I wrote this short story as an assignment in my Grade 10 English class... it's not the greatest, but I really wanted to do something with time travel (see:Steins;Gate, Doctor Who, Suzumiya Haruhi).
"Crossroads in Time" - Photo Manipulation
"Time Loop" - Photo Manipulation
We had to make some media pieces to present our short story, I chose the one on top and had it printed 22" x 17". Just figured I'd stick them here as well.
Now, onto the actual thing.
"Waking Dreams"
It’s February 29. 6:50 AM in the morning. The world had
frozen over, and it was so cold it felt like it could shatter at the slightest
touch. I groaned and turned around in my blankets. My alarm had gone off, but
in my half-awake stupor I couldn't even make out the song I had so meticulously
prepared the night before. After a brief and intense struggle with my alarm, I
collapsed back onto my bed. I drifted once again to sleep.
I sat groggily at
my dining table. My brief venture back into a pleasant nap had only lasted a
mere four minutes before my most reliable alarm burst through the door and
yelled at me to get out of bed. I sighed as I looked out the window. Yet,
without my mom, I probably would be sleeping well until noon.
So, after brushing
my teeth and getting dressed, I set off on my long daily commute. I live a fair
distance away from my school, so I’ve grown accustomed to sleeping on my buses
to pass the time. I woke up as the bus was pulling into my stop. Over the past
few years I’d been taking the public transit in my city, I seem to have gained
the supernatural power to wake up and never miss my stops.
As I stood up to
leave the bus, something strange caught my eye. An old fashioned pocket watch
lay on an empty seat. I glanced at the doors. There were still people waiting
to walk out. I guess I still had some time. I walked over and picked up the
watch, its glass face cracked and crushed inwards. It read 2:29. I glanced up
as I heard the hydraulic hiss of the doors closing. Darn it. Leaving the ornate
watch where it lay, I quickly rushed off.
As I got off the
bus, I took some time to look around me. It looked like winter. Now, usually,
at this time of the year, this observation wouldn’t have been odd at all. But
this year, we’ve had a very mild winter, and simply seeing snow on the ground
made me nostalgic for the years before. Yet, this sudden Arctic cold front was
the reason for my misera-
“Hey,” a voice
called out from behind me.
I turned around
and saw an old friend I’ve known for about 5 years. Although, because of the
Gifted program, nearly all my friends are “old friends”.
“Hey,” I replied,
“How’s it going?”
The moment I asked
this question I had a feeling that somewhere at the back of my head, I’d
forgotten something. And that something was…
“How’s your
English coming along?”
Crap. I’ve
completely forgotten about the short story drafts we were supposed to have done
for today. All I needed was some ideas… no. I need to decide on one idea; I had
too many floating around already.
“Heh….” I
responded, “I haven’t really started yet.”
“Dude, you’re
going to be so screwed,” my friend nonchalantly replied, “You’ll never finish
in time.”
I had other plans.
Perhaps if I found some time in my Math class… or my Tech, or even my lunch! As
long as it was before my English class, it was all fair game. But this problem
had me preoccupied for the rest of my ride to school...
“Really?” my
English teacher exclaimed. “I gave you more than enough time to work on this.”
“I know…” I said
dejectedly. My school day had flown by and now I was already sitting in the
English classroom.
“These stories are
due next week. If you don’t have anything to show me, it’s simply your own loss
for not getting it looked over.”
I sighed. She was
right. I always try and do my work well and on time. I knew if I didn’t, my
teachers would simply be disappointed in me, and I didn’t want that. But my
mind was still blank on what to write about.
“I’ll get it to
you by tonight. I promise.”
And with that, I
sat through the rest of the class while other people were being called up to
get their drafts checked. I still didn’t have an idea for my story, and besides
the story, I had a video to edit for a contest, not to mention my tablet which
had frozen up on me in Tech class. So many things, and so little time…
In my last period
art class, I tried to practice my lackluster painting skills in hope I wouldn’t
mess up on my actual painting canvas. I wasn’t entirely into it though, and my
mind kept drifting to think for a perfect idea. I knew I wanted something
meaningful, something that would make people think. If I didn’t have something
before I headed home, I doubted I’d ever be able to finish on time.
“Argghh…” I
groaned while spinning around in my office chair. “I don’t have anything for my
story! No ideas, nothing…”
Now, it might seem
like I was talking to the air, or even a wall, but I guess my brother is
basically those two things anyway.
“Look, I’ve given
you a ton of ideas.”
“Really?” I said,
as I lowered my eyes on my brother.
“Yeah, probably
around twenty som-”
“That’s just
exaggerating.”
“Okay fine, like
four.”
“One of them was
about travelling back in time to punch myself in the face so as to prevent the
universe from collapsing.” For someone two years my senior, he sure came up
with ridiculous ideas.
“That’s a great
idea!”
I shook my head.
It was no use. My friends had come over to record some voiceover narration for
our video. It dragged on longer than I expected, and now the clocks were
already ticking away to midnight. My eyelids were drooping. Any longer, and I
don’t think my thoughts would stay coherent. Being sleep deprived for the
better part of the week has left me understandably exhausted.
