[From the wire services] Reuters (March 2, 2005) — The postal services of two nations have recently collaborated in the creation of a time machine, unveiled on Tuesday of this week when a representative of Canada Post delivered a letter to the residents of a Deep Cove household. The letter had been written by J, a resident of the household, and mailed in September of 2004 to M, her partner, who was at that time travelling in Spain. Markings on the envelope provided positive proof that the letter — addressed to M in care of “Lista Correos, Jardines de San Francisco, 24080 Leon, Spain” — had arrived in Leon, Spain, shortly after M himself had left the city, and had aged there until the 9th of December when it had been returned to sender via the most indirect route available, transported by a variety of antique conveyances.

Both residents of the houshold professed themselves to be “shocked” by the length of time the letter had taken to reach the intended recipient, vowing “never to try that again…”

They did, however, admit delight at one unexpected benefit of this new “Time Travel” grade of delivery service: J recounting how, in reading the letter aloud in bed to M the previous night, she had played the part of the J of last summer, while M (playing the part of his 6-months younger self) had been, for a time, transported back through time and space to sunny Spain.