August 5th 2033, 12:02pm:
My lab is covered in scattered papers and the floor is covered in glass from a shattered beaker. The heavy stench of sulfur hangs in the air, but I am not concerned. I have done it, I have created the impossible. A watch that allows the user to travel to any date and time in history. An absurd concept, I am aware. Reading my own words here in my lab journal, it still does not seem real. My colleagues have mocked my ambitions mercilessly for years. I have lost friends and loved ones, all in my single minded pursuit of this very day, but it has all been worth it. In three days’ time I will conduct the final solo test of the device - the Time Watch - before presenting it to my colleagues. I am a God among men. August 8th 2033, 7:33am: My contact in Combat Development Sector 2F assures me that he has provided the best and most efficient equipment available. He built me a field pack with rations and other supplies, but I do not know what many of the items are for (I am sure I will not need most of it). I asked him to include a manual, but I doubt he had time to do so. I have dressed in the provided gear; a black long sleeved shirt, brown combat jacket, field mesh (just a vest with pockets, if you ask me), brown combat pants, and black combat boots. From what I have seen of the kit so far, I am confident that I can survive if the experiment is unsuccessful. Same Day, 7:55am: In five minutes I will depart. I have set the watch for August 17th 1969, Bethel New York, during the event known as ‘Woodstock’. I have done immense research regarding this time period, and I feel certain this will be a safe spawn point for the test. Most of the town will be gathered in one location; hence, I will be able to observe a great deal while remaining unnoticed. I am optimistic about the result of the test, and I believe I will be able to get in and out in a matter of minutes. As referenced on page 134 of this journal, I was able to complete a round trip once before. If today’s test goes just as smoothly as the last, I will arrive back here at exactly 8:00am on this day after having traveled back in time. Bon voyage. Unknown Date and Time, Day 1: There is nothing but dark green ferns, foliage, and trees with trunks as thick as my whole torso. They tower two or three hundred metres above, and seem to lean over my head as they ridicule me. The whole world here smells like moss and rich soil – it is an earthy, dark brown smell that permeates every single thing. I believe I now reek of dirt, and I have only been here a couple of hours. I have been able to track the passing of time, but I do not know what day or year I arrived in. Nothing here is as I expected, and I have not seen another human, or any sign of civilization, since spawning. Hour 5, Daylight, Day 1: I cannot catch my breath. My whole arm shakes as I write this. My trembling body is drenched in sweat, and I can smell my own odor. If there are predators nearby, they will soon smell my fear. I have lost the Time Watch. Thankfully, I have been able to create a deep trail of footprints in the loose black soil, which leads to my spawn location. I will retrace my steps in search of the Watch. It is my desperate hope that I will be able to find it before sundown. Hour 21 (approx.), Early Morning, Day 2: I am already beginning to lose track of time. The celestial bodies in this time period are excruciatingly different from those in my own. It is impossible for me to tell my latitude and longitude. If my suspicions are correct, I have gone much farther back in time than I intended. I still have not found the Watch. Hour 27-ish, Afternoon, Day 2: If I ever see my mother again, I will tell her how much I love her. I will tell her she is a saint of a woman for putting up with my miserable foolishness. I never thought I would say this, I am not an affectionate man, but I miss the feeling of her arms around me. I am beginning to doubt I will ever find the Watch. Sometime in the evening, Day 2: The jungle here is packed with verdant ferns and strange oversize, pointed blooms in vivid shades of orange, red, pink and yellow. Making my way through this dense growth is proving more difficult than I could have ever prepared for. The machete I was provided has already dulled to the point of uselessness, and I am beginning to believe I will die here. My chest is tight enough that it restricts my breathing, and I have been unable to move from my current location for more than an hour. If I continue to allow my fear to keep me immobile, I will eventually be found by whatever apex predators prowl this jungle. Early morning, Day 3: I have not slept. Is it becoming morning? I think so. I have crawled far up into a tree. My balance is no good, I cannot lay down and sleep. I heard a deep, reverberating rumble. It came from inside the thick tangles of undergrowth below me. There is something there, I know it. Note: If I ever get back to lab, remind Jose in Combat Development - bless his soul - to provide more than one extra pair of underwear. Unknown Date and Time, Day 3 or 4: Dear God, if there is a God, please rescue me. Please allow me to return home. I am sorry I did not believe. If I survive, I will be your humble servant. Please God save m (journal end)
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The old steel pocket watch was scuffed and scratched, but she loved it. It reminded her of days when she and her love would sit at the cool edge of the slow moving Oneleaf River, their heads leaned together as they giggled and tried to count the minnows. He had given her his grandfather’s watch on a day just like that. Now the watch was a comfort to her on days like this. Days when they barely spoke, the animosity so tangible she could reach up and snatch it out of the air. Now she sat alone in her office, laughter but an echo in her minds eye, while the desk lamp cast a shaded light over the watch as she turned it in her fingers. She felt nostalgic while she indulged in the metallic rattle and click of the watch cover as she carefully popped it open. Immediately her heart pulled at the sight of the watch’s face, and she snapped the lid closed again. Then a knock came at the door, and her heart jolted her ribcage as it somersaulted in her chest.
