Back to the Future

Dr. Emmett Brown's personal diary
Thursday, August 8, 2142

I must assume that if you're reading this, then my mission was a success and the space/time continuum has been restored. It all began way back in August of 2007. I was trying to show my young friend, Markus McFly how to play poker. Back then, Markus was known to imbibe too much during play making him an easy target. In order to help him improve his poker skills, and to help him win the affections of Jake, I invented a time machine and sent myself back in time to tell my young friend about his future and to encourage him to give up the bottle. When I arrived in the past, I let myself lose on that particular night and in so doing began a chain of events that would have cataclysmic consequences, not only for McFly but for the universe!

Yesterday, after repairing the flux capacitor in my 1998 Cadillac De Ville d'Ellegance, I was off to the past. I was able to pinpoint the exact moment when the space/time continuum began to waver from it's established norm and had to return to August 2008 after going back to 2007 on the same night to undo what I had done so I could go back to the future in 2008 and redo what I had done! I hope it's as obvious to you as it is to me, as you may have need of this expertise some day.

The key was repeating what I had originally done in 2007, only this time I had to keep Markus sober. Plus, I had to eliminate all others at the table so that it could be just McFly & I in the heads up.

So, in order to achieve this goal, Jake had to be the first one out. He was at my table and his dismissal was quick & painless, his 1 point a small price to pay for the continued survival of the universe.

Next to be removed from competition was Justin. In order to keep equilibrium, I had to keep the competion close for the middle of the pack. Justin's 2 points assured that.

While Nick wasn't part of the equation from 2007, he was an uncontrollable variable in my experiment and despite his efforts to stay in longer than he should, he was nevertheless removed with 3 points.

Biff Mulanax! Long time bulley and a mean little cuss, I knew there was a soft, tender side to Biff and it was proven when he brought sweet treats for all to enjoy. Biff was allotted 4 points and if I could, I'd have given him 100 bonus points for the dessert!

Deb McFly, matriarch of the McFlys, wasn't feeling well. Still, her steely determination earned for her 5 points.

Adam, reporter and critic at large for the local press, must have been called away for breaking news. I think the news was Nick is drinking, which isn't news but he could have been breaking something. Adam boxed his chips and left with 6 points.

Chris, local banker, was his usual, quiet self. He took out Deb and earned an extra point to add to the 7 he earned making a total of 8.


With the others taken care of, it was me & McFly. As the hour approached midnight, flashes started to brighten the gathering dark clouds. I was running out of time! I had the Caddy secured to the light pole in the front yard, waiting for lightning to strike once again. McFly had played sporadically, just ask Adam. But when it came to heads up, his focus sharpened and his play became consistant. He could smell victory in the air. But in order to set the universe back on course, I had to win again as I did a year ago. So, pushing hard pre flop, going all in several times and risking it all, I finally turned the tide and reversed his early and long lasting peak. As the clock struck 12, even after earning 2 bonus points for a straight flush, Markus McFly finally ran out of luck. Sober and feeling a great sense of accomplishment, McFly ended his run with 11 points.

I had just enough time to get to the Caddy, initiate the flux capacitor and with only seconds to spare, lightning struck the pole, transferring it's 1200 gigawatts of energy to the flux generator and whoosh, I was back in the future! I barely escaped with 11 points, but now that the time line has been restored, I can rest. Wait, I can't! I have to prepare for another trip to the past, so I can see who wins next week, so I can go BACK TO THE FUTURE!

9. Jake 1
8. Justin 2
7. Nick 3
6. Mark 4
5. Deb 5
4. Adam 6
3. Chris 8 (including 1 bonus point for Deb's bounty)
2. Markus 11 (including 2 bonus points for a straight flush)
1. Jeff 11

This is Dr. Emmett Brown, wishing you all nothing but happy tomorrows as you journey into the future!