Past Forward
A drama in three acts by Jacquelyn Wells
Copyright 2004 - All rights reserved
Synopsis
November
2000. Jean Quest, 44, is distraught by the recent death of her
husband. His death exposed both of their personal failures. Derrick
Fate, 44, a gourmet chef, never got his restaurant and as she
said "gambled away their dreams." Jean quit painting
years ago and blames this on her inability to cope with his gambling
and depression.
Enter
old friend George Sage, 45, and his time machine with an intriguing
proposition. Would she like to meet herself at 20? He needs an
intrepid explorer to try out his machine and he convinces her
that going back to talk to a younger Jean is the way to change
her future. She can stop herself from making the mistakes that
ruined her life, in other words, marrying Derrick. This also furthers
George's agenda of winning Jean's affection. She and George embark
on this time travel experiment on a night filled with thunder
and lightning.
Jean's 15 minute trip back in time goes awry when the storm knocks
out the power, after first creating a worm hole that pulls four
people from 1976 forward in time. Jean and George are faced with
a younger Jean and George, as well as a younger Derrick and Karen,
George's ex-girlfriend.
They
struggle to get the four curious travelers back before any damage
is done to their lives and the time line. This fails and the four
are forced to remain in 2000 while George attempts to figure out
how to get them back.
The
younger people endeavor to learn as much about their future as
possible while resisting the others' efforts to control them.
Soon they are all drawn in by Jean's campaign to change her past,
each fighting for his or her own desires. Now the complications
of their lives absorb them more than the need to get the younger
group back to their own time.
The controversies come to a head at a dinner that Derrick has
prepared. George announces that all efforts to return the time
travelers have failed and they will be forced to spend time in
this decade. The younger Jean makes a shocking announcement, Jean
reveals a secret about both of them, and Derrick and George exchange
blows.
After
failing, then succeeding to convince her younger self to break
off with Derrick, Jean realizes that Derrick's gambling isn't
what stopped her pursuing her art. It was the fear that she wasn't
good enough. She's made a mess of things, disrupted four lives,
but in the end all are benefited by the experiment.
Karen's
younger self connects with her after learning and then coming
to appreciate their shared sexual identity. George doesn't get
the girl, even though he changes his target to the younger one,
although, he is happy, because he has found an assistant. He and
the young George will work together on the time machine. Derrick
and the young Jean reunite, stronger by the knowledge of their
future and mutual desire to change their fate. Jean starts painting
again and makes plans to fulfill one of her most cherished dreams:
to travel and study art.
Written by Jacquelyn Wells; copywright
2004.
The articles and websites were created
by Jacquelyn Wells 2002
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