He arrived behind a convenience store at 6:14 a.m. with smoke coming off his jacket and one sentence prepared: “I am so, so sorry.” The man identified himself as Aaron Bell, said he had returned from 2047 and immediately admitted he had forgotten every useful lottery number.
INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT
AREA 51: You had twenty-one years to write them down. BELL: I know. AREA 51: Any jackpot. Any state. BELL: I was focused on the time machine. AREA 51: Sports results? BELL: I don’t follow sports. AREA 51: Stock prices? BELL: I remember one company does very well. I cannot remember which one.
WHAT HE DID REMEMBER
Bell provided extensive information about future kitchen appliances, a television series nobody has heard of and the 2041 redesign of a popular sandwich bag. None can currently be monetized. He also warned us never to buy “the purple phone,” then realized it has not been invented and refused to elaborate.
I thought the numbers would be easy to remember once I got here.— — Aaron Bell, alleged time traveler, poor planner
ONE POSSIBLE LEAD
Before leaving, Bell stared at a scratch-off display and said, “Oh, wow, those still exist.” We purchased three tickets based on his expression. Total winnings: four dollars.
Bell says the machine needs six months to recharge, meaning he cannot simply go back and check. He has taken a room at a nearby motel and started writing things down.