Elevators Through Time - Book 1

Part 31: Packed, Stacked, and Ready to Go

Part 31: Packed, Stacked, and Ready to Go

Year: 1990

Time: 8:29am

Location: Small Lunch Area, "Sydney's Tower", Sydney CBD, NSW, Australia.

Level: 72nd Floor

Kate and I decided that we would go out somewhere new and we asked Jed if we could go to another place and time.

"Well, I can't stop you, and world is full of new, or old, amazing things to see. Just keep in mind that I cannot follow you. I protected you here as you are in my Decade and because we owe you a great deal of debt, but I cannot follow. I have many lives and my sister's family to protect." Jed explained.

I shook Jed's hand firmly and replied, "We understand. You have been a good friend and protector of us. Thank you very much for everything."

"No, thank you. Work is tough and fun sometimes doesn't come, but meeting you was a privilege beyond my imagination. I'd get an autograph, but I don't had any paper."

"Do you have a digital camera?" I asked.

"Yes, I have a Kodak V610."

"I love those! Mine had a faulty lens cover so I had to fix it. I haven't gotten around to putting it back together again though. It's still at my home on my table, haha. Let's take a photo and you can keep that as a keepsake."

We all headed for a window that looked out over the Sydney Harbour Bridge. I embraced Kate and Jed while we all faced the camera waiting for the timer to finish.

Ten seconds always seems to take eternity when holding a smile.

"Haha, thank ye' very much. I-sh'll cherish this, I'll tell ya that much," Jed said, suppressing how happy he was with an Aussie accent.

"Our pleasure, keep it safe." I laughed.

Kate gazed at the camera that Jed was now holding in his hands.

"That's a camera?"

"What else do people stare at with an automatic need to smile?" Jed joked.

"Jed, be nice. Yes, Kate. This is a camera but it no longer use plates or even rolls of film. This camera stores the image as information on a form that does not take up as much space as it used to. Digital space. Virtual space." I explained.

Jed handed her the camera.

"It's still a little heavy but I can put it in the palm of my hand! The last one we saw was the size of a pumpkin and it needed a stand! This still takes a few seconds to take the photo though." Kate wondered.

"Oh that's the timer, it's for giving us time to go and pose and smile." Jed explained as he took the camera and took a photo of the ground and handed it back to Kate and showed her how instantaneously a photo could be taken without the timer.

"Also, you don't need to worry about wasting film. The way this stores pictures means that you can take thousands of photos and remove ones you just don't like and continue to take photos. Then later you can develop or display all the photos all at once."

Kate marvelled at this huge jump in camera technology. This was so far ahead of her that she felt a little old in not knowing.

I guessed she would so I patted her shoulder and told her: "Its okay. All new things become old once new things appear. There is always something new to see and do. Humanity always makes something new to amuse or work with."

"You've seen the future so you can say that easily," she smiled cheekily.

Kate and I packed and stored our things when we decided to leave.