It was a curious day, indeed.

It was a curious day indeed. The top of the musty newspaper I was reading said it was May 24th 1922. Oh great, I thought. The war is over. My memory gets the best of me these days. What was it that I was doing again? Oh yes, coffee and reading the paper. The same way I’ve started each meaningless day for the last 45 years. I shuffled in my rocking chair and took a slow, hot, sip of dark energy. The milk tickled my moustache. I licked it clean. Like a dog who found a greasy slice of bacon.

But this wasn’t why my day was curious. No, it was something much stranger than milk on a moustache. As I gulped my familiar slurp of coffee, I heard a sound. Hmm, could that be the milkman? I thought he only came on Mondays. I checked the newspaper again. It couldn’t be, today’s Wednesday.

Again, a murmur, a distant echo. Like wind rustling through trees on a September evening. I sat perfectly still, the soft aroma from my mug the only entity to be moving. “Tttttttt”. Wait, this time it wasn’t a murmur. Like a hungry owl, I looked around side to side, searching for a sign of life. Nobody looked back at me. “Teeeeeeee”. I must be going mad, I thought. It was about time, I suppose. “Tessssssss”. My heart backflipped, my ears tensed, my fingers gripped the mug, my moustache twitched.

In awe, I realized where the sound was coming from. I stared down the barrel of my coffee cup, and within the creamy caffeine swirl, I saw a face. Yes, a nose. A mouth. Two eyes. Wispy strands of hair. A man formed, as clear as day. He smiled a kind of sideways, crooked smile. Like someone that’s up to something. The corners of his lips parted, it seemed he was inhaling, he was about to speak.?

“Tesla”. He said.?

My eyes darted side to side. My head shook like a wet dog after a swim in the Pacific. Is it possible for one’s brain to melt our their ears, gloop down their shoulders, and puddle on the carpet? I was sure that was about to happen.?

“Tesla” he repeated. “Tesla”.?

What is Tesla? I thought. What is this superhuman experience in which I am being afforded? Perhaps it’s another planet, and I’ve been the chosen one to communicate this to earth. I always thought I was special, although everybody else figured I was ordinary. My chest puffed. I sat straighter than I had in decades. This was my moment. My moment of humanity.?

“Who are you?” I said as firmly as possible, although my voice broke on the “who”.?

“My name is Elon. We are not really here together right now, I’m sitting in a scientific laboratory 100 years in the future. You, Earl, are a part of our very first test group. That’s a very special honour indeed”.?

I opened my mouth to speak, and only a breath escaped.?

Elon continued. “Earl, I want you to look deep into this mug of coffee. Deeper than you’ve ever looked before. What do you see?”

I squinted my eyes. Wow, I thought. I suddenly saw myself. Driving what looked like a car of the future. I was in Italy. The wind catching the remaining wisps of my hair as I flew around a corner on the Amalfi Coast.?

What a dream. What an honour. What a moment.?

“Earl, I want you to be one of the very first person to own a Tesla. You deserve it, Earl. Can you imagine overtaking everyone who has let you down? This is the fastest, most technologically advanced car in the world, Earl. And it can be yours”

Tears welled in my eyes. My heart felt like someone had inflated it with helium. I squeaked “please, sir, yes. I’ll do anything”.?

“It’s all yours Earl. Though, on one condition. You’ve got the hands of a strong, working man. Someone who has built and fought their whole life. You’ve seen wars, you’ve seen death. Earl, this Tesla is yours if you use those hands to massage my weary feet for 90 days and 90 nights. It won’t be easy, Earl. But I believe in you”.?

I thought for a split second. This man has come all the way from the future to share with me the most incredible gift I could imagine. I need that car. I’ve never desired something more in my life.?

“Yes, Elon, I’ll do it. When shall I start?”

Elon smiled.?

“You already have, Earl”. I winced, confused. As I looked into my lap, my coffee cup was replaced with Elon Musk’s feet. His toes stretched, my fingers interlacing them.?

It was a curious day indeed. It was the day, the very first Tesla was sold. And I couldn’t be more thrilled.?