Rags to Riches

This is a story of dreams fulfilled and rags to riches. A story of mystery and fortune. Carl a young African American college student grew up in a very crowded house, having 9 siblings and all. He remembered before college dorming, he would share a bed with three others. Carl was on a life mission of becoming a millionaire and never living the way he did again. He achieved a lot in high school which got him scholarship to college but he still had to pay a fee for living at the college. Carl worked two jobs to maintain this fee and himself, as he had no help from his family. His mom had passed away when he was younger and he and his siblings were split up and put in different foster homes. But Carl always kept a picture of them all with their mother. Every time he looked at the picture it gave him strength to be more determined and accomplish many goals he set. But his greatest goal of becoming a millionaire was yet to come but he held his chest out always and looked up to the sky and always said , “I’m going to make it Mama,” .



Carl one day coming from a sandwich shop near his dorm, gets called by a homeless man. Come here boy the old peddler said. Carl walked over to him with his daily sandwich in his hand. The homeless man said to Carl, I offer you a deal. If you give me your sandwich, I will give you this little black book? This book will help you. Carl said, man if I give you my sandwich I don’t eat today, I’m kind of in the same shoes as you but I’m studying to become a Dr and become a millionaire and not worry about money troubles ever again. The homeless man responded I tell you child all your troubles will be taken care of with just this little black book. I once was a billionaire but certain circumstances left me homeless. Carl quickly responded, a billionaire ha ha yeah right bud. The homeless man pulled out of his cart a photograph in a frame and said, take a look at this. It was a picture of the homeless man along with some general and a former president of the United States. Carl was stunned to see this. Without asking how the book would help him or anything he gave up his sandwich and grabbed the book and walked away dumbfounded.



Carl gets back to his dorm room, and throws the little black book on his bed. He thinks to himself, what was I thinking. I’ll have to go to bed hungry today and I have a test in the morning. He was about to start studying reaching for his text books on his desk but then decided to take a look at this book he traded his meal for. To his surprise when he opened the book the first page said Dear Carl, this will help you on your trip, make your decisions wisely. What I am about to state will be hard to believe but it will all come to be if you follow what it says on each page each week for the next two years. I am you Carl from the future who then travelled to the past and became a billionaire and lived my life in the past. I ended up how you seen me due to a error you must correct in the past or your future past, it’s a hard concept to understand now but you will.



Carl was stunned glued to the next page was the photo he carried with him of his mom and siblings before, his mom died and they were all separated. He burst into tears, and said into the sky , I’m going to make it Mama. He then continued to read.



The next page stated follow these steps for the time period I told you. Each date is listed in which you have to make certain decisions to reach the path you seek. First date in the book was the next day. It stated instead of going to your exam at 10am, go to the fourth floor of the university at exactly 10:03am. Walk down the hall until you see a big room with the windows tinted and big red doors to enter. Experimental projects are going on there funded by the military. You have studied physics and quantum physics besides your Doctor’s degree your working on. You have knowledge to solve a equation they have been working on since the 80’s before you were born. You must enter this room at exactly 10:15am, there will be military personnel and current school amd other scientists in there working on a experimental device but the equation must be solved first for the device to work. You can do this Carl.



Unknown to Carl the university he went to had a sector where new scientific studies and devices were being tested by some of the most brilliant minds in the world. The university being MIT and all. If Carl was to follow the little black books instructions he will be part of and experience amazing things in the next two years of studying at the university. Unknown to him, but soon to be revealed to him by this little black book he traded a sandwich for.



Carl in his dorm room goes over the instructions for the next day thoroughly. But thinks to himself should I do what this book tells me, it was a bum who claims to be me and has a copy of my photo who gave me this book. Right away time travel and his studies in quantum physics and physics as well as string theory came to his mind. It was like a storm brewing in his brain. He stated to himself, I am going to do this and went to bed ready for the next day of mystery.



The following day he made sure he had a timer watch around his neck to be precise with his timing. He skipped his test and went up to the experimental floor of the university at exactly hthe time stated. At 10:15Am he enters the big red doors to this secret experiments room in the university. There was standing two other students a few scientists and a military personnel who seemed very high ranking. He looked at the board in the room and there was the equation the book spoke of. The military personnel quickly asked the scientists who is this guy is he another special student we are going to allow to try to help with the equation? The scientists and students stated they didn’t know that no one got a memo or anything. Carl with the little black book in his back pocket reached back amd touched it amd said yes I’m here to help. I have a background in theoretical physics, quantum physics and more. The soldier asked the scientists has he had a crack at the equation yet. They responded no sir. The soldier said come here what is your name. Carl responded quickly and like a soldier Carl Sir! Wow said the soldier you should be in the service with me instead of here. I see your a brave intelligent young man. Carl responded sir I come from a background most here don’t come from. My dream is to be a millionaire, well off living in comfort one day as a doctor. The soldier responded if you can solve that equation the military government has 50 million dollars for you. Carl’s eyes lit up. He asked may I, the scientists and military personnel said go right ahead.



Carl began to erase parts of the equation which have been solved incorrectly and would be unstable in the worl of physics. He was obsessed as a child with Einstein, Warner Van Braun, and many other great minds. So Carl may have had an advantage knowing all of Einstein’s work. He split the equation into three sections. The very first day he solved that part. He was congratulated but was told he has not finished yet to Collect the prize. He would have to come back every two weeks and work with others there to solve this. Carl was determined to do it himself. So he had a personal pad of his work.



