Conditional Perfect
by Jason Palmer
Like all the other yahoo teens, Paitin and his buddies head to an alternate past for a
Friday night of violent hunting whomever they happen to spot from their hovercrafts. But
unlike the others, Paitin plans to stay behind to be with unReal Sandra.
Paitin shook his head. Civics 101: conditional perfects are neither citizens nor their
ancestors. Therefore, they are not real.
“Conditional Perfect” by Jason Palmer, in Timelines: Stories Inspired by H.G. Wells’ The Time Machine,
edited by J. W. Schnarr (Northern Frights Publishing, September 2010).