Plot synopsis
The esteemed scientist, Dr Plonk, calculates that the world will end in 101 years. He needs evidence to prove this, so he builds a time machine to transport someone forwards 100 years.
The person will get into a special coffin-like box that the time machine will transport through time. He hopes evidence of this impending disaster will be found and that it will convince the Prime Minister of the day to take action to the stop this outcome.
Plonk, his wife and his manservant Paulus all take separate return trips to the year 2007; however, none of them find any evidence to take back with them.
He decides to take the Prime Minister with him on his last trip to show him the evidence. Unfortunately, an explosion destroys the time machine and they become stranded in 2007.
Plonk is branded a dangerous terrorist and is sentenced to life imprisonment. The Prime Minister is sent to an asylum, as no one believes who he really is.
However, his wife transported the box back just after the explosion, meaning that it arrived in burnt pieces. She starts to glue the box back together but seems to be having too much fun with Paulus to worry about finishing it.
My comments
Plonk observes that the future does not change as a result of all the comings and goings, so we have to assume the timeline is converging. The present moment in the timeline is 1907, as this is when the first time travel took place.
Summary of time travel
As this time machine only goes the to the future and back to the present, we cannot say whether the past is open or closed. Dr Plonk arrives in 2007 and then travels back through time with information about this future.
Although he tries hard to change the timeline, he is unable to do so because each time he returns to 2007, nothing has changed. This infers an open future with a converging timeline.
He becomes stuck in the future, which creates a different future for Paulus and Mrs Plonk. Although this means the timeline will diverge at this point, it must converge before he arrives in 2007.
The future will diverge from 2007 onwards due to their presence. But it will probably converge back soon after, as that would be consistent with this model of time.
Category of time travel
Science fiction: time-travel transporter.
Model of time
Undefined past, open future with a converging timeline.
