June had been coming through the kitchen door with another table’s order. Suddenly the door stopped swinging open. I looked at it and muttered, “Holy shit!”
Kelly turned to look at the door and immediately saw what I saw. “It worked!” she gasped. She stood up and walked over to the door. I followed her. The look on June’s face was frozen into place. Her eyes were looking straight at the table she was about to serve.
“Look at this,” I said, motioning Kelly over to what I observed. The door was not touching June in any way, and there was nothing else holding it open. Kelly ran her hand through the space separating the waitress and the door. “It really worked,” I emphasized.
“Come on, let’s go check outside,” Kelly said, grabbing my hand. She practically yanked me out the diner door. “Everything’s stopped!” Sure enough, it was.
Cars that were in mid-turn or mid-brake were stuck in place. People on the sidewalk talking to each other had their conversations frozen into place. Not one plant or animal was moving. There was no wind, and even the sun seemed to have its rays stuck where they were. “This is incredible,” I said.
“Yea,” was all Kelly could say. “Come on, let’s finish our lunch.”
We went back inside the diner, ready to finish what remained on our plates. Kelly was about to pick up her sandwich when I said, “Wait! We’d better unfreeze time first.”
She asked, “Why?”
“Just to be safe,” I assured her. “I mean, what if someone saw our plates half full, and then, to them, a second later they were empty? They might ask questions somehow.”
“Yea, you’re right,” she replied. “Better safe than someone spoils our fun. Clever guy, you.” I smiled at her compliment. “OK, let time resume.”
I made sure that she remained perfectly still while I made the wish. I wished for time to start again, and everyone in the diner picked up exactly where they had been stopped. June carried her plates right over to the table where she was headed. Kelly and I quickly spun around in our stools and looked outside. Cars were moving, people walking, and birds flying. All was well.
“Is that enough testing?” I asked.
“I think so,” she said.