By Kayla E. Green
Under the shade of the baobab trees, I watch. I see their wide-eyed looks of awe. I hear the gasps of wonder. Eager tourists face their guide, waiting for him to expound on the phenomena of the rainbow sand before them.
I’ve listened to him teach all day that the dunes of Chamarel were created over millennia as volcanic rock deteriorated. Though it’s true the multi-colored hills were made hundreds of thousands of years ago, it was not volcanic debris but a different ash that created this place. I can’t offer the truth that… Strange. I don’t seem to remember the details.
As a Witness, I watch and record for Father Time. I travel through various timelines in my assigned dimension, gathering information for my reports. Per protocol, I never interfere with the happenings of this world.
My Euclidean Space Manipulator beeps on my wrist. Strange. It only does that when a Witness opens a traveling path. No one else should be here. I do a quick perimeter scan and see the trace of a silver ring—the bridge between planes. “This cannot be.” I focus on keeping my pulse steady. Any reaction, any emotion, is against protocol; yet, an unauthorized traveling path is against protocol, too.
I skim the manual embedded in my brain, but there is no clear directive. Lifting the flap on my messenger bag, I grab for my Communicator. But instead, I pull out a dried bunch of banana leaves. I look closer. The leaves are folded and tied to mimic the appearance of one of the humans of this world. A doll, I think it’s called. Where did this come from?
A sharp, unpleasant throbbing invades my temples. Strange. Witnesses aren’t supposed to feel pain. The beeping sounds again, announcing the imminent closing of the portal. Without a precedent, I follow the path.
I find myself at the same coordinates, S 20°25’30”, E 57°23’28”, but the ground is void of all colors except brown. I’m back at the beginning of this world. There aren’t any trees to offer shade. I scan the empty landscape. There’s a young woman sitting in the dirt. Her face is familiar, but she’s not a Witness. So, I watch.
“Sit with me.” She motions to the space next to her. “We have only a short time.”
She shouldn’t see me. I tilt my head as I process this anomaly, careful to keep my pulse steady. The throbbing in my temples threatens to return, but I take the offered seat.
“I see you still have it.” A small, sad smile tugs her lips. “Well, you’ll always have it.” She gestures to the doll with one hand and uses the other to twist her small box braids. “That’s how time loops work, I suppose.”
“Time loops are divergent.” Engaging isn’t protocol either.
“They’re harmless. Chronos has lied about the damage they cause like he lies about everything.” The young woman’s jaw clenches. She clears her throat. “And the time continuum creates a loophole of sorts—it’s the only way I can see you now… now that you’re gone.”
“Gone? I don’t understand.”
“One of the downsides of the loop. Your memory resets so all my visits are forgotten. But I remember.” She looks at me, eyes wet with tears. “I’ll always remember.” She grabs my hand.
“I want you to know that the resistance is almost ready to act against Chronos,” she continues. “He’ll pay for usurping Father Time’s role by pretending to be him and altering the primary timeline for his selfish agenda. If it wasn’t for him, you wouldn’t have been taken from us.” She releases my hand and hangs her head. Her shoulders heave as some internal pain is liberated through sobs.
Tentatively, I place a hand on her back.
“Chronos is why that computer is in your brain. Why you’re a Witness and can’t remember.” She sighs. “I have to go before he gets here.” She wipes her face with her shirttail. “I just want you to know that I miss you. Mom misses you. But we’re going to set things right.” She stands and I follow. She opens a traveling path with a Euclidean Space Manipulator. She turns and embraces me, shoving another Manipulator into my hand. “Until next time. I love you, Dad.” She steps through and vanishes.
My daughter.
I clutch the doll to my chest. The pain in my head drives me to my knees as I’m flooded with a lifetime of memories. Memories that were supposed to be blocked. Marrying Aadilah and holding my little girl for the first time. Being turned into a Witness, but something went wrong with the transformation. I was able to uncover Chronos’s deceit. And he found out. He was trying to kill me and my family.
The silver light of a traveling path shimmers. Apparitions of my former life appear. No, they aren’t ghosts. They’re flesh and blood.
“Mom! The Manipulator cracked. I can’t open another portal,” a younger form of my daughter screams.
“I’ll distract Chronos when he gets here. And you run. You hear me? You—”
“Aadilah!” I sprint to her. “Take this.” I give her the new Manipulator. “Get out of here now!”
“Chamarel! Come with us. We—”
A lightning bolt strikes. Chronos appears. His white beard touches the ground. His formidable voice causes my wife and daughter to tremble. “This ends now,” he growls.
I look back at my family. “Go!” I face Chronos. I can’t defeat him, but I can distract him. My Manipulator beeps as the portal opens behind me. Chronos grunts as he approaches. I charge at him, shouting with my arms extended, blocking him from my fleeing family. He raises his Scintillator Staff and shoots.
The rays hit me. I look down and see myself fade to multi-colored ash. Strange. I feel at peace. My eyes close…
Under the shade of the baobab trees, I watch. I see their wide-eyed looks of awe…
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Wow! Cool twist! I love the way you built this up and the curiosity packed with emotion. Excellent story!
Thank you, Arlan! 😊
The way you looped the story back to the beginning is so chilling, and I love the detail of the multi-colored ash. Excellent!
Thank you, Naomi! 😊
How such a short story can be so emotionally impactful is definitely a skill, which I commend the author for. Still teary eyed as I write this comment. Well done!
It means so much that you enjoyed the story like you did. Thanks so much for reading and commenting! 🥰
Had me hooked from the beginning! Great story!
Thank you so much! It was definitely a fun, though bittersweet, story to write 😊