Parallel [ONC 2020] // Shortlisted

Chapter Thirteen

We spent that morning watching as Ricky drew a detailed plan on a sheet of paper, having to expand and elaborate on certain points when they didn't make any sense to either myself or Mrs Likens. Even though she had accepted the idea of parallel dimensions and even me crossing timelines pretty much immediately, but Ricky's plan seemed a stretch even to her. There were many components, many things that didn't make any sense, but Ricky was determined that it would work.

Her plan involved many different phases in order to make sure it worked the way she had thought it would. First, she wanted to reset all of the clocks to the time it had been when I had crossed timelines. She wanted to watch and see just what happened the first time and then keep changing the time until something happened. Mitch had said she had stolen the idea from a TV show that aired a few years before, but I didn't know what he could have been referring to or what a TV even was.

Mrs Likens suggested we use the grandfather clock in the main hallway as it was the only clock in the house that had belonged to our family. It was the one thing that hadn't changed and could hold the key we needed to get me home if it worked. Despite the first step seeming simple enough, I wasn't entirely sure how a clock could have caused a shift in a timeline that led to me ending up over a hundred years from where I was supposed to be. I had no intention of questioning it, though.

"What was the time, as you remember it, that you left your bedroom?" Ricky asked as we stood in front of the clock.

"Ten past four, we were supposed to leave at quarter past," I said.

"Right."

Ricky opened the glass that covered the clock face and lightly turned the hands. She didn't turn it to the exact time but left a little extra time to see if anything happened the moment the clock hit ten past four. I watched as she closed the clock face and took a step back, her eyes fixated on the clock for the moment it struck the right time.

I stood watching the clock though I didn't know what to expect. Nothing good had ever come from a clock other than a loud ringing sound that used to make me jump whenever it rang, even if I knew it when it would ring. Ricky hadn't said what she expected from the clock going off, but if the show she had been watching was correct then something would only happen if the clock had been reset several times. I certainly didn't think that standing in front of a clock for several hours would be how I was spending my time.

The clock ticked down the final seconds until it hit ten past four. Nothing happened. The hands on the clock continued to move as though they hadn't been changed and nothing extravagant too place. Whatever Ricky had been expecting, it hadn't happened the way she wanted it to, and I had my doubts that it would ever take place. A clock seemed like a strange plan.

"Well, that was anti-climactic," Mitch said. He raised an eyebrow at Ricky. "You do know that just because this happened on a show doesn't mean it would happen in real life, right?"

"I'm not stupid, Mitch. It was worth a try, besides, they did it multiple times in the show before anything happened. One more try and if nothing happens that we find another plan. It can't hurt to try and it's better than nothing."

"We might as well try again. This is the only plan we have and moving the hands of a clock is much more fun than marking your exam papers," Mrs Likens added.

"Okay, fine. One more try and then we find another route. There has got to be an easier way to reopen the hole then by standing in front of a clock and hoping for something to happen."

"You have no sense of adventure, Mitch."

"Can we just get on with it? I would rather we discover if this will work so we can come up with a new plan if it does not work," I said.

The three of them exchanged glances but Ricky took another step forward, opened the glass cover once more and reset the hands. She closed the cover and took a step back, folding her arms across her chest and watching the clock face with such intensity she could have set it on fire with her own eyes. Ricky seemed determined for her plan to be the one that worked, especially as we had no other options and if it didn't work, we would be well and truly stumped.

I watched the seconds tick down, hoping against hope that something would happen when the clock struck ten past four. The plan seemed ludicrous, insane even, but it was better than nothing and having a plan is better than having no plan at all.

The seconds ticked down and the hands moved.

"You'll need a shawl, Harriet."