Author:
Audience Rating:
Publication:
Genre:
Character Age:
TG Themes:
Permission:
This is actually the first part of a longer story that has long since bitten the dust. I don't know if I will write more about this character or if s/he will appear in other stories. Today whilst browsing through my unfinished work I realised that this actually works as a stand alone story and doesn't need the rest to work.
The Time Traveller?
by JC
My story is weird, I admit that now. My name is or was Jack Thompson; I’m 13 and now live near the small market town of Settle. I go to school there too, which isn’t weird. What is weird is that at school I’m known as Vicky, short for Victoria. I’m still a Thompson.
Mum and Dad have no idea only my mysterious benefactor and my big sister know. My sister is three years older than me and I couldn’t ask for a nicer sister, not only has she helped me become my true self but she got one of her friends to fix my school records so that Jack was Victoria.
Mysterious benefactor? Well this is the weird part. One day not long after we moved up here, I had gone to the shop in the village to get some sweets; I took the round about route home. The round about route takes me down a public footpath to the beck, there’s a bench there and I planned on eating my sweets there while listening to the burbling beck. After sitting there for about ten minutes a man approached along the foot path, out walking his dog.
There was a weird sting of recognition when I first saw him, but I’d never seen him before that I knew. The dog was one of those hairy gun dog types, and having great fun leaping in and out of the water. The man smiled at me and said hello. I got up to leave, I wasn’t scared of him, well not exactly, but living in a city for thirteen years makes you cautious of strangers.
“Don’t go Jack; I have some things to help you out.”
“I have to go, sorry.” How does he know my name?
“I know don’t talk to strangers, but thing is Jack I’m not a stranger, though a little strange.”
“I don’t know you do I?”
“Not yet, but you will do.” Okay I’m scared.
“Who are you?”
“My name is Jack Thompson.” Just like me?
“Wow.”
“In fact Jack, I am you. Or you as you will be in twenty years time.” I laughed.
“Time travel?”
“Yes, I have some things for you then I have to leave, we have all the time in the world but lets make this quick.”
“I have to go.”
“I know you do, back home. You’re avoiding tidying your bedroom, because if you do you might be able to get out of going shopping tomorrow. And you don’t want to shop because mum is making you buy new school uniform and you won’t get the one you want.” I sat down again in shock.
“How?”
“As I said Jack I’m you, this happened to me twenty years ago. And I know why the uniform is wrong. Victoria.” That did I was terrified now, no-one knew about my alter-ego, no-one. “But it’s easy to do, I have a parcel to give you now, it has everything in it that I can remember and some money to get you started. I can’t force you to take it, but you will.”
He placed a slim wrapped parcel on the end of the bench furthest from me; I reached out a hand to pick it up. As I looked up now with the parcel in my hand I watched the strange… woman walk off with her dog.
If you liked this post, you can leave a comment and/or a kudos!
Click the Thumbs Up! button below to leave the author a kudos:
And please, remember to comment, too! Thanks.
Comments
The Time Traveller
Strange, but interesting. You have my interest and hopefully, you will continue it.
Marco
Interesting is right
This is a classic short story, with just enough facts to tell the tale. We don't know what's in the package and we don't have to, just that the future Jack gave him what was necessary to make Victoria, the future Jack's deepest desire that he had lost become a reality. Well done.
Aardvark
"Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony."
Mahatma Gandhi
"Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony."
Mahatma Gandhi
JC, bravo
Where do you get these ideas?
I agree, unless you have a monumental story to follow this, leave it as it is. It will keep us readers thinking for days.
Reader thinks, "He traveled to the past to change his own future but in changing it will he, um she be able to travel to the past from the changed future to ensure the change in the past happens but then .... Ack!"
John in Wauwatosa
John in Wauwatosa
Uh huh, the time travel
Uh huh, the time travel conundrum. Do you change history if you travel back in time and tinker with some small thing? Seems that Jack coming back to himself 20 years, did just that, 'as the strange woman walked off with her dog'. Very nice, JC, short, sweet and to the point. Jan
Another Winner...
...from the Random Solos listing. Doug (Aardvark) had it right: we don't need any more, now that we've seen the climax.
Eric
found this on random solos
its really good. it reminded me a little of a time travel story called "Lessons from a Park Bench Conversation", by some lady named Dorothy Colleen...