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               The man's visit surprised Herbert. Why would a suit-clad businessman bother with a homeless reject?

               "You! Old man!" the man called, jogging into the alley.
               Herbert looked up from his newspaper, but said nothing.
               The man stopped in front of him, panting. "What's the date?"
               "What?"
               "The date," the man said desperately. "What's today's date?"
               Herbert proffered his newspaper. The man grinned in relief. "Thank God! I'm only one year in the future..."
               "What d'you need the date for?"
               "Listen," panted the man, sitting down on the filthy cement beside the urchin. "You won't believe me, but... God, I've just had the strangest experience of my life! I was with Jasmine. She was showing me the laboratory's next great secret. A time machine. It was a time machine! Yes," the man protested when Herbert chortled. "Yes, I mocked the idea at first too. I did. But then then the lights, they were incredibly bright all of a sudden, there was a loud and high-pitched noise and then there was blackness and now... Now I'm here! You must believe me, you must! Listen, all I want is to go back home. Really. Can you help me?"
               Herbert stared. "Me? Help you?"
               "Do you know Jasmine Locksley?"
               "Strange. Incidentally, we were childhood classmates."
               "You must take me to her, she'll know how to fix –"
               "John? Herbert?"
               Herbert turned to see a fair woman running towards them, followed by two police officers. "Jasmine!"
               "Jasmine!"
               "John, I thought I told you not to leave the house."
               "Help me, man, she's trying to lock me up! Help me!"
               Herbert only stared as the policemen seized the businessman and walked him towards the trooper.
               "Herbert. Long time no see," said Jasmine politely.
               "Indeed."
               "Listen – Whatever John told you, don't believe a word of it. He's a schizophrenic. He has these hallucinations all the time. Thank God you found him!"