On that first day Carl was asked to sign certain paper work that all he was working on is classified and he will not disclose. He did all they asked without issue as he was all alone at this university. Once done the soldier told him your doing well, go to bed and relax we will see you in two weeks. Bring any ideas or formulation you may come up with over the time in between the projects research dates. Carl said ok no problem.



As the weeks passed Carl worked hard to solve the final two parts of the equation and put all three parts together to see what great scientific discovery he help make. It was going on a year and a half already. When one night it hit him the theory of relativity and also how traveling faster than light distorts time. He quickly came up with the equations for this based on Einstein’s work which he loved. He loved the way Einstein’s had a way of coming up with theories what he would call brain experiments which in then turned to brain storms such as imagining sitting on a light beam and looking at all around you, time will begin to slow. Now if you throw something in front of you traveling at the speed of light 186,000 miles per second would that object excel the speed of light. These were thing Carl began to brainstorm about. Very optimistic of what was to come the next meeting in a few days, he had just 4 weeks more to complete all the little black book was telling him to do. It even had the answer to the equation but Carl didn’t just want to give them the answer he wanted to know how and why also what this equation would bring about so that’s why he stood with the two year plan.



The final week of this experiments and testing different parts of the equation, Carl was finally ready to solve the equation and show the project managers and the military he knew what they were working on and he could solve there equation and solve the problem of matter burning up during time travel. He walked into the lab very happy. Smiling he said to the soldier I would like that money for solving the equation in cash no checks and chuckles.



Carl solved each part of the equation and brought it all together and explained how it worked. How the body has a natural radio wave which can be heighten also made into a shield around the body which nothing can penetrate. He pulled out a device from his back pack he created which amplifies this radio waves and makes it into a more solid shield around the body. He placed it on his belt and told the soldier to shoot at him but toward his feet just in case. The soldier said what is this are you crazy, Carl quickly responded no I’m giving you what you have wanted all these years. Now take a shot once I tell you. Carl activated the device a kind of glass like dome began to form around his body. The soldier took a shot. The bullet was stopped by this clear some created by the amplified waves. Carl stated I solved the problem, where is my money.



Everyone was stunned. The soldier told them to follow him to another section of the facility. There they had a time machine. The soldier said put your device on that lamb their, there was a live lamb standing in the laboratory. Carl placed it around its neck and activated it also it slowly began to build the dome around the lambs body. Carl also had a remote to control the device as well. They brought the lamb to some type of perfectly circular device. They placed the lamb inside and input a certain time as well as area and a return time which will automatically kick in. It was time to put all of Carl’s work to the test. The soldier ordered initiate. The sphere like device vanished for about 3 minutes then retuned but extremely hot. It was cooled and when the door was opened there stood the lamb unharmed. The soldier stunned said you did it you did it. My superiors will be very happy. He went over to a safe in the wall and gave Carl his money in a big duffle bag. Carl screamed to the air mama I did it, and I didn’t even finish college yet!!!



When he was preparing his stuff to go he heard the soldier speaking with his superiors over the phone, he picked up one of the phones in the office and was listening to the conversation. The superiors were telling the soldier he did a great job and to take care of Carl also others tonight and make it seem like a accident. They laughed and said now we have the power to change the world. Carl was shocked he quickly hung up the phone made sure he had his black book and the duffle bag of money. He began secretly erasing all files and damaging all computer hard drives he erased the boards. He took all his paper work with him. He thought to himself where will I go that they can’t find me. Then he thought about the machine. Here he remembers the little black book stated he had to take a step back in time to save time itself but that he will live his dream life. He destroyed everything they needed. The soldier didn’t notice his actions in the next room.



Carl quickly ran to where military weapons were held and grabbed grenades. He planted the grenade under the sphere and a few on fuel sources they had created. He activated his device and jumped into the time machine. The year was 2004 he decided to go back to 1980. Carl activated all after pulling the pins on all grenades giving him seconds to transport out of there and leaving them with nothing. They will not change the world to their liking he said to himself.



The time machine popped out of existence and all in the lab exploded. Carl saved the future world and was on his way to the past to start his new life as a millionaire. He studied the markets for a while so he knew what companies were going down and which were going up except for one which his counter part told him he had to fix. It was in the little black book. It stated never invest into a certain stock. It stated it will cause a drastic change which alters something in the space time continuum but all else had no effect. Carl stood true to his homeless self who should now no longer exist and didn’t invest in that certain company. But he did invest in many companies which are thriving until this day. From giving up a sandwich Carl had become a mogul with many properties all around the world, businesses in all trades, and also he found all his siblings but did not ever meet any of them again he was afraid of the universal repercussions. So he just sent them all enough money that they may live peaceful comfortable lives. Also Carl’s mother he snook around to the old neighborhood from time to time before she passed and would watch her from afar. Wishing he can tell his great tale to his mother.



But in the end Carl did it, even though he did not complete college he was a very successful man. The military never heard of him as he changed that in the time line. Also he made major contributions to the university and had a section named him. As well as a fund for young adults like he was in the future. Carl did it and went from tags to riches. From having to be on a strict budget diet to owning islands. Carl was so determined he traveled through time to give himself the little black book amd set thing straight the second time around. As the first time around was quite a trip read in the book by Carl. He kept it locked away in a safe until his dying days where he past it on to his grandchildren and told them. Until peace is found on the planet the military cannot get their hands on this little black book, keep it hidden and keep it in the family. Never speak of it again. Until it comes time for you to pass it on to the next generation. I have amassed a fortune in which our family should live well for a very long time. Trust and respect my words he stated.



Thus Carl choose wisely, the right path and got all his hearts desires. His story was a complicated but wonderful journey many will never understand.



Alfred Cosme