The Poof Point

Norton and Marigold, two forty-year-old scientists, invent a time machine in their laboratory. They are excited to test it and wonder about witnessing different eras. The prototype hums with energy as they prepare the launch.

They plan to beam two goldfish into the 1860s to prove the device works. The test is casual but charged with risk, and the lab crowd watches with anticipation. The goal is simple, but the underlying physics remain unproven at this scale.

Their dog Einstein darts around the setup and knocks a crucial component loose. The vector modulator falls out, triggering a misfire instead of a clean past-directed beam. The goldfish are the immediate victims of the malfunction.

As the device misfires, the two goldfish are de-aged to the moment just before they were born. The lab team remains oblivious to the extent of the failure. Norton and Marigold depart for their children's graduation, unaware of the blunder they have caused.

Norton and Marigold attend the graduation of their children, Eddie and Marie, and their social awkwardness embarrasses the kids. Eddie and Marie feel disconnected as their parents fumble through small talk. The parents are oblivious to the dangerous consequences of the failed experiment as they mingle with friends.

The scientists decide to attempt the goldfish experiment again, hoping to salvage their progress. They prepare the machine for a second run, despite lingering questions about risk and timing. Eddie and Marie remain oblivious to the true stakes as they go about their day.

During the reenactment, the particle beam is accidentally redirected toward the couple. The machine's settings go off, and the parents are affected rather than the intended test animals. Eddie and Marie notice a strange change in their parents’ appearance and behavior.

Norton and Marigold snap to 21 and mistake the present for the 1980s, believing they are in the era when they designed the machine. They act with teenage confidence, reintroducing themselves to Eddie and Marie as if through a time warp. The kids watch in disbelief as their parents behave like youths.

The regression deepens and Norton and Marigold slip back to 14-year-olds with little knowledge of the machine. They debate their social lives with their own children, reliving teenage uncertainties. The duo wanders away from home, drawn by curiosity rather than sense.

In a diner, Marigold tells Chloe about the Urban Slugs playing at Eddie's house. Chloe interprets this as a party and starts inviting kids from around town. The growing crowd threatens to derail Eddie's audition and the mission to fix the machine.

Eddie and Marie locate the missing vector modulator and realize the source of the problem lies with the device. They try to coax Norton and Marigold back toward their normal ages while racing against time. The party rages on, but the stakes are clear: find the component and reactivate the machine.

The parents mutate into 2-year-olds, causing messes and making it impossible for them to participate in the fix. They run off and resist any attempt to guide them toward the machine. Eddie and Marie scramble to maintain order while the clock ticks toward disaster.

The children finally locate the missing vector modulator and load it into the time machine. They trigger the device at the last moment, just before the Poof Point would erase the parents forever. The machine whirs to life and stabilizes, saving Norton and Marigold.

The machine reverses the effects and the parents snap back to their proper ages, memories partially restored. Seeing their parents' teenage adventures helps Norton and Marigold bond with Eddie and Marie. The family reconciles and moves forward with a new appreciation for their shared experiences.