THE MACHINE

With a satisfying click, the last piece of the machine slipped smoothly into place, and John stood back with some level of satisfaction as he surveyed his work. It was hard to believe that he'd finally got to this point, to finally seeing his creation in reality and he felt a wave of peace and joy wash over him.

Since the idea came to him almost two years ago, he’d been unable to shake it from his head. At the start he’d thought he had gone mad, but the more he studied, the more he researched the idea, the process and the underlying principles the more he’d realised the pure genius and simplicity of the design.

The odd person he’d contacted about his idea had scoffed at him, laughing at the absurdity that some normal person could crack the puzzle. That an uneducated individual without the experience and knowledge only gained through decades of research could dream something so, well, so basic that could resolve the problems of the world in one go.

At first he’d been upset at the rejections, but as time passed and the idea continued to work in his dreams, he realised that divine intervention must had been behind it, and who was he to stop the idea of God, how was anyone able to question the idea’s of the almighty?

It hadn’t been easy, but neither, he reasoned, had building the Arc, but Noah hadn’t quit so John hadn’t either, when his wife left him, he failed to notice for three days, and he only noticed then because the washing basket was full and there was no more space in the sink.

The fact she’d left release him from the normal relationship wastes of time, allowing him to focus 100% on the project and although he felt weak from lack of food, and smelt slightly wiffy now, he was, all the same a satisfied man, the image from his dreams stood before him on the living room floor. People would remember him for this for centuries, years from now, children would walk passed his house and point with awe at his windows.

With one final walk round the machine, he reached forward and grabbed the handle and pulled...