Your local electronics store has just started selling time machines, anywhere doors, and invisibility helmets. You can only afford one. Which of these do you buy, and why?

“Now that looks interesting.”

“Can I help you Mrs. Angloswiss.”

They all know me in the local store, of course, I am famous. If they are not nice to me, I might mention them in a blog.

“Is that something new, looks interesting?”

“It is according to what you are looking for. It is the latest gimmick, made in Hong Kong.  The yellow box steers it.”

“Steers what?”

“You can use it as a time machine, a door to where you want to go and if you want to pay a little extra, you get an invisibility helmet.”

“Mr. Swiss what do you think?”

“Does the invisibility helmet make the voice invisible?”

Did I see a smile appear on the shop assistant’s face? He told Mr. Swiss this was not the case so Mr. Swiss said “no helmet”. Not seeing me but hearing me was too much for his nerves he decided.

The time machine looked interesting, but I was not sure. My felines tell me that one day in the future they will take over. I had visions of a world where my life would be a filled with emptying cat trays, keeping a supply of fresh mouse and bird food and perhaps even telling them a good night story before they curled up to sleep. I could of course return to the past, but that has its disadvantages. I might meet my ancestors and if they were all like grandad – no, too much stress. There would be no computer in the past, no daily prompt and no Facebook. What a dismal world.

“Will she return at the right time to cook dinner?” Mr. Swiss asked.

“It depends” answered the salesman. “When you go on a journey into another country, the time is according to where you go. Perhaps the traveller visits Australia. If she intends to cook dinner it might be that she returns in the early morning hours in our time, but in Australia it would be lunch time. This could be confusing.”

“No time machine” said Mr. Swiss.

I realised only the door to anywhere remained, which I found quite interesting. Stepping out to a beach in the Bahamas, perhaps taking a walk through New York, or seeing Lenin in his mausoleum in Moscow: so many opportunities.

“Will she find the right door to return?” Mr. Swiss asked the shop assistant.

“If she presses the green button before she leaves which automatically redirects to the starting point.”

“And when she is away and someone else presses the green button.”

“That is a problem we are working on. There are many doors, once you are on the way, and if the green button is pressed during the journey, it will redirect the passenger to another exit, even another world perhaps.”

I felt this conversation was not going in a favourable direction. We cancelled the invisilitiy helmet because my voice remains, the time machine would mix up the daily meals and the door to anywhere might be anywhere if someone presses the green button when I have gone and I may never return.

“I think we will take the door” said Mr. Swiss.

“No” said I “We will not take the door. I will remain where I am with my voice and my daily routine. There will be no pressing green buttons to change my direction when I am away, and I was never keen on those green doors, you never know where they lead to.”

That evening we had our evening meal at the normal time, watched the television and when we awoke the next morning we were still in our normal time and space, although it seems I must have caught a cold on my shopping trip and had lost my voice.

“No, we are not returning to the store to buy the invisibility helmet”.

