“What I am to understand is that objects can be duplicated with the transporting device; is that right?” asked Angelo.

            “That is correct,” replied Frank.

            “I can see where we can profit handsomely with this invention”, said Angelo.

            “If I were—we were—to sell this device to the Pentagon, they could duplicate military equipment, save millions of dollars, while at the same time, we could make millions of dollars!”

            “Angelo, I am ashamed of you!  You want to take something I invested time and money in, and you want to use for a malevolent purpose?”

“What I am to understand is that objects can be duplicated with the transporting device; is that right?” asked Angelo.

            “That is correct,” replied Frank.

            “I can see where we can profit handsomely with this invention”, said Angelo.

            “If I were—we were—to sell this device to the Pentagon, they could duplicate military equipment, save millions of dollars, while at the same time, we could make millions of dollars!”

            “Angelo, I am ashamed of you!  You want to take something I invested time and money in, and you want to use for a malevolent purpose?”

Off to Rio.  He inserted the picture of Christ the Redeemer in the Transporting Device. Placing his thumbprint on the pad did not activate “Brigid” right away.  What? The second time, it malfunctioned again.  Panic set in.  Heart beating a mile a minute, Frank saw two measly greenbacks in his wallet.  My Lord! No!! And his credit card was maxed out from advanced mortgage payments, in keeping the nasty banks at bay.  ‘This is the house that Jimmy is to be raised in—geez!!!’‘I’ve got to resolve this problem now!  I will not be trapped in stinky old London. Not the city I want to be poor, homeless and trapped in and most of all away from my boy.  Press Press, darn!!!  His sweat was dampening his every inch of self and worry.

            It was not till the thirtieth time, that he turned his finger slightly to the right.  It worked.  Good bye to London Town.  Amazing what you learn about yourself in moments of truth and panic.

He determined his next destination: Paris, France. In an instant, he was at the foot of the Eiffel Tower. Eyes popping out of his sockets! Quel Spectacle! He observed it with the memory of his late wife in mind and in heart; the city of lights shone not only in front of him, but also within his soul’s memory of her. Frank only wished he could visit all 3,800 Historical monuments that encompassed this magnificent city. He could hear Brigid say: ‘Hey Frankie, this is our second Honeymoon! Let’s get some raspberry berets and hold hands like teenagers while we enjoy the sights!’ A tear trickled down his cheek.

On New Years’ Eve, Frank had a hunch to book Imelda for a week to sit with little Jimmy. Wouldn’t it be amazing if he could ship himself from his musty science lab in Readfield, Maine all the way to Times’ Square in NYC? What a way to celebrate the passing of a new year! What a way to mark progress! This positive ray of hope was quite the contrast from the recent tragedy that befell the great city, known as 911. And this held some meaning for Frank. It was 11:50 pm and having cleaned his lab, stealing a sip of champagne, with a wing and a prayer… in an instant, the life-size image of the subway stairs were right in front of him. He folded up “Brigid” and put it in his knapsack. He did it! By the aid of his revolutionary invention, he had broken through the barrier of the image and found himself by the “1” Train, in the Times’ Square station.

During this bittersweet moment, little Jimmy was exhausting the plastic trigger of his new Ray gun, wearing out what was a simple mechanism.  A metal piece dropped.  The trigger was now stuck and the toddler cried in frustration.  Frank picked up the mechanism and noticed it was simply a magnet, and that he should immediately repair it to bring a smile back on little Jimmy’s face.  It was impossible to fix the piece back into place, as the magnet kept attaching itself to other things like TV remotes, nail clippers and paper.  Paper! It then dawned on Frank that if the image rested in the semi-dome was a developed black and white silver print of the landscape… along with magnets staggered from the thumbprint pad to filaments back to the silver image again, there might be complete impact and success!  Moreover, this might be the relenting force field in facilitating the human body to be sent to another environment.  He should have known of this!  It was definitely an a-ha moment.  Merry Christmas Frank!

The prime tool, or rather Brigid was thus far a black box – one by one by one cubic feet.  The side of the box is concaved-a shaped glass semi-dome.  This box is the portal meant to negotiate all the elements in play to making this fantastical travel happen.  The last piece of this machine would be a platform or landing pad made of gold and zinc combined (he melted his and Brigid’s wedding bands).  Now, this landing pad receives the imprint of your thumb, where it’s valleys and ridges act as the transmission and the human fats and oils from the skin is the gasoline thus transporting the individual in question who will travel to the desired locale.

One night, in a dream, a dream that felt like a nanosecond, Brigid visited Frank and reminded him of the importance of forging ahead for their son Jimmy, who at the time of her death was only 2 months old. “Oh Lover, get off yer arse… Frank get the kid a Nanny…a female hand is important…and make sure she’s a foreigner…everything foreign improves the American way. Don’t you think it right, Frankie?”

Exercise your mind during the season of hope and charity! Visit amazon.com and download The Transporting Device story.  It is a short Christmas week activity that will entertain you and bring an even bigger smile to your face.  Be sure to post your comment on www.facebook.com/transportingdevicestory.  Happy Holidays!