As the swirls around him stopped, Eddie only had one split
of a second to admire the amazing blackness around him. He
only had three microseconds to witness what he had worked so
hard to achieve, what took him ten years of his life to
prove, and what will, within three microseconds, end his
existence. He thought how amazing it is, that only three
microseconds can make an entire lifetime disappear as if
never existed. He had two microseconds to think about his
home, the woman he loved, only guessing what she would do
when she find out he isn't there. He never really existed.
His work meant he never existed, never will exist. It meant
he could fix the mistakes that were made. The suffering.
He could actually see the two atoms fly through what he
thought was space, and collide together, creating a
spectacular wave of colorful flames. And in those tiny
microseconds, just before he vaporized into zillion pieces,
Eddie smiled. He is the first.

Eddie walked into the tiny tube, without knowing what might
happen, only guessing the magnitude of his actions. Knowing
he might not come back to prove his words to the world.
Knowing no one will ever know if he succeeded or died. Or
both. But if it ever bothered him, he must have ignored it,
since without thinking twice, he closed the door.

He kissed her gently, pulling her hair off her beautiful
face. She slept so peacefully, he thought to himself, and
felt a wave of sadness takes over his heart. For a minute,
he wasn't sure he wants to continue with his plans. For a
minute, he loved her. For a little more than a minute, he
hoped she would understand. But he knew she probably
wouldn't.

"Eureka!" he smiled, and a tear of joy made her way down his
cheeks. He succeeded. He did it. After ten years of work, he
finally has done it. He looked down the microscope and read
his own report. The structural integrity checkings were
fine. Finally. And now, at last, he can continue with his
idea. He finally can prove to the world his true geniusity.
Finally, after ten years, he can prove he can be the first.
He will be the first; he will be even if it means spending
ten years of his life for a stupid no-good research. Even if
it means he must die.

"Impossible!"
Eddie hated that word. He never hated anything as much as he
hated that phrase. Ever since he was three years old, ever
since he first heard it, he hated it.
"Impossible, I tell you, Impossible!"
It seemed, however, that wherever he went, he always heard
that word. No matter what he'd do to avoid it, it haunted
him. He never really knew why, he never really cared. It
just bothered him.
"Did you hear what I said, Edward?" The professor brought
him back to reality. "Are you with us, Boy?"
He blinked, feeling everybody's eyes at him, humiliated.
Eddie looked up at Professor Rowans and smiled a fake smile,
nodding slightly.
"Oh good," Rowan walked back to his podium and pointed at
the black board, drawing wide lines all across Eddie's
homework answers.
"Let me get one thing bright and clear into your thick
little heads," he said, "there is no possibility of time
travel, none what's or ever. Even the great genius Einstein
himself denies that theory in all his researches." He turned
around sharply and looked at Eddie, "he worked on this
research his entire life, his entire life Edward. Can you
understand this? There's absolutely no option!"
Eddie blinked and looked down at his pages. He worked on
this hard too. He spent his entire summer vacation trying to
prove it. He tried. So hard, he tried. For once, he wanted
to be first.
"Take your homework and fix it for next lesson, Edward,"
Rowans had no mercy, "I would like to see it next week."

Eddie dug up another meaningless smile, and nodded. It is
true. It is. His research is true, it must be. For once,
just once, he wanted to go back in time. He wanted, oh so
much, to be first.

He watched Television, stuck to the screen. The little bowl
of popcorn stood in the middle of the table, untouched. He
was fascinated, swallowing every piece of information the
little colorful box suggested. He didn't care of anything
when he watched the box, he planned. His mind did two
actions at once, receiving the information, and reorganizing
it, thinking, processing it.
If anyone would hear it, they wouldn't believe, but he
didn't care. He did it for himself. He had a job to do. And
he had all the time in the world, if he is right. And if he
is right, he can be the first. He can be the last, he can
win. Finally.

"Edward get your lazy ass in here NOW!"
Eddie raised his head and ran to the kitchen, already having
a guilty expression without even knowing what he has done
now.
His mother stood in the kitchen, holding a bag of Chips,
obviously angry, "Do you mind explaining this, Edward?" she
said seriously.
He had no idea what she was talking about, and shook his
head.
"Don't give me that expression, that bag was sealed and it
is now open, who opened it?"
He shook his head again, although he knew.
"Damn it, Edward, why do you have to make so much troubles!"
his mother turned around again, mumbling to herself angrily,
and Edward took advantage of the moment of quite to sneak
out of the room. He knew why his mother was angry, he knew
she was right, and he knew who did it.

John sat in the chair next to Edward and played with the
Auto-Mechanica Giant Robot they both had for their birthday.
Edward looked at him and waited. It wasn't yet his turn.
It didn't matter that John already got a MegaGiant-Miracle
Superman that can fire water from his hands to a 2 meters
range. It didn't matter that John ate a bigger piece of the
Birthday cake and it didn't matter that it was Eddie in fact
that opened the Red and Blue papers that covered the
Auto-Mechanica Giant Robot's box.
It just wasn't his turn yet.

"It's a Boy!" the doctor smiled merrily as he picked the
little pink form to his hands, cleaning it from the blood,
making sure it breaths.
Andrew and Jessica were never more delighted in their life.
They had a baby. A son. Jessica raised her hands and held
the little child, hugging him gently. Tears of joy slipped
off her eyes and touched the child, as if cleaning him,
blessing him.
"I see another head," the doctor said suddenly, and Andrew
held his wife's hand. Can it be? Can their wishes come true,
will they really have twins.. a boy and a girl.. just like
they hoped?
Jessica screamed as the doctor helped the second body escape
from her womb, cutting the last rope that bound them
together. He smiled again, and handed the baby to Jessica.
"You have a second boy," he said.