Haim stormed into the lab, violating the sacred silence of the lab in his resonating bass voice: “Enough is enough! I will never set foot on the stage again. No more whistling and booing for me!”
Ami, a small thin man in his late thirties, moved his glasses onto his forehead to look at his friend. He noticed that Haim seemed very upset, but had he not always dramatized his feelings? He slid his glasses back: “Good evening to you too. What happened this time?”
Haim, using his big body and expressive flexible face, performed his story rather than telling it:“I just had an embarrassing acting accident. I stood on stage and Elena, my co-actor, she recited her lines in her funny Russian accent: 'Come on my dear friend!'...”. He then imitated the actress so vividly, that Ami could actually see the small fragile actress talking.
Ami, a small thin man in his late thirties, moved his glasses onto his forehead to look at his friend. He noticed that Haim seemed very upset, but had he not always dramatized his feelings? He slid his glasses back: “Good evening to you too. What happened this time?”
Haim, using his big body and expressive flexible face, performed his story rather than telling it:“I just had an embarrassing acting accident. I stood on stage and Elena, my co-actor, she recited her lines in her funny Russian accent: 'Come on my dear friend!'...”. He then imitated the actress so vividly, that Ami could actually see the small fragile actress talking.
“... for a moment my mind went blank. I stood there on stage opened my mouth, but nothing comes out. The audience started laughing and stamping their feet. Elena quickly improvised”, and again in a perfect imitation of Elena: “Well .. I understand you are on your way out!... “ Returning to his normal voice: “...and she shoved me off the stage.”
”Moments like that can happen to any actor,” Ami muttered nonchalantly and returned to his work.
Haim raised his voice:“Wait! It's not the whole story. When the play ended, people applauded for all the other actors, but when I entered and bowed, there were only boos and whistling.”
For a moment Ami considered comforting his friend with some flattering words, but then he stopped and pondered in silence.
”Oh! You have nothing to say about this?” Haim thundered.
Ami shook his head, still looking thoughtfully at his friend and said: “Do you want to change this unpleasant moment?”
Haim looked at his friend suspiciously:“Of course, it's not a moment I want to cherish, but it is probably a moment that marked the end of my career as an actor.”
Ami spoke slowly, emphasizing every word:“No. I'm asking if you really want to delete this moment?”
Haim looked puzzled.
Ami turned back to his computer explaining: “I have here a new invention that I would like to test. A kind of reality tape recorder. I hope it will enable me to change your awkward moment.”
Haim, still gazing, asked: ”You mean to tell me you can change the past?”
”Yes, that's a general idea. All you have to do is recite your lines again. This time acting as best as you can.”
Ami turned back to his computer, his fingers dancing rapidly on the keyboard. Haim stood as still as a statue, looking at his friend curiously in disbelief.
Suddenly a video of the beginning of the play came to life on the computer screen:”“Hey, when did you shoot this video of the play?”
Ami muttered: “I did not shoot any video.” and kept hitting the keys with fast movements of his fingers. After a long wait, Ami stopped and looked up again: “Oh, here! ...” Haim saw himself standing on the stage and Elena coming toward him.
”... Is this the right moment?”
”Yes, that is my awkward moment. Why did you make a video of this embarrassing moment?”
Again Ami muttered something that sounded like:“I did not shoot any video.” and froze the image. He gave Haim a microphone and instructed him to repeat his lines, this time as it should be acted.
Haim still suspects that it was one of the famous practical jokes Ami like to play on his friends, but anyway he played along and recited his lines loudly and clearly.
Ami went to a nearby table, fiddling with the electronic hardware there for a while. Then returned to the computer keyboard and hit ENTER.
Nothing happened.
Ami sighed and said, “That's it, now we just have to wait and see.”
”Moments like that can happen to any actor,” Ami muttered nonchalantly and returned to his work.
Haim raised his voice:“Wait! It's not the whole story. When the play ended, people applauded for all the other actors, but when I entered and bowed, there were only boos and whistling.”
For a moment Ami considered comforting his friend with some flattering words, but then he stopped and pondered in silence.
”Oh! You have nothing to say about this?” Haim thundered.
Ami shook his head, still looking thoughtfully at his friend and said: “Do you want to change this unpleasant moment?”
Haim looked at his friend suspiciously:“Of course, it's not a moment I want to cherish, but it is probably a moment that marked the end of my career as an actor.”
Ami spoke slowly, emphasizing every word:“No. I'm asking if you really want to delete this moment?”
Haim looked puzzled.
Ami turned back to his computer explaining: “I have here a new invention that I would like to test. A kind of reality tape recorder. I hope it will enable me to change your awkward moment.”
Haim, still gazing, asked: ”You mean to tell me you can change the past?”
”Yes, that's a general idea. All you have to do is recite your lines again. This time acting as best as you can.”
Ami turned back to his computer, his fingers dancing rapidly on the keyboard. Haim stood as still as a statue, looking at his friend curiously in disbelief.
Suddenly a video of the beginning of the play came to life on the computer screen:”“Hey, when did you shoot this video of the play?”
Ami muttered: “I did not shoot any video.” and kept hitting the keys with fast movements of his fingers. After a long wait, Ami stopped and looked up again: “Oh, here! ...” Haim saw himself standing on the stage and Elena coming toward him.
”... Is this the right moment?”
”Yes, that is my awkward moment. Why did you make a video of this embarrassing moment?”
Again Ami muttered something that sounded like:“I did not shoot any video.” and froze the image. He gave Haim a microphone and instructed him to repeat his lines, this time as it should be acted.
Haim still suspects that it was one of the famous practical jokes Ami like to play on his friends, but anyway he played along and recited his lines loudly and clearly.
