It’s a little like the story in the Eagles song Tequila Sunrise!
LikeLike
Actually, though this one has a time travel twist, it’s an old story.
LikeLike
Fun twist. Clearly Mr. Houston is tragically bad at knowing who to trust.
LikeLike
He’s gone through four wives, so I assume he feels people are disposable. Of course, he forgot that included him.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Underestimating others can be a dangerous habit…
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ah, young love!
LikeLike
Ah, cheating, duplicitous love. Of course, if she’s in the will, she’ll make out like a bandit.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That’s a most effective way to get rid of him!!
LikeLike
Indeed. There won’t even be fossil remains.
LikeLiked by 1 person
You know, I was thinking as I read ‘I hope he has some breathing equipment’! A daring way to be done with your ageing husband.
LikeLike
Oh, of course he hasn’t. He didn’t think that far ahead…or behind. Thanks.
LikeLiked by 1 person
My pleasure
LikeLike
Sometimes it pays to be detail oriented. My story also included a spouse of questionable fidelity. I like the ide of gauging the time travel machine based on the strata of the canyon walls.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Love those twisting stories…never quite saw that one coming or the last…
Scott
LikeLike
Thanks, Scott. I felt like, given the word count limit, it was a bit rushed, but it’s, from the perpetrator’s perspective, the perfect murder.
LikeLiked by 1 person