My Jaunt

In 1981, Stephen King's short story, The Jaunt, was published. It was classed as horror I understand, although it was set about 300 years in the future and was about teleportation. Personally, I think it was mainly a sci-fi story.  

The plot of the story was that teleportation had been invented and had become so  completely commonplace that it had revolutionised the world. And it was safe, safe that is, as long as you were asleep when you were teleported. If you were awake, well, things were very different for you then.  The passage of time did not appear the same from the standpoint of those observing the teleportation, versus those experiencing the teleportation, while awake. 

I've included a link to the story here:

https://gist.github.com/Schemetrical/6184daf83843bcab9402

I was thinking about this story today as I was considering riding into Auckland to pick up some Portuguese bread from a place on K' Road. 

• Auckland is a long, ways off. 
• However, the buses that would take me there and back, are free. 
• Therefore, only my time spent travelling to the bakery should be considered as part of the cost of obtaining the bread. Consider this; 
• Allie is engrossed in writing, Jeanne is deep in a book, and both boys are sick and are spending their afternoon alternately snoozing and playing computer games. 
• No one is actually aware of what I am doing. I could stay quiet and unseen in my room at my computer, or I could leave the house and return with the bread without being missed in the least. Since that is the case, shouldn't I then consider that my time (from their viewpoint) is also free?
• To my family, nothing at all would exist on the cutting board until the moment bread would appear, much as if it had been teleported.
•  I alone would have entered the device that would transport me to the center of the city, so far away. I alone would have experienced the trip to that distant bakery. I alone would have been conscious of the passage of time.
• Could I do it? Should I do it. Did I do It?

The boy in the story who experienced teleportation to Mars while awake was not able to share much about his experience. Oh, he commented briefly on it to his dad after they arrived, and then demonstrated in other ways just how he felt. (I think that might have been the horror part of the story.)

I, on the other hand, am able to show you some of what I experienced during my jaunt. Keeping watching...I didn't think the trip was long at all. In fact, I was back in no time...

 Since I didn't know how long I'd be travelling, I took a moment before I left to appreciate these colors.

This is the device I was placed in to be transported. It should happen any moment now...

As I waited for the device to activate, I looked out at Sturges Road....

 Wow, this guy is really flying....

 Here he comes...

Ahhhh, it's happening. We are travelling .... I don't know how fast.....

 I am aware...the device is swaying...

 I am aware .. changes are occurring in the orientation of the device...We're going much faster....colors are changing...

 We have arrived at K' Road.

 Yes, undoubtedly K' Road.

It's almost a different world here..But it doesn't feel as though I have spent any time at all....

Oooomphfff. 

...and there he goes. 

Boy, that was fast. Here I am back again and with my bread.  

I've got to write to King. His ideas about time and teleportation are screwy...              -djf