In January, the time-travelers began appearing in droves. They wore the garb of many different centuries. Most wandered aimlessly, gawking at the sights or fiddling with their various recording devices.

When I overheard a couple of time-travelers speaking English, I cornered them and forced them to explain.

“You didn’t know?” the woman asked. “Every year before this one is off-limits without expensive permits and training. Interference with the past would destroy human history, otherwise.”

The man continued: “But 2008 is open to everybody. After all, there won’t be any human history much longer.”