By: Kavi Persaud
View all Kavi Persaud's works
I was walking to school when an earthquake hit! Everyone died except for me! I had no idea what to do! Actually, I did. I went to Starbucks. I got a tall Mango Dragonfruit. I walked back to my newly demolished school and laughed at my teachers’ dead bodies. Great fun. Then I woke up. Damn. I didn’t get out of bed that day. No need. There was no earthquake. All those lousy excuses for humans are still alive. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll go to every single one of those teachers’ funerals. To laugh. They teach us one thing and review the same thing for GOD KNOWS how long. I could be doing more then context clues. And in seventh grade?!?! Unnecessary.
My mom goes to work really early so I could pretty much do whatever. I tried to move my legs but couldn’t. There was a heavy weight on them! It was my doggo, Kiwi. O00h! If Mom ever finds out I stayed home, I’ll say she was sitting on me. *saved it* I got up to get some leftovers from the fridge by vibrating my legs until Kiwi got scared and gave me enough time to scoot out.
We went to a Mexican restaurant the night before, so I knew there would be something good in there. I found a third of a burrito, which was definitely enough. It was a huge burrito. I transferred it from its styrofoam container to a plate to put it in the microwave. While I waited for the deliciousness to heat up, I got to wondering. “Eating a burrito is the best way to spend a day off.” Fwooosh!
My mind went blank. I wasn’t thinking of anything particularly important. Burritos, some other things, not much. I shook my head vigorously to get out of it. I reached for the handle of the beeping microwave. I pulled it open and it was all just blank. No burrito. No light bulb. Just a white gap in the universe. I didn’t know what to do! I opened and closed it a couple of times and nothing changed. Still a glowing white microwave. I went to grab my phone to take a picture I could send to my mom ‘cause well, “Mother Knows Best.”
I looked at the microwave through the phone camera to see something odd. It was normal. The friggin’ microwave was back! Only through the camera… Before I could further explore, the phone turned into this gleaming white. Startled, I dropped it. From the point where the phone hit the ground, little triangles of nothing folded over throughout my apartment.
“Hey, Benzo! Get your butt out here, we’re ding dong ditching your neighbors!” yelled the kids that live upstairs through my window. Me, having a mini panic attack, replied, “Do you not see what is happening?!?
“You’re letting your burrito cool down?”
Oh my god. Can they not see it? I thought as I shivered. This was like that one scene in IT when blood erupts from the sink and Bev’s Dad can’t see any of it. “PENNYWISE?!” I don’t know what I expected.
The space was now completely white, like the background for a Target model but endless.
“Who?” A small black creature the size of a hiking backpack with no limbs and visible face. Just a shadow. And it was talking.
“He sounds pretty dumb.”
“What the _______”
“Language!”
Can you believe this guy? I knew I was overreacting so I calmed down. “Who are you? Where am I? What happened to my home? And my burrito? Sike, I needed answers.
“My name doesn’t matter to you, Benzo. Your stuff is safe, including your burrito. Welcome to the Time Iron.”
I didn’t even bother to question why this thing knew my name. It seemed fitting for the occasion ‘cause no one else could see it but me. “What the hell is the Time Iron?” I was definitely confused.
“What do you think?” It said, sounding annoyed. I didn’t know what to say!
“Listen, who, which, and whatsit are always jumping around the universe wrinkling time. That’s where we come in-”
“We?”
“Let me finish. The Time Iron just fixes any paradoxes and time whack in a timeline so nothing SUPER bad happens. You’re the only one I’ve come across who can see it. And that’s why I said ‘we.’ I need your shining. My timeline is not as small as you’d think. What do you say, ‘Zu’?”
I was stunned. Overwhelmed. Hungry. “I’ll think about it…” That’s always a good answer.
“Gotcha. Call me.” Then he slapped me with a swift shadow. I was set back to reality. I looked to the microwave. Food. I grabbed the hot plate and ran to the sofa. I took a bite, and It was fine. Everything was fine. I kept eating, pondering It’s words. Then it hit me like that awfully strong shadow. “Holy crap, I can shine.”
The End