The Time Turner

Chapter One

It was only a Monday. The grueling heat of mid-July seeped into the small gaps between the windows that never closed right, and yet I still felt a slight breeze that sent small chills up and down my spine. Mom was out to town, looking for a gift to give dad for his birthday. He said he didn't want anything, especially because we could barely afford to keep Macey, my cat. I begged him to let me keep her when she was just a little stray. He let me keep her, anyway, so long as I  take care of her food and litter. My twelve-year-old self eagerly agreed. Now she was older, but she was still tiny and ate little. Sort of like me, only she knew I'd love her no matter how old she got and how tough things became.

I spent my day at the lake. It was empty today, either people were at the beach or working summer jobs. I had applied to a diner that had opened in town, but they never called me. Now, instead of taking orders or flipping burgers, I was sketching the same lake that I'd drawn from every angle I possibly could. In some way I was happy because I didn't have the best feeling about that diner job. It was odd: from the moment I walked in the hairs on the back of my neck stood and my eyes grew foggy. Suddenly I heard crackling ever so faintly in the back of my head. Then I was pulled from my daydream by the manager, who'd been waiting five minutes for me already.

I'd almost filled all the pages in my sketchbook. Damn, I'll have to get a new one soon. It especially disappointed me because I had just gotten it. I guess I'll have to ration my creativity, too. I was about to be on my way when I caught sight of a strange man from the side of my eye. He sat awkwardly on a bench, largely due to his enormous size. He was the biggest person I'd ever seen. It was when I noticed him staring at me that I stopped thinking about his appearance and started walking away. I made sure to keep aware of his distance from me. I figured I should be farther away before I looked back, that way he wouldn't know I was afraid of him. I made it to a part of the path that was covered by a large tree, then turned around. He was no longer there, but I twisted my head slightly left and saw him walking up the path! My cheeks began to burn and my heart started pounding. I walked faster, then ran when I noticed he was growing closer. I paid close attention to my breathing; it helped me calm down. I exhaled loudly, trying to expel carbon dioxide from my body and inhaled sharply to get oxygen in. The street was near, and I knew that once I got there I'd be safe. If he kept following me, I'd scream.

I'd made it out onto the street where some people passed me. I saw the giant staring from afar, catching his breath. He was so tall he nearly blended with the trees. His long beard and raggedy earth-colored clothing helped his morph. I didn't care if I'd hurt his feelings, he could've hurt me! The strange man was gone, and that's all that mattered. I wanted to walk down the quiet street today, since it was so nice outside, but I didn't trust that the man wouldn't search for me. So I took the less attractive but more familiar path back home.

Mom called from one of the shops and told me that she was on her way. I was relieved, it had been hours since the encounter at the lake but I still made sure to carry something that could do damage around with me at all times. First I thought of a kitchen knife, but I ultimately decided a baseball bat was the way to go: I'd be able to attack from a distance. Macey followed me around as I made my way through the house, checking the doors and the windows. An hour later mom came back with a small bag in her hand. She was smiling from ear to ear, like she'd always do when she was happy.

"I found the perfect gift, Lori."

"What is it?" I put down the bat by the door and moved closer as she opened the bag and pulled something out.

"I know it doesn't seem like much, but your dad loved these things when he was younger." She held a tiny red cadillac in her hand. It had every little detail that the life-size version would have. Yeah, it didn't seem like much, but it was beautiful. What really made it special was how excited mom was when she talked about how much he'd love it. I watched as she studied it, her eyes lit up with hope. I would've liked to know what mom and dad were like before me. They didn't tell me much, because they said there's no use in remembering the past. We live in the present. I wondered if they would go back in time if they could.

Mom was making dinner when dad came back home. He was always tired, but mom had that energy that quickly brightened him up. Mom stopped stirring the pasta and ran to him, ambushing his face with kisses. When the water on the stove started boiling over, she rushed back into the kitchen.

"Hey, bugger." He peeked into the living room where I was, his tall figure casting a shadow across the floor. I got up from the old sofa and ran to him, and he scooped me up into a big hug.

"Happy birthday, dad." I managed to say as he squeezed me tightly. My dad was my best friend. I felt that I could tell him everything, and he knew he could do the same. I saw over his shoulder mom waiting, the tiny gift in hand.

"We got you something, honey." Happiness radiated from her voice, I knew she was excited to see his reaction.

"Oh, I said you didn't have to get me anything..."

"We wanted to. You deserve it." Mom said. Dad quickly glanced at mom and I before he dug into the bag. Once he found the toy car, he started to giggle like a child.

"Hey! I love it!" The bag dropped to the floor as he examined the gift, bringing it up to his face to look inside the windows. It was the first time I'd seen dad act like this, so happy.  "Thank you, my favorite girls." We shared a moment of gratitude, not for the car, but for each other. It was as if time froze.

Then the pot on the stove began to boil over.

We had chocolate cake and took a stroll around town. I was still paranoid that I'd see the giant man again, but I didn't. Maybe he was a hitchhiker who'd stopped in town for a short time. Now he was gone. When we got back I washed up and went to bed. Mom and dad sat downstairs at the table, laughing over coffee. Macey sat perched on my windowsill, staring out into the night. Her eyes were big and black, and her brown fur was highlighted by the light of the moon. I was tired, but for some reason I couldn't sleep. I was dizzy again, so I threw my pillow on the floor and lay flat on the mattress. My eyes fluttered closed, and I drifted in and out of strange dreams that always shared the giant's presence. At some point, he knew my name.

By the time I woke up the next morning dad was already off to work. Mom had made pancakes for her and I.

"I think we should go biking today, what do you think?" Mom said between fork-fulls of pancake. 

"Sounds good," I replied. In all honesty, I liked to bike. Mom and I hadn't gone out together in a long time, just the two of us. Mom smiled and, as she washed the dishes and I dried, planned our little excursion.

Mom and I were dressed and putting together the bikes in the driveway. Our house was on a hill; We didn't live too close to anybody, nor too far. It was good, in a way, because there were plenty of trees to climb and occasionally you would see horses from the farm a few miles down trotting up the road. It was hotter than yesterday, I swore I could fill a glass with all my sweat.

"Dad said there was a fire in that new diner in town this morning," She said, "didn't you apply there for a job?"

"Yeah...yeah I did." I heard crackling ever so faintly in the back of my head. I remembered that uneasy feeling, that day in the beginning of June.

"It's a sad thing, those poor people." There was nothing left to say, so we stopped talking and went back to working on the bikes.

Mom heard a noise down the road, so she'd gone to check it out. She walked to the edge of the driveway and called out "Excuse me, sir, do you need something?"

"Ar'e you Mrs. Treblin?" The British voice said. It was low and a bit scratchy, and sounded as if it came from someone who'd just climbed a mountain.

"Yes, who are you?" Mom's eyes turned upwards, her jaw dropping slightly from surprise. He came closer, and my heart began to race. It was the man from the lake! How did he find me?

"M'name's Rubeus Hagrid. I'm here to talk to you about your daughter."

Author's Note

Hi everyone, starsznight here.

I hope you enjoyed this first chapter! Please vote and comment, let me know your thoughts :)