The Black-Sand Hourglass

Chapter 4

(Please read author's note at the end of the chapter :)

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Jason does not want to break up with Tina, but it was already too late. Every time he used the hourglass, every single one ended with Tina breaking up with him. He even tried to give the hourglass another tip after tipping it upside down, trying to see if the time will go back six minutes, but it wont.

Feeling so depressed and miserable, at the same time his joints were aching and he felt so weak, he tried to go back to the antique shop to know if there’s any possible way to bring back the time more than three minutes but the antique shop was no longer there, but instead an abandoned old house stood there. He even asked a passerby, who claimed to live near the place, and said that there’s never been an antique shop there, always had been the old house and the property is for sale. He also didn’t know an old lady or anyone whose name is Lucinda Rowan.  So confused and so helpless, he just decided to go home.

The next day, at the end of the class, Jason was also not able to play basketball during practice. His joints and muscles were not working properly and were aching. His coach decided to bring him to the clinic, but he declined and asked if he can just go home and rest. Well, he had been experiencing the joint pains and muscle pains lately, but today is the worst. He thought these are all the results of the stress of breaking up with his girlfriend; maybe also the clashed between him and Paul, and don’t forget about the hourglass – he has not been sleeping well lately, he used some of his time planning and gambling.

He went home that day drank, in pain, both physically and emotionally. He was confronted by his pale-looking mom, but he didn’t care to notice.

“You’re drank Jason? Why did you drink…you’re only seventeen. If there’s something bothering you, we can talk about it. Drinking will not solve anything.”

“Mom, just leave me alone. I’ll deal with this my own. I’ll be resting now.”

“Wait, Jason.”

And Jason went to his room and slept.

 

Jason was not able to go to school the following day, his head pounding due to hangover. His mom, still looking pale, also did not go to work to took care of him. He still refused to talked to his mom.

Still lying on his bed, he remembered the little black booklet. It might give him an instruction on how to go back beyond three minutes. It was still on the bedside table; he grabbed it and read a page.

 

 You have been warned. Reading the entire instruction now is a must.

The following...

 

He thought that he already read this page so flipped it on to the next page.

 

HOWEVER:

 -you will not be able to bring an item from the future back to the three minutes prior as you will be back at the place where you are at during that time.

-you..

 

He was not able to finish reading the booklet as he heard a sudden loud thud, something that fell hardly, and then he heard a crashing and shattering of glass. A bit wobbly, he tried to go downstairs as quickly as possible, ignoring his pounding head and aching muscles. He went to the kitchen and saw his mom, lying on the floor unconscious, holding a medicine for hangover and around her was scattered broken glass of water.

“Mom, stay conscious, please.” Jason pleaded, but his mom was not making any movements.

He hurriedly went upstairs, grabbed the hourglass and tipped it upside down. The time went back three minutes and he found himself awake, lying on his bed. He grabbed the hourglass and then he immediately went downstairs, ignoring the now aching back and headache. He saw his mom in the kitchen preparing his medicine, pale and seemed in pain. He offered his mom to sit on the couch for her to rest, but minutes past, her mom fell unconscious.

Panicked and shaking, he tipped the hourglass upside down once more and found himself once again lying on his bed. He tipped the hourglass one more time to try and see if it will go back for another three minutes but nothing happened. His head pounding, his back and muscles were aching, his joints were  also now in pain, he felt weak, he immediately grabbed the small black booklet to see if there something more written:

 

HOWEVER:

-you will not be able to bring an item from the future back to the three minutes prior as you will be back at the place where you are at during that time.

-you cannot tip more than once after tipping it upside down just to go back beyond three minutes, the second tip will have NO effect.

-you cannot alter the inevitable, like natural death.

“NO! DO something hourglass!” Fuming, he continued to read the last page of the booklet. He thought that there should already be something valuable written.

IMPORTANT:

-LIMIT the use of the hourglass a maximum of THREE times every SEVEN DAYS.

-every time you tip the hourglass upside down, it will have an effect on your body. 

-a three-minute is equivalent to three months. Your body will age three months for every use of the hourglass; though you will not see the changes externally, as you continuously use the hourglass, you will eventually feel that inside of your body is aging.

-If the LIMIT is exceeded, instead of three months, your body will age THREE YEARS for every use of the hourglass. 

Be warned. Be responsible.

 

“NOOOOO…!!!” Jason shouted.

This explained the sudden back, nape, joint, muscle and every pain he was experiencing lately. He has already used the hourglass for a couple of times. Ignoring to think further, he tipped the hourglass for one last time. He found himself lying on his bed once more. It was hard for him to even move his body, his entire body was aching. He did not know if some of the pain he was experiencing was just arthritis or something more. He felt weak. He used his remaining strength to grab the phone and call an ambulance. He also grabbed the booklet and the hourglass and put them in his pocket. He tried to downstairs to let his mom sit once more on the couch and in just a few seconds, she fell unconscious. Few more minutes, the ambulance came, bringing them both to the hospital.

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A/N: I thought that this will be up to chapter 5 only but there'll be two more chapters! but the next update will be the last update as I'll be posting them at the same time. I'm thinking of dedicating the last chapter/s to the first person who will vote and/or put a comment on this chapter. (of course, those who already have chapter dedicated, will not get another dedication ;p)

Let me use some space to thank the following wattpader:  

"leslie565" for adding the story to her library. 

"alicat105" for adding the story to her library and voting a chapter. 

"OfLionsAndLlamas" for adding to story to Reading List and voting a chapter. 

Thanks a lot.

Chapter dedicated to 1DLoverWMYB for creating a cover for me. Her creation is one of the top 3 - see photo to the right, that's her cover creation. Thanks once again!