Jovial Memories

Chapter 5

            The next morning, Mandy could still taste the faint taste of chocolate in her mouth, and she had to pull out the Time Precedent from her wardrobe to validate it had not been a dream and that she really did have access to the past now. Her heart leapt with excitement, though it immediately sank when she realized it was the middle of the week and she'd have to attend school before experimenting with the device some more.

            Sighing, Mandy shoved it back in her wardrobe and put on warm clothes for the day, pulling open her window curtains to find yet another new layer of snow coating the ground. She secretly prayed for school to get cancelled, but at that moment, a snow plow happily went down the street, and Mandy groaned, tying her long hair back.

            She threw on her old coat out of habit, not really paying attention to the day. All she wanted to do was experiment with the Time Precedent. She wanted to see her happy family again, her friends...

            "Mandy, hurry up and eat before you miss the bus!" her mother shouted from downstairs.

            Caught up in her daydreams, she hadn't realized how long she'd taken to get ready. Throwing materials in her backpack, she zipped it up and raced down the steps, her feet clanking loudly with each step she took.

            A piece of toast slathered with a layer of peanut butter lay steaming on the table, a glass of orange juice beside it. Mandy thought back to the pancakes she'd eaten the day before. Of course, that had been in the Year Dimension, not real life. Still, she longed for those now.

            "Why are you wearing that coat? It's all old," her mother said, putting away food in the cabinet.

            "I didn't even realize I grabbed it," Mandy admitted, taking a bite of peanut butter toast. "Should I grab my other?"

            "No, just hurry up and eat," her mother commanded.

            Mandy nodded, wolfing down the piece of toast and gulping down the orange juice. As she set the empty glass down, she paused.

            "Mom, why don't we eat pancakes sometime?" she suggested.

            Her mother was leaning down as she pulled the garbage bag out of the garbage. At this, her mother paused, standing back up.

            "Pancakes? I haven't made those in forever," her mother admitted. "What brought on that?"

            Mandy shrugged. "I was just craving them."

            "Maybe another time," her mother thought. Mandy smiled, seeing her mother seemed to crave this idea as well.

            "Now go! I can see the bus!" her mother shouted.

            Mandy grabbed her bags and rushed to the door, her mother following behind.

            "Have a good day!" she called.

            Mandy nodded, rushing out the door into the wintry environment. The bus stopped near the edge of Mandy's street, and she raced as fast as she could to catch up to it. Students were already boarding, and as the last one stepped on, Mandy reached the stop, waving her arms and shouting, "Wait!"

            Fortunately, the bus driver noticed her and the doors opened. Mandy hopped in, trying to ignore the glare from the bus driver. With her late arrival, there weren't many seats, and she made her way to the back, trying to isolate herself as best as she could.