Daily Prompt: Pick Your Gadget but Make Your Own Decision

1. rimahassanblog.com/2014/05/21/split-personality/
2. dragoneystory.wordpress.com/2014/05/21/daily-prompt-pick-your-gadget/
3. itsmatthewburgos.wordpress.com/2014/05/21/rush-of-excitement-daily-prompt/
4. cvillewinter.wordpress.com/2014/05/21/my-invisibility-helmet/
5. jitterygt.wordpress.com/2014/05/21/11630/
6. tuckedintoacorner.wordpress.com/2014/05/21/its-an-investment-i-think/
7. randommstuffblah.wordpress.com/2014/05/21/my-anywhere-door/
8. frustratedbloggerinpink.wordpress.com/2014/05/21/i-picked-one/
9. thediaryofaquirkyteenager.wordpress.com/2014/05/21/httpdailypost-wordpress-comdp_promptpick-your-gadget/
10. seikaiha.wordpress.com/2014/05/21/daily-prompt-pick-your-gadget/
11. underthemonkeytree.com/2014/05/21/you-are-now-here/
12. marthakennedy.wordpress.com/2014/05/21/the-future-is-now/
13. tnkerr.wordpress.com/2014/05/21/daily-prompt-pick-your-gadget/
14. rjjainrahul97.wordpress.com/2014/05/21/why-pick-one-when-you-can-get-all-three/
15. advocateofentropy.wordpress.com/2014/05/21/so-there-is-this-new-store-in-the-neighbourhood/
16. haiverer.wordpress.com/2014/05/21/pick-your-gadget/
17. aportiaadamsadventure.com/2014/05/21/daily-prompt-pick-your-gadget/
18. agent909.wordpress.com/2014/05/21/pick-your-gadget-travel-back-to-the-past-gadget-we-have-now/
19. activearmywife.wordpress.com/2014/05/21/open/
20. kansamuse.me/2014/05/21/dokodemo-door/
21. abozdar.wordpress.com/2014/05/10/driven/
22. trekkismoen.wordpress.com/2014/05/21/the-invisibility-helmet/
23. easterellen.com/2014/05/21/1977-over-again/
24. monicleblog.wordpress.com/2014/05/21/daily-prompt-pick-your-gadget/
25. grver.wordpress.com/2014/05/21/pick-your-gadget-daily-prompt/
26. meanderedwanderings.wordpress.com/2014/05/21/traveling-through-time-at-88-mph/
27. pippakinclawz.wordpress.com/2014/05/21/httpdailypost-wordpress-comdp_promptpick-your-gadget/
28. suestrifles.wordpress.com/2014/05/21/my-blogging-goals-revisited/
29. escaparse.wordpress.com/2014/05/21/pick-your-gadget/
30. professoradrstilettorockstar.wordpress.com/2014/05/21/bye-bye-traffic-heelllllo-world/
31. hopethehappyhugger.wordpress.com/2014/05/21/anywhere-doors/
32. renew2014.wordpress.com/2014/05/21/pick-your-gadget/
33. themisfitscloset.wordpress.com/2014/05/21/the-anywhere-door-2-0/
34. annelfwind.wordpress.com/2014/05/21/anywhere-doors/
35. ahillbillyblogger.wordpress.com/2014/05/21/my-new-gadget/
36. atanasworld.wordpress.com/2014/05/21/daily-prompt-pick-your-gadget-anywhere-door/
37. rainswritingrealm.wordpress.com/2014/05/21/magic-madness-and-good-times/
38. starrytraveler.wordpress.com/2014/05/21/how-to-pick-my-gadget/
39. www.maggiemayq.com/2014/05/21/pick-your-gadget/
40. thelandslidephotography.wordpress.com/2014/05/21/could-i-place-an-order/
41. thatssophie.wordpress.com/2014/05/21/daily-post-pick-your-gadget/
42. peeksi.wordpress.com/2014/05/21/loves-time-machine-would-you-want-to-see-if-it-ends/
43. teepee12.com/2014/05/21/timing-out-to-elsewhen/#comment-46915
44. remindyourmind.org/2014/05/21/a-dream-machine/
45. ceenphotography.com/2014/05/21/the-anywhere-door/
46. lindaswritingblog.wordpress.com/2014/05/21/the-door-to-anywhere/
47. jaynesdailypost.wordpress.com/2014/05/21/pick-your-gadget/
48. thereyoflight.wordpress.com/2014/05/22/pick-your-gadget/
49. bobbeck1600.wordpress.com/2014/05/21/daily-prompt-pick-your-gadget/
50. flowersandbreezes.wordpress.com/2014/05/21/see-you/
51. masalaandblarney.com/2014/05/21/daily-post-pick-your-gadget/
52. tyrocharm.wordpress.com/2014/05/21/restless-explorers/
53. misplacedtalent2.wordpress.com/2014/05/21/oh-the-places-you-will-go/
54. lifeisgreat0.wordpress.com/2014/05/21/anywhere-door/
55. mitraarchita1995.wordpress.com/2014/05/21/lets-teleport/
56. chronicalsman.wordpress.com/2014/05/21/clash-of-the-gadgets/
57. ajgoode.com/2014/05/21/time-flies/
58. imagineimmortality.wordpress.com/2014/05/21/the-door-to-anywhere/
59. kate0murray.wordpress.com/2014/05/21/second-door-to-the-left-and-straight-on-till-morning/
60. idleandboredtwo.wordpress.com/2014/05/21/daily-prompt-a-door-to-anywhere/
61. randomlyrandomthoughts365.wordpress.com/2014/05/21/pick-your-gadget-a-tough-decision/
62. allthingscuteandbeautiful.wordpress.com/2014/05/21/daily-prompt-being-futuristic-2/
63. cateritforward.wordpress.com/2014/05/21/tomorrow-is-a-new-day-2/
64. tornin2.wordpress.com/2014/05/21/its-not-just-any-door/
65. jackiesworldtravel.com/2014/05/21/bunratty-castle/
66. morrighansmuse.com/2014/05/21/where-to-miss/
67. silentlyheardonce.wordpress.com/2014/05/21/4628/
68. learningneverstops.wordpress.com/2014/05/21/daily-prompt-pick-your-gadget/
69. halfwayamazing.wordpress.com/2014/05/21/anywhere-doors/
70. srollinson7.wordpress.com/2014/05/21/were-not-in-kansas-anymore/
71. bmauritz.wordpress.com/2014/05/21/dr-who-sales-me-the-latest-greatest/
72. teezywrites.com/2014/05/21/i-can-only-pick-one/
73. basicallybeyondbasic.com/2014/05/21/daily-prompt-pick-your-gadget/
74. singingaboutsinatra.wordpress.com/2014/05/21/as-time-goes-by/
75. chancefroese.wordpress.com/2014/05/21/time-machines/
76. lazymoan.com/2014/05/21/319/
77. thelocallens.wordpress.com/2014/05/21/anywheredoor/
78. abrbook.com/2014/05/22/the-mind-is-the-thing/
79. jedsplayhouse.com/2014/05/21/the-fun-is-inevitable/
80. goinroguedotnet.com/2014/05/21/pick-your-gadget/
81. myauthoritis.wordpress.com/2014/05/21/i-choose-all-three/
82. eastelmhurstagogo.wordpress.com/2014/05/21/anyway-anyhow-anywhere-i-choose/
83. pathdiscoveries.wordpress.com/2014/05/21/anywhere-doors-wait-they-make-those/
84. timbaldwin313.wordpress.com/2014/05/22/aisle-three-and-a-half/
85. jessemholmes.wordpress.com/2014/05/22/daily-prompt-pick-your-gadget/