“I’ll wake up
early tomorrow and finish it then,” I told my brother.
“Good night!” he
replied cheerfully.
“Goodnight,” I
mumbled. I trudged towards my bedroom and once again set my alarm clock. I
chose a different song for the sake of variety to play when I woke up, and I
crawled onto my bed. Holding the blankets tightly around me, I drifted off to
my undeserved rest.
***
The world had
frozen over, and it was so cold it felt like it could shatter at the slightest
touch. I groaned and turned under the covers. My alarm had gone off, but in my
half asleep stupor I couldn’t even make out the song I had so carefully chosen
the night before. After a brief and intense struggle with my alarm, I collapsed
back onto my bed and drifted off once again to sleep.
I climbed groggily
out of my bed and glanced at my now silent alarm clock. February 29. Leap
years, huh? It’s a special day, but I sure don’t feel any different. I shuffled
to my dining table and popped two waffles into my toaster as my mom prepared
lunch for my brother and I.
After getting
ready to leave, I quickly called good bye to my mom and my brother. I shivered
as I waited for the bus. I felt like the weather man was out to get me. Above
average temperatures? Yeah right. I buried my face deeper into my scarf as my
breath turned into a cloud before me.
I slept on the bus
like I had for most of the last year. Sleeping on the public transit has become
routine for me, along with my near supernatural ability to wake up before I
missed my stop. Today, I woke up as the doors on the bus were already open at
my stop. I quickly excused myself from where I was sitting and rushed through
the exit.
As I marveled at
the winter scenery around me, a voice called out.
“Hey.”
At that moment I
had the strangest feeling. It was almost as if I knew what was about to happen…
premonition? No, it was more like I remembered what was about to happen. I
believe this is what you’d call déjà vu. I quickly dismissed this. It was
probably nothing.
I turned around
and saw a friend I’ve known for 5 years. Though because of the Gifted program,
I’ve known most of my friends for several years.
“Hey,” I replied,
“how’s your short story coming along?”
“Pretty good. You
want to look it over?”
“Sure thing.” I
saw the bus just one traffic light away. “Maybe once we get on the bus.”
I shouldn’t even
be talking. I hadn’t finished my short story draft myself. I told myself all I
needed was an idea, that’s all. Once I get that perfect idea, it’ll all be
alright…
“You’re joking.”
I looked up into
my English teacher’s disappointed eyes then quickly looked away.
“You had more than
enough time to work on this. It’ll just be your loss and no one else’s if you
don’t complete your work on time.”
I sighed. This day
wasn’t turning out well for me. I had a video to hand in for a contest, my
tablet had broken down in my Tech class, not to mention all those art
assignments I have due… but there was no one to blame but myself. Not to
mention the feeling that this had happened before, and that this was
unavoidable…
My eyes drifted to
where an hourglass stood on my teacher’s desk. It’s the kind you’d find with
those board games people bring to parties; where you have to do a whole bunch
of timed activities… ah, that doesn’t really matter. What caught my attention
is that the sand was no longer running. There was some sand in both the top and
bottom half, but it wasn’t falling. Almost as if time itself was frozen…
I snapped back to
reality, where my teacher stood before me. I opened my mouth-
“I’ll have it for
you by tonight. I promise.”
I’m already
regretting ever saying that.
I stare hard at
the lines of the lined paper in front of me. Ideas, ideas… I needed to think of one before the end of
this class. Maybe even write down a few paragraphs. I just knew… if I didn’t
finish it now, I would never finish it. Not ever! This sensation... this déjà
vu again, it’s stronger than ever before. Why do I feel this? What is it trying
to tell me? I could feel it in the front of my head, what I needed to do! I
felt frantic. I had to do this. This was my only chance. I finally lifted my
pencil to write the first line…
By the end of my
English class, I didn’t turn anything in. There wasn’t a single sentence on my
paper. The sensation I had felt so strongly had passed. How could I have wasted
an entire day? I leaned back and gave my office chair a spin. My friends had
come over to record some narration for our video, and that went on longer than
I’d expected. I glanced at my computer screen. It was almost midnight.
I turned to my
brother and asked him for ideas, but I knew it was futile. I don’t know why,
but I had the feeling that no matter what I said, I already knew what was going
to happen. This déjà vu. After a short exchange, I slowly got out of my chair
and bid my brother goodnight.
“Good night!” he
responded cheerfully. How could he be so cheerful at a time like this?
Shouldn’t he be worried about his Grade 12 Chemistry homework? The world just
doesn’t make any sense to me sometimes.
I dragged myself
over to my bed and set my alarm clock once more. Maybe I should just go with a
default ringing tone. Maybe that’ll wake me up, besides, variety is always
nice. As I drifted off to sleep, I couldn’t help but thinking, that today was
February 29. An extra day, every four years, and yet I’ve wasted it anyways. I
guess I’ll leave my homework for when I wake up tomorrow morning.
***
It’s February 29.
6:50 AM in the morning. The world had frozen over, and it was so cold it felt
like it could shatter at the slightest touch.