“What?” She snapped. “Time to talk.” Came his voice from the other side. They hadn’t spoken since this morning when they’d argued over something insignificant while the kettle was left to scream in the background. “Fine. Come in.” She said, resigned. He came in briskly, his lips tight and his gaze pointed enough to jab her in the chest. As he stood in front of the closed door, arms crossed tight, his eyes fell to the watch. “Mike called again.” He said as he stared at the reflection of light on the marked metal. “Great. Did he leave a message?” “No idea.” He said indifferently. “Well, it’s not hard to take a message!” She spat. “I didn’t feel like taking your lovers messages in my own home.” He shrugged as if it was inconsequential and pushed his wavy brown hair from his forehead. “He is not my lover. I don’t know how many more times I can tell you that.” She squeezed the watch in her thin fingers. “Every other night you’re with him until 10 o’clock, midnight. It’s indecent. You could so easily end it, then we could both be happy.” “That’s really easy for you to say. I need a friend. I’m the one who’s alone.” “What are you going on about?” “All you do is work.” “Oh, get off it, you know I need to work.” He waved his hand in the air dismissively. She could feel her face getting hot. Her fingers began to shake as she clutched the watch desperately. “By the way, I’ve been meaning to mention, I want my watch back.” Her eyes began to sting. “You gave this to me as a gift. It’s mine now. You can’t have it back. Sorry.” Her lip trembled. His jaw was set as firm as ever and his normally blue eyes looked a steely grey. “What’s the matter? You need it to keep track of your dates with Mike, I suppose.” He leaned against the door and raised an eyebrow. She wanted to smack the smirk off his mouth. “I need it to remind me...” She smeared the gathering tears away from her blonde lashes. Her focus darted down to the watch. “Remind you…?” “Remind me of the days when you actually gave a shit.” Her fingers had turned white and dark purple-red where they clung to the watch. “So I’m an asshole because you’re a cheating—…” He stopped abruptly. Her attention snapped back to his face. “Come on, no point in holding back now.” She glared straight into his eyes, unwavering in her contempt of his feigned respect. “Never mind.” “You know…I wouldn’t need Mike’s friendship if you payed more attention to me, instead of your dead end job. How many years have you been kissing ass, hoping for a raise?” “Maybe I wouldn’t need to absorb myself in work if you didn’t spend every day bitching, eating, and crying. Get some self respect. It’s not attractive behavior.” She stopped and stared at him for a long time. Her whole body trembled and her eyelids were heavily weighted with realizations brought about by cruel words. She felt like she might drown. “Oh.” She said. She stood up and crossed the room. He tightened the cross of his arms and leaned away from her as she approached. With each step she took toward him, she turned the watch over in her fingers, trying to memorize the feeling of having it in her hand. The weight of the metal, the clink of the latch release, the smell of dirt and old steel, the pattern of marks that tracked history all over the surface of time. “Here.” She said as she handed him the watch. He took it silently and then moved away from the door as she pushed past him into the hallway. She disappeared into the bedroom. He flipped the cover open and looked down at the watch. His triumphant smirk dissipated as he saw a crack in the face. The pocket watch had stopped ticking, the arms were silent and still. It no longer kept time. |
What?Short works of creative fiction. When?
July 2018
Where?
All
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