Ｄｏｃｓ　Ｆｕｎｅｒａｌ

　We reached Doc’s house at dusk, got out of the car holding the box and the bag containing Doc’s ashes.
“What should we do about Doc’s ashes?” I asked.
“Hmm, that’s a very difficult question.”
“Will he still be ashes if I take him back in time I’m living?”
“Well, death is something irreversible. And once someone has turned to ashes, most of the materials that had once composed his body have gone. So I think he’s gone.”
“Gone for good?”
“No.”
“Oh…”
“The ashes in the bag are only a part of Doc. And I think it will be no use…”
“Then, what should we do?”
“The best way, I think, is to bury his ashes in this land that he loved.”
“It might be…”
“I definitely think so!”
“Well, yes. But where should we bury him?”
“Oh, what do you think, under that old orange tree?”
“Well I didn’t notice the tree until now.”
“Perhaps he planted it many years ago.”
“It might be.”
“So let’s bury his ashes there.”
　Then we dug a hole under the tree, buried his ashes, prayed and said,
“Good bye Doc. May you rest in peace.”

　Then I set the Time and Age of the Time Age Machine, though it might be synchronized. And I said good-bye to Arisa and got in. But before I went, I had something I wanted to ask her.
“Hey sis, what am ‘I’ doing in this future?”
“Is it OK to tell you?”
“According to Doc’s theory, I think it would be OK.”
“But I’m afraid if I let you know, you will relax and not work hard.”
“No problem. I’ll work hard I promise!”
“Ok…, I will tell you.”
“Yes!”
“You will become a NASA astronaut.”
“Wow, cool!”
“And now you are the captain of a Martian base.”
“I’m on Mars! That’s why I didn’t run into the other ‘me’ here.”
“Yes. And I’m so glad to see you here, since you seldom come back.”
“Well I see. So… I have to go back in time. And it is great to see you too. And…, good luck to you, sis!”
“You too!”

　Then I went back in time and the age by the Machine and got out. I was in Doc’s usual laboratory. And I felt as though he was by my side. But he couldn’t be here because I buried his ashes under the orange tree fifty years in the future. I felt so sad. Looking around the laboratory, I felt his presence and it was so strange. And I felt as though he was calling me and I must be hearing things…
“Hey! Hey! Anybody home?”
　At first, I thought it was a hallucination. But soon I recognized it was really someone’s voice.
　Docs’ voice!
　It came from the garden. So I went to the garden and found a young orange tree. And under it was a half-buried person saying “Anybody home?”
　It was Doc!
　So I rushed up and rescued him. Then, he said,
“I went to a notary’s office to leave my will. Well, I left my will never to sell this house and land.”
“Oh, I know that.”
“And after I died, I hoped my ashes would be buried under the orange tree in the garden. So I went to Orange Mall and bought a young orange tree. And I planted and watered it. Then suddenly I found myself buried up to my waist at the base of it.”
“Oh, it is me who buried you and Arisa who suggested it!”
“Great Scott! What a terrible thing you have done, both of you!”