A Writer's Time Capsule

Chapter 4 - Lost Youth

My eyes screamed with agony as the screen stabbed them with spears of light. I tried to lower the brightness, but no matter how many times I pressed the button, the harsh light refused to dim.

I moved my gaze away from the large expanse of cluttered black and white letters, also known as my essay from hell, and to the bottom right corner of the computer screen. Squinting, I managed to make out the numbers '1 :22' and 'am'. Blinking once, I rubbed my eyes to make sure I wasn't hallucinating. 

'Crap,' I thought. 'I've been working on this for that long!?'

As if on cue, my mouth opened into a giant yawn. I took a brief glance back to the screen, eyes drooping with exhaustion, I scanned the writing. I noted all the areas that would probably get marks deducted for lack of technical language. I wondered when things became so serious and bleak. When did society begin pressuring me to grow up? When did everyone start expecting me to be at the top, to do better? When did things change? When was the last time I was able to just be carefree?

Sighing, I rid myself of those questions and opted to take a break and get a drink. After a short stretch, I pushed myself out of the chair. My back was sore from leaning over the keyboard for so long. 

I stared out into the inky blackness of the room. The light from the computer only provided a faint outline of my cluttered room. 

Taking small, cautious steps forward, I dangled my arms about in a feeble attempt to feel my way across the room. 

Suddenly, my foot slipped on something small and cylindrical. My body spun and twisted. My other foot caught onto, what I could only assume was, a stray book laying on the floor. I flew backwards and careened into an inconveniently placed shelf. 

My head smacked against hard wood. The shelf gave a violent shudder, the impact blowing dust into the air and causing various objects to tumble off the shelves. A box-like object crashed onto my head, before landing on my outstretched legs. 

I groaned, rubbing my head to soothe the growing bump. With my arms I pushed off the floor in a meek attempt to stand. My limbs struggled against exhaustion and hunger before giving out. As I slumped back down to the floor, the small box (which had been resting on my legs) rolled off with a quiet thud. My curiosity got the better of me and I reached out. My hand grappled at empty air for awhile before enclosing around smooth cardboard. Placing it onto my lap, I inspected its contents -read: feeling around and taking a wild guess- I realized it felt like some kind of old tape recorder/walk men. 

While fumbling with the device, I accidentally flicked a switch that was on the side and a voice drifted from it. A painfully familiar voice. 

"-and it was one of the best days of my life! I know I say that a lot but I didn't think my mum would actually buy me a cheeseburger..." 

The voice reverberated around my head. Knocking on the previously locked door of my memory. The padlock snapped off and the door swung open. Thousands more following in stride.

'I remember this' 

 This person talking was... me. From 16 years ago. 

 As I listened to the exuberant, high-pitched voice, I slowly began to relive my childhood with each passing word. I saw the moments I was upset, happy, confused and everything in between. I didn't realize I was crying until I felt water drops fall onto my trembling hands. The tears continued to fall relentlessly as I listened to my younger self talk about her day. 

It weighed down my heart, as I recalled what once was and what could've been. Remembering filled me with grief as I mourned my lost youth. Yet, I was also happy for that young, naïve girl. Happy that she was able to be carefree and innocent while she could. 

I cried myself to sleep that night, still clutching the cassette player. My shirt soaked through. 

A/N This was first written in 30 minutes, but I figured I should edit it before publishing. I was given a guide I had to follow when writing this. 

Write a story that includes 3 or more of these things (could be mentioned in a limited way or a major way):

- Bike

- PC

- Cassette

- Book

I chose the PC, book and cassette.