Day 361 Writing Short Stories

Trope

The woman was a mirror to her. Every gesture, every move, even the tone of her voice, yet the face was wrinkled and sun-scorched, and the light in the eyes had dimmed. The woman stared at her, measuring the years between them. She looked as if she had decided whether it had all been worth it as she let out a long sigh.

“I cannot tell you not to use it, but I can advise you otherwise,” the older woman said.

“And it has to happen?” she asked. Both machines stood there between them as a reminder. Hers was new and shiny, and the one the older woman had used had seen centuries’ worth of wear.

“Pretty much. I have tried and tried to alter the course of events. They always get twisted, and then when the lines straighten, they go back to following the path. Time doesn’t want to be altered. It’s a constant. A must. A deterministic force.”

“Does that mean—?” she began.

“Yes, I just wanted to see you, see me, before I ever even tried. I wanted to see those eyes of yours that used to look back at me from the mirror.”

“Is it that bad?”

“No,” the woman shook her head. “You will love every bit until it’s too late to know otherwise. You will see the pharaohs, the great empires, you will ride on the plains, hunt with the Mongols. You will fuck, love, dance, smile, and know more than any other human ever will. But you will end up alone. That’s a must. A constant.” The older woman touched the ancient-looking pendant on her chest.

“What happens now?” she asked.

“I don’t know. There’s not much time left. I can feel it slipping away. If it’s circular, then this will happen again and again. We both play our parts in history. But if it’s linear, then it has to end. I can’t get to the end. I have tried. We have tried. But something blocks it. I will end up back where I left, stranded for seconds.”

“And this?”

“This will change nothing. You will do it too. It has to be so. If you can find a different path, understand it better, then do it. If you can master time, then nothing will stop you. But don’t be like me and think you know better. You get people killed. People you love. That’s all I can give to you.” The older woman sat back on her time machine, drawing the goggles from her forehead over her eyes. The same goggles she wore as she had been about to step into the stream of time for the first time.

All she could think of when the older woman disappeared was that it worked. That she had made it work. She smiled, donned her goggles, and dialed in the first coordinates. Time took her.

A Rich Uncle

After losing his parents, a boy is pushed from relative to relative until a rich uncle takes him under his wing. The uncle is a bit magical. I skipped this one. It didn’t speak to me.

Marriage

A couple marries against their families’ wishes. No one turns to their wedding. I skipped this one, too, even when I could have turned it into a peculiar kind of situation. I guess I’m feeling picky today about what I write.

The prompts are from the book A Year of Creative Writing Prompts.

Not sure why I couldn’t make the other prompts work. I could imagine them with a twist, but I didn’t feel the pull to write them. Maybe tomorrow.

Thank you for reading ❤ Have a conscientious day!