Short Stories II

The First Passage

'I believe that there is a reason as to why my tomorrow becomes my yesterday; and just why nightfall becomes my sunrise from the morning before.'

Chass dotted off the end of her sentence in time to whiteness the transition from today to yesterday.
Like a wooden puzzle, the stars greeted one another into the center of the horizon, piecing together the exact fragments to assemble yesterday's sun. Chass tugged the binding of her small diary, flipping to the next page to describe the assembly further.

'Like a shattered dome, the sun collected the stars to grow from the landline... and I think that with the universal power given by these nova snippets, it creates enough force to completely debunk time itself. This is when yesterday begins again... the grass rises to accompany the morning chills while the sun basks it's morning light on this very hill,'

Chass took a small breath, regrouping her thoughts after writing the heavy description. Her typical writing style was much of that of her quiet dialect, but she was determined to capture the daily phenomenon as best she could.

She closed her book softly, making her way down the hill to her family's log cabin. Smoke billowed from the crooked iron chimney, meaning that her Mother was preparing bread again.

'Mother seems to be baking... I do miss it.'

Color rose to Chass's cheeks as she understood what this meant amidst this broken timeline

'Right... this was only a day after his disappearance. She couldn't grieve what she didn't know yet. That should mean that when yesterday comes, I'll-'

Chass paused for a moment, her thumb trembling underneath the thin ink. The color blemishing Chass' cheeks peaked a vivid fascia at the realization.

'That means that by the time yesterday comes, I can find him,'

'This could possibly be my only chance to save him... this must be why my life is playing in reverse..."

A pang of comfort aroused her following the passage. By dusk, the day would become yesterday. And yesterday is the day that she would finally find her brother.

Chass clenched her fists together as tears of joy welled in her eyes, allowing the wind to take her tears with it.

'I'm coming for you, brother.'

Chass arrived at the front door of the cabin cautiously, peering into the steamed window. She watched her mother flinch at the rising steam from the elderly oven as she pulled the tray of goods from the inside. Chass grinned as she felt nostalgia take hold of her, gifting the pleasant days of the past to her mind.

She gasped however, squirming to the side of the house at the sight of a masked child. Thrusting her hand into her loose coat pocket, she whipped out her journal to jot immediate thoughts. These sightings could be used for her search.

'The masked children... how could I forget the masked children! Right, right, this is when they circled my garden as I weeded the shrubs. Gosh, what stopped them? That's just when the night broke, only for my first time lapse to occur...'

Chass held her breath as she stumbled into a nearby wheat plain. She opened her eyes to the stalking plants, which thankfully were grown bunched together. Peering over the plantation, she watched the children swerve their heads underneith the weight of the hand-crafted voodoo masks, most likely portraying a scarier threat than they really were. They were only equipped with misshapen wooden rods after all, but considering the fact that around this time her brother disappeared after receiving a noted invite from a harbor child, this could be vital.

Chass silently strode through the wheat plants before arriving at the corner of the garden, the very garden that created the last memory of her advancing life.

Her eyes squeezed tightly before peeking above the wheat plants once more. The masked children pondered around the farmland as they mumbled to one another. She let out a long held breath before snagging the hem of her journal. Almost dropping her stencil, she scribbled a plan that she knew was risky; but the fate of both her life and her brother's was on the line. Chass knew that this was a battle against time.

'His note directed him to the harbor. There's only one place to go to for immediate answers if his death occurs soon,"

'Okay... I'm terrified. Gosh, I'm terrified, what is wrong with me?! I have to go now, I'll run out of time otherwise. Today feels as though it's slipping faster than usual, with the sun in 3pm position.... okay, now!'

Chass slammed her journal into her coat as she scrambled through the fields ahead of her, chasing the sight of the wide harbor gate. All she had to do was cross the forest that separated the domesticated land and the sprawling ocean.

Suddenly, time itself spiraled into a funnel cloud of events. The faces and emotions that were created at her brother's disappearance flourished into space, the roots of her garden peeling as the sky flipped sideways. Chaos engulfed the farm as easily as a drop of water falling from dry thunder, leaving Chass speechless. Her mind throbbed of the detachment from reality as the wind threw her into just anything that the universe wished for her.

Finally, her knees lodged into a tight, brick corridor. This was the home's side closet... why was she here? The energy resonating around her was light and calming, with just enough intelligence to create an atmosphere of close to nothing at all.

Chass shifted her small hands underneath her long coat, holding her trembling thighs as she scanned the room. She felt her eyes bulge from her face, her mouth drooping numbly as she impulsively fumbled for her journal diary.

Wild rose gold locks draped over her eyes as she peeled the pages of her journal to an empty sheet. Running an anxiety-stricken hand through her hair, she recognized writing in the next passage of her novel... but with that of another's handwriting.

'My child, you have learned of loyalty and love! Now that you're back in present times, be on your way with your young brother. He has much to learn as well.'

With that, Chass came face to face with whom she had the closest emotional tie. She took no hesitation to wound her arms around her brother, tears instantly pouring from both of them. She didn't ask where he'd been, or question just how this time warp occurred, for she was much to overwhelmed to even speak clearly.

"Oh my gosh... Gavery! Gavery... I-I love you so much-" Chass breathed, relief engulfing her as her brother's head rested on her chest.

His warm tears ran into her own as they hunched together, holding one another as if tomorrow would be yesterday again.