Ami went to a nearby table, fiddling with the electronic hardware there for a while. Then returned to the computer keyboard and hit ENTER.
Nothing happened.
Ami sighed and said, “That's it, now we just have to wait and see.”
***
Haim was startled out of his deep sleep by a constant ringing of the phone. A quick look at the clock informed him it was six o'clock in the morning, long before any honest guy should be awake. He stood up barefooted thinking 'Who makes a phone call at this hour? Who, for God’s sake, is even awake at this hour of the night?'. He picked up the phone and mumbled a sleepy, “Yes?”
The cheerful voice of his friend Ami echoed: “Well, how are your acting reviews today?” “That's the reason you woke me in the middle of the night?” he complained in a weird voice. And then added in a more angry voice: “Anyway, since when you are interested in show reviews?”
“Go ahead. Read the newspapers!” declared Ami in a joyful voice.
The memory of last night hit him in a flash. Now he was wide awake. What on earth was Ami so happy about? For me, it was no laughing matter. The acting was my life: “Why are you laughing at me?” he asked in a bitter voice.
“No, really, look at the papers!” Ami answered and hung up. Haim stuck his feet into slippers and hurried to the door of his apartment. He snatched the morning paper, opened the cultural section, and eagerly read the critics. Apparently, there was some mistake. The critic had nothing but praise for his performance. Haim threw on his pajamas, a robe, and raced for the nearby kiosk. There he bought all the newspapers and read the critics in all of them right on the spot. No one alluded to his blunder or the boos he got at the end. Even Konstater who hated him praised his performance. Haim returned home, and phoned Ami: “What is your story?”
Ami’s beaming voice said: “You see! The invention worked.”
“Wait, I'm coming to the lab.”
Fifteen minutes later, the two friends sat at the small kitchen desk in the lab talking. Haim patted Ami on his shoulder: “I do not understand how you did it, but it's fantastic!” Ami sat happily, a cup of coffee in one hand, a box of biscuits in the other. He offered a biscuit to Haim, to celebrate the success. Haim looked at his happy friend and said: “Such an invention could change history.” But Ami did not think in the terms of changing history. He thought more along the lines of proving his theory concerning the nature of time: “Can you imagine what tremendous scientific importance this test was as a proof?”
Haim nodded: “Yes, a Nobel Prize is guaranteed, but there is much more at stake than a Nobel Prize, don't you think?”
Ami laughed, “Since when do you disparage prizes?”
“Oh no, I'm not disparaging the Nobel prize, but if you can change history, you can help the human race by changing bloodshed wars. Why you can eliminate the Holocaust!”
“It is too dangerous. Such large changes could bring unintended consequences.”
Haim looked at his friend, and in his mind popped the picture of his grandparents murdered in the Holocaust, along with so many other Jews: “What could be worse than the Holocaust?”
Ami refused: “Too dangerous.” He repeated.
It took another week of nagging and persuasion to convince him. It took one more week for Ami to improve his invention, and another month of historical investigation to determine what changes were needed to prevent the rise of the Nazis to power. Finally, they were ready.
Ami rolled his recorder back in time until he found the time and place chosen for the change.
Haim did the actual changes using his abilities as an actor and copycat.
Ami rolled his recorder back in time until he found the time and place chosen for the change.
Haim did the actual changes using his abilities as an actor and copycat.
Ami hit the ENTER key.....
***
There was a brief moment of darkness. When the lights were on again, Haim saw no change in the laboratory. Then he noticed that Ami had disappeared, and on his chair sat a Chinese-looking stranger. The man looked at him questioningly. Frowning, Haim asked the stranger: “Where is Ami?”
The Chinese-looking stranger looked at him in amazement: “You Hebrew know? ...” the Chinese asked in broken Hebrew. “... I'm in a hobby learning languages become extinct.” He added. Maybe this was another example of the practical jokes his friend’s twisted sense of humor does. But who is the Chinese? In an angry voice, he retorted: “Of course I speak Hebrew, I am a Jew!”
“You're my first Jew. Holocaust did not kill all of you?”
Oh dear, thought Haim, the invention did not work. What a disappointment: “Ami could not change history and eliminate the Nazis?”
The small Chinese nodded his large, shining, bald head, and glanced at Haim. His eyes displayed narrow cracks even though the magnification of his glasses: “I'm not good to understand Hebrew. Whom the Nazis?”
“You do not know who the Nazis are? Nazis are the Germans who killed the Jews in the Holocaust!” Haim cried in frastration.
“Germans? Oh no. Why? Muslims killing Jews.”
Haim look at the Chinese as if he has gone out of his mind: “Well, where is my friend Ami? I want to talk to him.”
“Ami Who is?” the Chinese was puzzled.
Haim thought this joke was going too far: “Ami, my friend, the scientist who invented the reality tape recorder here in this lab!”
The Chinese sat on his high chair, his feet barely reaching the floor. He looked up at Haim suspiciously: “Where do you my invention know?”
Haim had a dull feeling in his stomach that something terrible had gone wrong: “You claim you invented a reality tape recorder that can change the past?”
“Yes. I'm inventing a new theory of time.” the little Chinese answered fingering the next table that was filled with electronic equipment.
“You mean that all Jews were exterminated again?”
“I do not know, again, all the Jews killed Muslims.”
“Did you mean Muslims killed the Jews?” Haim desperately urged the Chinese: “You must change history to save the Jews!”
The Chinese looked at Haim coldly and said in what might be considered as Chinese politeness: “Very sorry, not allowed to change history. Not for Jews.”
And went back to his computer.
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