107776 - The Time Traveler

[Anableps]

Some notes on this story.

I assumed that the Time Traveler (TT) would be from around London, based on the H.G. Wells book. I am assuming that the Time Traveler wants to blend in to his surroundings, which are in some generic English-speaking city, probably in the United States. A possible cover story might be that he is an engineer or trader for a British firm, doing work in the Caribbean or South America. The port of New Orleans would be a plausible place of arrival. The detail about the coffee was taken from some O. Henry short stories, which were written in the early years of the twentieth century. New Orleans was the main point of embarkation for coffee to the U.S. at this time, and several of his characters comment on the excellence of the coffee served in New Orleans.

I have no idea what is on that sheet of paper that the teller opened. The next author can either make up a solution, or just let it stay a mystery for a while. Note that the teller knows where Josh and the TT are likely to stay, and that Mr. Burbank is likely to be interested in the paper. So someone may join Josh and the TT for dinner that evening (which is why I wrote option one.)

Hopefully the alternatives in the story allow for some development of the story.

[JH]

Thanks for the background. Before I saw your post here I'd already been sufficiently inspired by your 107776 to start work on the next episode, and had indeed assumed that whatever was in the note would lead to Mr. Burbank having dinner with our two protagonists.