Time Traveler's Nightmare // Tales

Time Traveler's Nightmare

I stumbled as the dizziness from the travel set in, subsiding much quicker than the first few times. I staggered forwards a step, then another, until I could see clearly.

I ended up in a large white room with a black rose. As realisation set in, I grinned. I did a full turn, I was back. After I went through the portal last time with a dusty memory, I insisted on coming back, despite my conscience telling me not to. I stared at the rose, more petals had fallen since last time, I noticed. I ran my hand along the remaining couple petals, before looking up in front of me, towards the doors.

I walked recklessly down the halls, goal set in mind, nothing getting in my way, navigating as if it were a childhood neighborhood.

I found myself thinking about the rose, the black, contrasting, misfit of a rose. Once, a soft shine, a light, emitted from the flower. Now, it was dim, the light barely noticeable if you hadn't known what it once was. It had bloomed with dozens of black petals, most now fallen off, leaving the stem and bud slim and almost bare in comparison. I have yet to figure out why the flower is there, out of place.

Yet, I focused on walking rather than the mysterious flower. I noticed it was unusually empty, rather than busy like it was just the time just before. I turned a corner, touching a beam as I did, when I pulled my hand from it, I came to a stop, looking at the wall where a white streak sat, and grey dust covering my hand.

I looked ahead, and found myself in a familiar room, but it felt less euphoric, less secure. Walls covered in dust, leaving it grey rather than a bright white. Webs tucked in the corners between the pillars and tall ceilings, which looked much shorter and closed off with the dark atmosphere.

I took quick strides towards the tree, being met with a gleaming book that sat in the branches, emitting the only light in this dull room. I reached up to the branch to grab the book, jerking my hand back as I heard a creak, whirling towards the noise. Alas, it was just the swing rocking.

I scrunched up my nose before reaching once more, only to find out it was too tall. I hit the branch once, in an attempt to knock it down, and again, until I heard a footstep. Which usually, I would ignore, but considering the circumstances, I spun, throwing my back against the tree, facing the noise. There was nothing, again. Maybe, it was all in my head. I slid my back down the wood, sitting on the ground, head in my hands, beginning to regret coming back.

I peeked up to see the book, gleaming, as if it were asking me to take it. I got up slowly, becoming hopeless. I dusted off my pants before hitting the branch once more, causing it to move up and down, the book shaking loose.

It fell into my hands, blankly staring at it, before I slowly opened it. only to be met with blank pages. As I skimmed through, it was blank page after blank page, until I finally came across writing. I stopped and studied it.

The words were smudged, as if someone ran a finger along the damp ink. There were small blotches of ink splattered around the page. Passing through a few more similar pages, I noticed all the writings familiar, as if I had read it before, I'm sure I had. I stopped as I noticed a lack of words on one page, which was barely full halfway. The last word trailed off, a messy line trailing from the letter, leaving the writing unfinished. I skimmed to the bottom of the page, and in thick, messy writing read,

DON'T STRAY THE PATH

The book fell to the ground, leaving my hands empty, and my body feeling cold. That phrase..

Before I could think about it, the ground started rumbling beneath my feet, I jumped back as a piece of the floor fell through where the book landed, cracks spreading through the floors.