Coiler Prevention

By the way, I should mention my name isn't really Lockspring Twellet. But you can't know my real name and Lockspring Twellet is inscribed upon the Coiler so it seemed a good name to give. I wonder if Lockspring Twellet was its creator, it is signed just like a piece of art.
Anyway, it wasn't long after I stepped off the bridge that I noticed someone tailing me, and pretty good too. I rounded a corner and stepped into a doorway and waited. Soon this guy came sneaking around the corner and I jumped on him and took him down. As soon as we hit the ground I saw his face and let out a few words of which I am not proud. It was me.
"Hello," said the man I was holding down. "I'm from your past."
"What?" I said, letting him up. "I don't remember this. You must be from after me."
"Oh no," he said, a look of worry spread across his face. "How could you forget? How will I forget?"
"What are you talking about," I demanded. "You are obviously from the future."
"No, I am from your past. One year to be exact. What diabolical fiend would wipe my memory of this trip and why."
"Shut up," I said, grabbing him by the shirt and pointing to his head. "Look, gray hairs. Do you see any gray hairs on my head?"
"A few."
"It means you're from my future."
"Ah...well...okay fine. I'm from five years after you."
"Why are you here?"
"Well...uh...to tell you not to give any money to that man coming toward us."
"I am ashamed at the thought that someday I will lie as bad as that," I said, tightening my grip. "I should knock you back to whatever time you came from."
"Hold up," said a voice. I turned and the man who was coming down the street had addressed us. I looked at him and then at the guy I was threatening and they were the same, only this new guy had a few more grays on his head.
"Spectacular," I said, sarcasm rolling my eyes for me. "What do you want, why can't you geezers leave me alone."
"We need your Coiler," said the oldest.
"No way," I cried. "I just got finished lending it out and it is way too confusing. Don't you have your own?"
"Oh yes," said the middle me, and they both produced theirs.
"Then why do you need mine."
"Well, its kind of complicated. We can't explain."
"Then I'll see you later," I started to walk away when the first one grabbed and tried to stop me. I turned and let him have it in the gut. Maybe it was stupid because someday I'll get that same punch in the gut, but at least I'll know I deserve it.
Anyway he went down but next thing I knew I woke up laying on my face. That old one had given it to me from behind, the rat. I sat up and in front of me sat the Coiler. There was a note on it that said, "Thanks, all done."
My head ached so I walked back out onto the bridge and breathed deep. Suddenly I realized I could change time. Those guys were from my future so I knew I had had the Coiler then, but there I sat on the bridge with full capability of chucking it in. But I had it in the future so I knew I wasn't going to throw it. That thought alone made me pull my arm back. It hung there just a moment's hesitation and then I let it fly. Down it sailed and as it fell I second guessed myself. I had just thrown away the most powerful thing in the world just to prove I could.
Far below me there was a splash and the regret was replaced by a sense of power. I had changed events that already were and already will be if that makes sense. For a few days I went about with this sense of prestige when all at once it hit me that I was a complete fool and had done the most incredibly stupid thing ever. Oh well, it was too late. Maybe I could start living like a normal human being again.
Just then there was a knock on my door and when I opened there stood the two old geezers who had mugged me and taken my Coiler. "What do you want?" I said, as nasty as I could. I didn't realize at first what them being there meant.
"Just wanted to return this," said the oldest and handed me a Coiler.
I stood dumbfounded as a donkey. "But I thought you already returned it."
"Nope," said the other. "That was just a fake one we made for you to throw in the river. You see, being older and therefore much more experienced than you we knew what was..."
"Can it," I interrupted. "You mean the whole point of your trip here was to steal the Coiler to keep me from chucking it in the river?"
"Yep."
"But if I was going to throw it in how would you have it to come back and keep me from doing it?"
The oldest one spoke, "You see, you naturally think that because you're first you are more important. But we are equal and we can affect you nearly as much as you affect us."
"But I come first in time," I argued. "My actions obviously dictate your habitat."
"Actually no. Time is just the way we perceive reality. If we experienced it all at once our minds would probably explode, or implode, or collapse, I'm not sure which. We simply inhabit individual moments of reality in a steady stream and we call it time, see?"
"Wonderfully, beautifully, delightfully, clear. Now will you go away if I promise not to throw it in anymore bodies of water."
"Aren't you going to invite us in?" asked the middle one. I slammed the door in their faces.