Chronophobia

Tick-tock, tick-tock.

The clock continuously moved, with each sound representing a second lost. Her life was being taken away from her. Misa tried to ignore it, the constant ticking, but it haunted her like nothing else. At night, when her eyes shut tight, the only sound in the entire house was that ticking.

Tick-tock, tick-tock.

During the day, the sun would peek through her windows. She counted the seconds, the minutes, the hours, until the light would leave, signaling another day farewell. Another day she had lost. It made her howl with rage. How dare it steal her precious moments? How dare it interfere with her life? No, Misa would not allow such an outrage to happen to her.

Misa came up with a plan to stop time. Yes, a plan she had formed. Silently, she pulled out the hammer from the tool box hidden in the murky garden shed. Tip toeing into the rooms, she smashed the clocks into oblivion. No more sounds, no more disturbance.

Yet, it still did not stop. Even without the clocks, the constant ticking remained in her thoughts.

Tick-tock, tick-tock.

She clasped hands over her ears and screamed her soul out, "Leave, I beg you!" The sun began to descend again; she had lost another day. The clocks were gone, yet time was still moving. Misa thought and plotted. If she had already smashed the clocks, then the next thing would be to destroy the other main time consumer. Misa would have to erase the sun.

It was an impossible job though. Earth was much too far from the sun for her to even think about eradicating it. The technology in her world was by far not good enough, it never would be. Humans would never be able to reach the sun, their source of light and life. The ticking continued, and her thoughts ravaged on. How could she stop it? There was nothing left to throw out, nothing left to hurt... Was there? Misa smiled, her eyes lighting up as if the world was hers to own. Ever since the ticking had started, her mentality had been disappearing, little by little. She could not stand losing herself, after all she was the only thing she had left. Misa found the heart to laugh. Oh, how could she not have thought about it sooner? The idea had to brew though, it had to develop properly. No, Misa would not allow this mission to be simple. It had to be grand, it had to be delightful, it had to be something befitting of her own greatness.

It took her weeks to plan it out. She did not stop for anything. Her exterior diminished as Misa ignored her own health. A little bit more and it would be perfect, she repeatedly reminded herself. Misa would finally be free. She could hardly detain her joy from spreading across the household.

This morning, as the sun rose, so did Misa. Today would be the day, she thought to herself. Yes, the summer solstice, as everyone else would be outside celebrating. Misa decided to dress up, after all, it was a special occasion. A shimmering white dress draped her body; it glistened as she graced the hall with her petite, silent steps. She returned to her room with scissors in hand. Carefully, Misa snipped her long, black hair. It fell to her barren, pale feet. The darkness was stark and very apparent compared to her skin. Setting the scissors down, Misa began to style her face. She applied her makeup with such intensity and care. When she finished, Misa looked absolutely ravishing. Her short hair did not contrast against her dress, in fact it gave her a fierce look she adored. Her emerald green eyeshadow only brought out her dark, brown eyes. She could not stand to look at her eyes though, they had that dead look she loathed. It did not match her beauty. Soon, she thought, I will be complete.

Misa stepped into the washroom and twisted the bath tap. Hot, steaming water rushed out; it began to fill her bath tub. She walked out, leaving the water running, to gather the rest of her supplies. From her mother's room, she stole a single silver needle. From the study, she silently slid out the knife from under the table. She had hidden it in advance, so no one would be able to take it away from her. Misa went into the shed to find some strong rope. She went to get the last item, her hair dryer. Rushing up the staircase, Misa slammed the bathroom door shut. The sound echoed through her house, almost as if daring someone to interrupt her. Misa tied the rope above the bath tub. She shut off the tap. Misa pricked her finger with the needle, drawing blood on her index finger. Delicately, she wrote on the glass mirror, covering it in a beautiful bright red. Checking her looks one last time, she turned on the hair dryer and left it on the edge of the tub. She stepped in, soaking the bottom of her white dress. She held the knife in her hand. Be brave, Misa, she thought. With a loud breath, she plunged the metal into herself, immediately spilling blood into the water. She hoisted herself up with great difficulty, but alas she grabbed hold of the rope. Using her dangling feet, she pushed the hair dryer into the water, the electricity rippling through the liquid. Blood streamed over her once white dress. Misa smiled, as the sounds of the ticking lessened, as it quieted. It was still not gone though. Soon though, she thought, soon. With one last bitter laugh against the world, she slipped her head through the noose. 

"You can bind me no longer! I am free!" Misa shouted the message written upon the mirror. She could still hear the ticking, as if it were haunting her. It slowly left as her eyesight blurred.

Tick-tock, tick-tock.

It echoed until she could hear it no longer. Misa left the world that day, she freed herself from the only thing she feared in this world. Time.

Yet, it remains.

~~~

Dear faithful readers,

I apologize for ruining the mood I set during this story. I want to inform my fans- and readers, that this will be my last work. I am not setting a specific time for my return to Wattpad. I do not have the heart to continue writing. At least, not the stories I have already started. I do not know if I will continue anything for the moment; I just need some time for myself. I know for the past few months, I have been inconsistently posting, and you guys have been very loyal. Always voting, comment, and embracing my work with open arms. I appreciate everything you- my readers, have done for me. I do not want to give you anymore half-assed work. If you did not notice, my standards for writing have been deteriorating with each new chapter I posted for my main story. I am extremely sick of writing something I did not put my heart into. I do not want to give you that type of work. If I enjoy writing something, even if it is terrible, I would be able to publish it with a smile. This, however, is not me right now. 

I will stay on Wattpad, so I am not really "gone." Everyone can still chat me or drop a message, and I will reply. I just will not release any new work for an undetermined amount of time. I may start anew on a different website, and if I do, I will be sure to announce it to all of you. I want to thank all of my loving readers for being with me- for supporting me.

Lovingly,

Charlotte