‘Mrs McFIy!’
Jennifer woke up. That’s what the police officers had called her Mrs McFly. And they had talked to her about the future. Was that where she was? The future? She remembered getting in the DeLorean with Marty and Doc, the lights and noise, and then that display that said they were in 2015. That's right! She had been all excited about being here with Marty, and had started asking Doc Brown all those questions.
And then what?
She must have fallen asleep. But how could you fall asleep if you had just gone someplace as exciting as the future? And why wasn’t she in the DeLorean anymore? Had something happened to Marty and Doc? It must have - they wouldn’t just leave her all alone -would they? And why had she been with the police?
And where had the police left her?
She stood up and looked around. The policewomen had called her Mrs McFly. Could this be where she lived - in the future?
The first thing she noticed was a large picture window that looked out over the grounds of what must be a very large estate. There were manicured lawns, formal gardens, and row after row of neatly trimmed hedges, all leading back to a charming white gazebo in the distance. The view was all quite lovely, except for one thing. It was daylight out there. Hadn’t it been getting dark a few minutes ago, when the cops brought her in?
Jennifer frowned as she looked at the room around her. Shouldn’t the furniture be nicer if they lived in a mansion? The things she could see, in this room at least, looked pretty shabby. There were stairs going up to the second floor at one end of the living room, right next to the front door. She wondered if she should go upstairs to see if things were any different.
She glanced over at a book case that took up most or the wall next to the stairs. There was A Match Made In Space, the book Marty’s father had written. Jennifer walked over to get a closer look, and saw that it wasn’t a book after all - the label on its side said ‘videobook’, whatever that was. And just beyond that on the shelf were another half-dozen videobooks, all of them with neatly hand-written labels:
FAMILY VACATIONS - 1995-2005
GEORGE & LORRAINE 50TH ANNIVERSARY
THE KIDS: MARTY JUNIOR AND MARLENE. VOL. 1
THE KIDS: MARTY JUNIOR AND MARLENE. VOL. 3
THE KIDS: MARTY JUNIOR AND MARLENE. VOL. 2
Jennifer gasped. This really was her house that the police had brought her to - her house in the future, that is. This wasn’t just any old future, it was her future.
But all thoughts of the videobooks left her when she took a closer look at the framed photo at the end of the shelf. It was a wedding picture - of Jennifer and Marty But she was just wearing everyday clothes and Marty was wearing a t-shirt with a tux front printed on it! What had happened to that big church wedding that she had wanted? They were both standing in front of a big neon sign that read ‘Las Vegas’ own - CHAPEL OF LOVE!’ Chapel of Love? They must have eloped!
'Oh, my God!' Jennifer cried. 'I get married in the ?Chapel of Love?'
She and Marty had eloped? What about their parents? What could have happened to their future?
A girl’s voice called out from upstairs.
’Mom? Is that you?’
Oh, no. There was somebody else here! What could Jennifer do?
‘I’ve gotta get out of here! ’ she whispered. The wedding photo fell from her hands and clattered to the floor. She ran for the front door as she heard footsteps upstairs.
Jennifer stopped and stared at the door in horror. There was no doorknob. There were no marks of any kind, only some weird metal plate on the wall nearby. The front door was nothing but a solid slab of wood. She stepped up to the door and pushed against it. It didn't budge. How could she possibly get it open?
Jennifer jumped as the doorbell rang. There must be somebody on the other side of the front door, somebody right in front of her. Maybe the newcomer knew the secret way to open this thing. What if the front door suddenly disappeared or something? But Jennifer didn’t want to be seen, by anybody! She turned around, looking for some other way out of here. The footsteps upstairs were getting louder. She thought she saw the girl’s shadow on the landing.
‘Mom?’ the girl’s voice called. ‘Mom?’
Where could Jennifer go?
Chapter Seven
Jennifer spotted a louvered door beyond the bookcase, a door with a handle that she could open and close. Maybe it was a way out of here!
She yanked the door open, and was confronted by a dozen hanging coats.
She heard the footsteps start down the stairs overhead.