The Reverter

This Is Real

Dreams are strange. They can be extremely vivid at times. So vivid, that it feels like something that happened in a dream had happened in real life. Although you don't remember most of your dreams, some of them can just feel real and seem like a distant memory. But sometimes you want your dreams to be real. And it is these dreams that slowly make you lose your sense of reality, and you slowly start living in a fantasy world. But was I living in a fantasy world? A world cooked up by some writer, to satisfy his or her boredom?

The alarm on my digital clock went off. I had received this clock as a gift on my seventh birthday from my grandmother. I always took that clock with me wherever I went (trips, junior college and when I shifted to Pune for work). I stopped the alarm.

"6:00 am", the clock read.

I remembered everything that had happened. The attack, me supposedly travelling back in time...it felt...real...it was too long...the pain from the blast and the shockwave...I could still feel it. It couldn't just be a dream or some fantasy.

I got up from my bed and went to turn the lights on. They were located near the door to my room. I reached the door, put my hand on the wall, and searched for the switch, But I couldn't find it. I frantically searched up and down the wall...nothing.

Then I remembered...I was no longer in Pune but my old house.

I stood there for a while.

I had slept through the night in my old house. I had eaten my mother's food, I had talked with my supposedly dead best friend. I did all of that. And all of it was real.

I was back in 2019. There couldn't be any other explanation as to what was happening. And I hoped that there was no other explanation; I had somehow travelled back in time to 2019. No, my consciousness had travelled back in time to 2019. How did I travel back? I don't know, and I don't care. All I know is that I am here, and I will cherish every single second here. I am gonna meet all my friends, spend more time with my family and I shall have no regrets. Maybe I will tell Rohit about this. It would be a lot of fun to make 'predictions' with him. I don't know when I should tell him, but I will tell him soon.

The switch should have been near my desk. I turned around and went to my desk. My eyes had now adjusted to the dark, and I could easily locate the switch.

I turned the lights on. My pupils took some time to adjust. But soon I could see that this still was my old room. The bed lying horizontally in front of me stuck to the wall. Above it on the soft white walls was a painting of a forest and a lake I had made with my mom. There was a window at the bottom of the bed, and a small table attached to a big wardrobe behind the small headrest of the bed. To my right, the wardrobe ended with the wall where I had searched for the switch, and then the door. Behind me was my wooden desk. On it, were a few old novels and a small table lamp. And of course, a chair with the table. The desk was at the corner of the room, next to the window. It was a full-length window that covered the whole wall, leaving some space for the pillars.

I had to go to school now. The clock read "6:08 pm". I quickly opened my wardrobe, took out my bag, and packed it. I checked my school calendar for anything I might have to do today.

Oh yeah, the stand-up comedy competition was today! It wasn't my thing though, so I had decided not to participate in it.

I kept the calendar in my bag, took my clothes, and headed toward the bathroom. By the time I was out, my mother had woken up and was ironing my school uniform in my room.

"Good morning," she said softly, not wanting to wake up my father in the next room.

"Good morning", I whispered.