200 Words: "Timelapse" Part 5

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"Hey," Carla said, don't get snippy with me just because you've crafted a shoddy narrative."

Jim sighed and massaged the bridge of his nose. "Okay," he said, "let's just put the how and why of it aside for a moment. We've got this guy who finds himself in the past. What should he do?"

"Well, does he remember any good lottery numbers or stocks? Is there anything in his past that he wants to change?"

"Could he change anything? The past is the past, isn't it?"

"That's really up to you, boss," Carla replied with a smile. "It's your universe, isn't it?"

"Um, sure," Jim said. "But I want to, um, ground my story in reality."

"Reality. A story about time travel. Uh-huh."

"C'mon," Jim pleaded. "Do you think you can help me without picking at every little thing?"

"Oh, I suppose," Carla sighed. "Well, what would you do if you woke up in the past?"

"If I knew that, I wouldn't be asking you," Jim replied.

"It's your story." Carla was getting frustrated. "I can't write it for you."

They stared at each other silently for a moment.

"Oh fine," Carla relented. "How about thinking big."