Ziqah's Story

‘Who nose what time travel is?’

“Don’t ask me how I’m still alive because I don’t know how time travelling even works. All I know is that I lose a body part every time I travel. Don’t travel at all? Are you crazy? This the best gift I’ve ever received. Besides, I can’t stop searching for my body parts. I have a dinner wit —why am I even telling you this? You’re not even alive!” I walked away from the painting of an old lady carrying a basket full of apples and walked through the dusty hall decorated by even more paintings. I stop and admire the paintings occasionally (I couldn’t resist myself, I love them) but I reminded myself that each time I’m staring at a painting, I’m wasting time and anything can happen to my missing parts. 

Before I turn the familiar knob that leads to the forest, I took a deep breath and reassure myself that I will get out of this mess and successfully find my body parts before the day ends. Apparently this ‘guide book on time travel’ I found on top of an old table that was conveniently placed when I time travelled for the first time, failed to mention that I will lose a body part each time I travel but it did mention that I can only go back to the same era on the same day because the time hole doesn’t allow you to return after the day has ended or else there may be some interference with how time works. Can you imagine if the time suddenly stops then goes on a slow motion and it suddenly skips into the next year? As if losing a body part wasn’t already a sign I shouldn’t time travel (I didn’t even notice I was missing a nose until a child saw me and screamed “ALIEN!” and the whole village started to chase me like I’m Frankenstein) but giving me this trust of preventing any interference with how time works is such a huge responsibility and if you were to ask anyone who knows me, they wouldn’t trust me with such a thing.

While I was following the trail I marked that will lead me back to where I came from, I saw a glowing object in the far distance and trailed off from the time hole I opened. As I got closer, I was able to make an outline of the object. “It looks like a bracelet” I spoke to myself and that’s when I heard a branch snap. Instinctively, I took the bracelet and ran back to the trail and leaped through time hole closing the gateway. I panted and checked myself, to my surprise I didn’t lose a body part.  I scratched the back of my neck and thought to myself that it has to be whatever this bracelet did. 

While I was studying the bracelet, my door flung open and I hid the bracelet in my palm that may be missing a pinky finger with the family ring my father entrusted me with and covered the part where my nose was supposed to be. “Alan, everyone’s here already. Time fo- Why are you covering your nose?” my sister asked. “I uhh— have a nosebleed” “What happened? Let me help you” she took a step forward and brought her hand to take away my palm from covering my ‘nosebleed’ but I stopped her and said “Sis, I know you’re a nurse but I can do it. Now if you’ll excuse me, I would rather not make everyone lose their appetite as much as I want to—” I mumbled that last part and smirked “by going downstairs with a nosebleed. I’ll be right down once I take care of it. Promise.” My sister stood there with suspicion written all over her face but finally said “Okay” and walked out of my room.

As soon as I was unable to hear any inaudible footsteps, I ran in front of my mirror and wrote the year and date I travelled to where I lost my pinky with the family ring because obviously that’s way important than my nose and my dad would kill me if I lost it which would be pointless if I were to retrieve my nose first only to be killed by my own father because I lost the family ring. Before the tip of my marker reaches the mirror, I noticed I wasn’t wearing the bracelet I found in the forest and that was when my sister walked into my room once again and she just stood there with a shocked expression. I would be lying if I said I didn’t feel naked… around the area where my nose was supposed to be. I made a mental note on why locks exists. 

“Look, I need to go back there to retrieve this” I pointed to my missing nose “and… also this” I showed her my left hand with the missing pinky and ring. “How do you think dad will react when I tell him ‘Oh no big deal but I lost the ring you gave me after a few hours for my 18^th birthday’?” My sister looked up from the guide book I showed her and she looked at me and stared at my missing nose and said “I think he would probably freak out on your nose first then your pinky, and he’ll notice you’re not wearing the ring he gave you and starts to question you until you give in”. We sat there thinking different scenarios what would happen but our train of thoughts soon stopped when my sister said “Alright, you better get going. According to the book you won’t have a problem with the time difference. Long story short, time stops while you’re time travelling so you won’t miss a thing unless you took something originally from that era” I gulped and lied to my sister “Now, why would I steal something from that era ha-ha” “You took something didn’t you?” before I could answer she said “Just leave it in whatever era you’re in but keep in mind, you have an hour” she looks at her watch and sighed. “Less actually, now get going. Hopefully dad won’t be home before you.”

“Excuse me, but could you tell me what the date and year is? I had an accident that left me with a short term memory loss.” I asked the nice young lady in what looks like a sewing shop’s fitting room. I was relieved when I heard the correct date and year I wrote down on my mirror but I immediately froze when I saw myself in front of a mirror as a woman trying out a white wedding dress. “Miss Morris, are you okay?” she asked me. “Oh yes, I’m just admiring how beautiful this dress looks on me. I’ll take it!” “Anna, are you okay? Why have I heard of this short term memory loss now? Also what do you mean you’ll take it? Today’s the wedding day!” an old lady who looks similar to the painting I spoke to before said to me but more importantly how did I get into a different body? I stared at the bracelet and the old lady shook me lightly and said “Dear, let’s take off that bracelet. It doesn’t match your dress” I refused kindly and soon I was rushed outside to walk down the aisle. 

My arm was linked to who I assume is the bride’s father as we walked down the aisle then I stood face to face against the groom. That’s when I saw the ring worn by the groom. It was the same family ring my father gave me! As the groom took off his ring and slid it into my ring finger. Once again I found myself in another strange situation when the priest finally says “You may now kiss the bride”. I gulped, closed my eyes and brace myself for impact against a foreign lip and that’s when I fell to the ground. 

I coughed, dust the dirt off from my usual clothes and tied a handkerchief to cover my missing nose. I looked around and saw a wooden cottage not far from where I was. I knocked on the door and it opened before I could knock the second time. “Welcome” a blonde young man says to me. “I know you have a lot of questions but I have something that belongs to you” he held out a box to me. I took a peek in the box and took it. “You don’t have much time, so let’s get to it” he says to me while stirring a cauldron. I walked to him and stared into the liquid inside cauldron “Well, can you explain what this bracelet does? And who was the person that stepped on the branch while I was in the forest? And who sent me the package of the mirror?” He stayed quiet for a while and finally said “The person who stepped on the branch was you and what the bracelet does is for you to find out” “Wait, what do you mean I stepped on the branch?” He shook his head lightly, “You mean you still haven’t figured it out?” 

I stayed quiet and just stared at the liquid which reminded me the colours of my room. “There are alternate universe, which means there are other versions of you in another world that can be past, future or in another reality that made a different decision than what you chose” he said. “You mean I went to another reality instead of going back to the past or future?” He nods. “That’s amazing but I thought I can only travel through time using the mirror. Speaking of the mirror, did you gave it to—” he cuts me off by pushing my head into the cauldron and I found myself staring at my reflection and saw a note that says ‘I can’t reveal who and why they gave it to you but what I can say is, you’ll be visited by someone today and we’ll definitely meet again. Stay safe and alive”.

Just then my sister bursts into my room with a worried expression. I studied her face as it grows paler by the second and she says “Someone’s here for you”.