Is it possible to travel back to the past? We think not. However, imagine a theme park where augmented reality allows us to recreate places and moments from the past with absolute precision, immerse ourselves in them, and relive history.

This is the scenario I explore in Historias Columbia¹, one of three stories selected by the Spanish SF gathering TerBi for its 10th Thematic Short Story Competition on “Time Travel,” in a distant 2020 — difficult to forget.

The story has been translated into English by Kimberley Silverthorne.

And what about traveling to the future? What would be the minimum amount of time we’d need to foresee in order to avoid an impulsive reaction or a clumsy accident?

This is the scenario I explore with the Fast Foresight Neuralink in Six Seconds², one of the science fiction stories in Extrapolation 2029, published in 2017.

The story has been translated into English by Siobhan McNeice.

Both translations were, in principle, a bit of a challenge. In Columbia Tales, there are plenty of Maya terms; in Six Seconds, plenty of Spanish slang — particularly about soccer. Neither Kim nor Siobhan are artificial intelligences. They are both very human intelligences, or so I believe, since our relationship has been entirely online 😉

Both translations have been a truly enriching experience. Thank you so much Kim and Siobhan!

Now the next step of this adventure into the unknown is about to begin — neither to the past nor to the future, but to the readers. Traveling into another mind — a human mind — is always a difficult journey.

For the time being, with a transit map in my hands, looking for a bus, a train, a spaceship or an uber for this new journey.

I like to think of my science fiction stories, now dressed in English, as that pretty little girl standing on the corner… Waiting for the lonely driver who will notice her / them.

Any recommendations are welcome (and will be greatly appreciated!).

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(1) You can read Historias Columbia (Spanish original) in Adyacente Posible.

(2) Yo can read Seis Segundos (Spanish original) in Adyacente Posible.

Featured Image. Inspired by (and tribute to) Bobby Sherman —Greatest Hits, 1971— who btw left us this past June 24. Ad astra!