The Chronivac was indeed a powerful device, but even it had its limits. Normally, it could only transform living beings (excluding plantlife) within 20 in front of the emitter. However, due to the nature of the Chronivac's temporal folding mechanisms, it was able to create bubbles of altered reality, where its effects became much more far reaching.
In this case, the Chronivac had created a separate, temporary existence where Simon and his new family could live out the effects of their changes for what would seem to them to be one week. However, at the end of that week, they would instantly be reverted back to Simon's bedroom, the very second they had left. At least, that was the theory. Time bubbles and reality shifts had always been an experimental science...
Simon's new (temporary) reality reflected, as far as Simon could tell, the original in every way, besides the fact that certain details had skewed to fit in his hirsute kin. Also, there was the fact that the Chronivac seemed to influence all aspects of this reality, not just the living, non plant creatures up to 20 feet in front of its emitter beam (which seemed like such a teeny range for a device capable of generating reality bubbles, but hey, Simon wasn't a physicist...).
It was at this point, that Simon was reflecting on the Chronivac, its capabilities, and his new life. It was 6:00 AM the next morning, and Jay and Bryan were still in their beds. Simon was brewing a pot of coffee in the homely kitchen (as he apparently drank coffee now) as he went through the "memories" of his life in this reality. Some of the details, however, were a little sketchy.
He was 28 years old. He and someone he couldn't remember had conceived Jay, who was now 8. As for who that someone else was, he couldn't remember. He hoped it wasn't Jay's real mom, because that would be creepy. Wouldn't it? It was hard to make sense of things sometimes... He worked with his father, Bryan, who was now 48, at a dad-and-son mechanic's garage called "Bry and Sy Autobody". They all lived together in a lower-middle class home right outside of town.
"Mornin', son." A low, grumbling voice drew Simon out of his thoughts. He saw Bryan, dressed in an undershirt and boxers, walk into the kitchen, take the coffee pot, and pour himself a mug. "How'd you sleep?"
"Oh," said Simon, pouring himself a mug, "Not too well, actually."
Bryan smirked. "Me neither." He patted his ample stomach, then playfully backhanded Simon's which was less so. "Pretty neat, huh?"
Simon smirked back. "Yeah, I guess. Just keep in mind, it's only temporary."
Bryan chuckled and tousled Simon's thinning hair. "Yeah, I know." He then downed the rest of his coffee in a single gulp. "I'd better get dressed. Don't wanna be late at my own mechanics shop." With that, he turned, grabbed a doughnut from a nearby box, and stuffed it into his mouth has he left the room.
Simon looked down at his stomach, briefly contemplated losing some weight, and decided against it as the image of himself as being skinny didn't really appeal to him anymore. He remembered he often did this...
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"C'mon, Jay!" Simon called down the hall. "You're going to be late for school!"
Simon finished the peanut butter and jelly sandwich and tossed it into a paper bag, on top of the pair of apples and cylinder of chips already inside. The routine was both familiar, and novel to him at once. As were most things at this point. He hoped he'd grow used to it, but a part of him replied he'd already had. It was 7:30 AM. Bryan had left an hour earlier to go to the mechanics shop.
Jay stepped in, rubbing his bleary eyes, his shirt only half buttoned, and one of his socks flopping about, only half-pulled on. Simon instinctively knelt down and fixed the buttons on Jay's shirt.
"You don't want to be late for your kinda-first day of first grade," he said.
Jay grumbled something unintelligible before yawning.
"What was that?" Simon asked, slapping butter on a piece of toast, then handing it to Jay.
"I said," answered Jay, groggily, "that I had this really weird dream last night."
"Oh?"
"Yeah. I dreamed that me and you and grandpa were all teenagers and having a sleepover and stuff. It's kinda fuzzy."
Simon froze. A cold feeling washed through him.
"Jay," he said, cautiously. "Um... are you sure that was a dream?"
Jay stopped rubbing his eyes for a moment to look at Simon quizzically.
HONK! HONK!
"That's the bus!" Simon grabbed Jay's backpack and sack lunch and almost threw them into his arms before ushering him out the door.
"Be good," he said, "and have a great time at school!" The words were familiar to him. He said them every weekday as Jay got on the bus. Didn't he?
"I will, Dad!" Jay called back as the school bus doors closed behind him.
Jay couldn't help but feel the cold nervousness that was in him. Maybe this immersion was too good. Should he pull the plug? Though, if he did, Bryan and Jay might get upset...
Simon glanced at the clock. He was going to be late if he didn't hurry. He rushed to his room to grab his watch, wallet, and other essentials. As he did so, he noticed the Chronivac still hooked up to his computer in the corner.
Maybe, he thought, it wouldn't hurt to make just a few adjustments. He also noticed the portable emitter, already pre-programmed with ten basic transformations. Maybe just a little experimentation before he left for the shop...