“Okay, I’m sorry. Now could you please just tell me what you know so I can get out of here?”

“Imagine this table cloth represents space-time. The threads running though its length represent the normal passage of time – each thread, theoretically, can be traced from the beginning of time to its end. The other threads, the ones passing across time, represent people and events. Imagine what would happen if you snagged one of the those threads and pulled hard enough to make a loop which you then pin to another point in time.”

“Okay, go on.”

“Now put that out of your mind – it will merely confuse you.”

I stood, ready to storm out of there. “If you’re not going to help me, stop wasting my time!”

“Relax, sit down. I certainly will help you. And, in return, you will do something for me.”