Grass Valley, CA —  A shocking turn of events has recently come to light, as an old archived photograph discovered in the Royce Branch Public Library in Grass Valley, California, reveals the presence of a time traveler caught using his smartphone to Google “how to buy railroad stocks” on July 4th, 1890. The photograph, long locked away by city elders who feared public knowledge of the peculiar individual, shows Seth Dendy, a man allegedly from 2023, standing on Mill Street and seemingly out of place with his anachronistic gadget.

Parade Pandemonium

On that fateful day, the town was celebrating its annual 4th of July parade, with festively dressed citizens lining the streets to enjoy the festivities. Dendy’s odd appearance and bizarre behavior caught the crowd’s attention amid the lively atmosphere. According to eyewitness accounts from the time, one bystander exclaimed, “I say, that gent doth possess some peculiar contraption! ‘Tis surely not of this era.” Another onlooker reportedly declared, “Why, that fellow’s attire is positively unchristian! He must be up to some manner of devilry!”

As the murmurs and suspicions grew, the local sheriff was alerted and quickly apprehended the bewildered time traveler. During his interrogation at the Grass Valley police station, a journalist from The Union, the local newspaper, happened to be present and managed to record the entire conversation secretly. Sensing the magnitude of the unfolding story, the journalist was nevertheless sworn to secrecy by the city leaders, who were deeply concerned about the potential consequences of Dendy’s revelations.

Dendy spun a wild tale of time travel, claiming to have journeyed back in time using a secret machine created by Litton Industries in the 1960s. According to Dendy, Charles Litton, the inventor of the microwave oven, was inspired to create the time machine, dubbed “Time Wave,” after witnessing the teleportation of an apple near high-powered RADAR installations during World War II.

The Proof is in the Piety Hill Pudding

The skeptical city leaders were eventually convinced of Dendy’s story when he showed them his hidden time machine in the Piety Hill neighborhood just south of downtown Nevada City. Fearful of the implications, they disabled the device, stranding the hapless time traveler in the past and initiating a bizarre time paradox.

The question remains: Why did the city leaders of Grass Valley feel compelled to keep this incredible story a secret from the public? Speculation is rife, but several possibilities have been proposed. Some believe they feared the potential chaos and panic that could ensue if word got out that a man from the future was walking among them. Others suggest they wanted to protect the town from greedy opportunists who might exploit Dendy’s knowledge of future events for personal gain.

Another theory posits that the city leaders were deeply concerned about the moral implications of time travel and the potential violation of divine law. They may have worried that the spread of such a story could lead to widespread spiritual doubt and crisis and therefore decided to keep the matter under wraps to preserve the town’s Christian values.

The Chicken, the Egg, and the Time Machine

The plot thickens as whispers suggest that Charles Litton may have discovered the disabled time machine some 70 years later, which raises the question: Did Dendy’s misadventures in 1890 inspire the very invention of the time machine that brought him there? This perplexing chicken-and-egg conundrum has historians, scientists, and conspiracy theorists alike scrambling for answers.

In the meantime, the town of Grass Valley is preparing to capitalize on this newfound fame, with plans for a “Time Traveler’s Festival” in the works. Visitors will be encouraged to dress in their finest futuristic attire and partake in historical reenactments, including a mock arrest of the infamous stock swindler Seth Dendy.

As the story of the time traveler from 2023 continues to captivate and intrigue, the people of Grass Valley are left to wonder what other secrets may still be hidden away in their town’s archives. The tale of Seth Dendy has undoubtedly left a lasting impact on the community as they prepare to celebrate their unique connection to the mysteries of time travel.

With the “Time Traveler’s Festival” set to become an annual event, the town of Grass Valley is poised to become a hub for enthusiasts of the unexplained and those simply curious about the fascinating story that unfolded on their streets over a century ago. As they look to the future with a renewed sense of wonder, the residents of Grass Valley can only speculate about the incredible story that was hidden for more than a century and the profound impact it might have had on their lives if it had been revealed sooner.