family
Not As Faithful
The sulfuric smells were overpowering. Large groups of people huddled around a single spot. Aside from the occasional gurgle, the day was perfect. The sky above was the color of purest azure. People did murmur. There were some children who yanked on their mommy's or daddy's sleeve. All impatient over the big proclaimed miracle that occurred on time every day since God knows when. Standing on the platform far enough away, I too was just as impatient. When it did happen, it wasn't as marvelous as everyone proclaimed. As a young preteen, I turned up my nose. "Old Fateful isn't that big! I didn't even get wet!"
By Crystal Nealabout a year ago in Fiction
Eldoria s heroes
Jasper’s Challenge Jasper, the mighty bear, was already known for his strength, but he was eager to learn if there was more he could do. He journeyed to the highest peaks of Eldoria Vale, where the winds howled and the air was thin. There, he met an ancient bear who had lived for centuries. His fur was silvered with age, and his eyes held the wisdom of the ages.
By Gabriela Toneabout a year ago in Fiction
A Mother’s Suggestion
I thought I was prepared, but until your seventeen-year-old kid, all six feet two of him, walks in, covered in someone’s blood, you don’t know. At first, you’re just grateful it’s not his, having examined him head to toe for any scratches or wounds, any parting gifts other than the quickly drying blood. I looked for that joyful light in Mike’s eyes, the one that kept me fighting all these years. Dull, like someone had covered it up. Shoulders hunched and skin stained brown, he seemed more like a rusted-out car on the side of the road, abandoned. But I’d never do that.
By Ramim Akondoabout a year ago in Fiction
Amiya and Mink
The sound of glass shattering as it hit the floor filled the entire house. It was her mother’s favorite vase. It didn’t cost much. Its value was all sentimental. Still, right away, she knew she was in trouble. Even before her mother screamed out her name.
By David E. Perryabout a year ago in Fiction
Life at the Cost of Drinking a Cup of Time: The Simulated Dream
Part Four: Next Experiment: Time Trap The next experiment lasts two hours and is considered the final stage before the main experiment. However, things don’t go as expected in this trial. Alex suddenly falls into a time loop and is sent back to his childhood. Professor Darcy, noticing the changes with concern, says to his team in a voice filled with anxiety: "He’s trapped at a point far from his past, in a trap of his childhood trauma." He instructs his team: "Adjust the signals so that specific memories are triggered for him, and prevent his mind from deciding where it wants to go. We must ensure this doesn’t get out of our control." Despite the team’s efforts to prevent Alex from returning to his childhood, Alex unintentionally goes back to age five, sitting in his room, drawing. But suddenly, his stepmother, Monica, enters the room and harshly says, "Why haven’t you cleaned your room?" Alex, shocked by the harshness and crying, leaves his drawing unfinished to obey Monica. As he cleans his room, his focus seems scattered due to his distress and anxiety. After tidying up, he returns to complete his drawing. The drawing depicts a strange, unknown place—an unfamiliar location that he’s never seen before. The drawing seems like it’s from a future time, but not a future he recognizes. As night falls, Alex, tearfully, shows his drawing to his father. However, his father, with a saddened and upset expression, tells him, "You need to listen to Monica, Alex." This statement deeply affects Alex, and he goes to bed, crying himself to sleep. Meanwhile, Professor Darcy and his team are doing everything they can to pull Alex out of this state. They try to modify the signals to wake him up and bring him out of this nightmarish state. But when Alex finally wakes up, his cries echo in the air, and he shouts that, in the last moment, he heard Sarah screaming. Professor Darcy, with concern, tells his team: "This is getting out of control. This situation is far more complicated than we thought." That night, Rosalyn, who is reviewing the recorded tape of the experiment, tells Alex that, at the beginning of the tape, she heard a childish voice from Alex asking for help. The voice came from a time full of emotions, pain, and trauma. But when they listened to the tape again, there was no new voice. This occurrence deeply worries Rosalind, raising the question of what might happen to Alex in the future and whether these signals are affecting Alex's mind in an unpredictable way. This experiment and its complexities have trapped Alex in an unknown world from his past. The question arises whether he will be able to break free from this time trap and his childhood trauma, or if this is just the beginning of the nightmares that will emerge for him in the future. And most importantly, will Alex change the past, or will the past change him?
By Vafa Abbasiabout a year ago in Fiction
Life at the Cost of Drinking a Cup of Time: The Simulated Dream
Part Three: The Nightmarish Dream -One Day Before the Next Phase of the Experiment- Alex lay in his room, but sleep eluded him. Thoughts swirled endlessly in his mind, and he felt as though something deep inside was pulling him. Suddenly, a physical pain settled in his chest, and before he could react, the world around him began to spin. A sharp dizziness overtook him, as if his entire body was being sucked into an endless whirlpool. He opened his eyes and found himself in a dark, endless corridor. All around him were tall, narrow walls that seemed to stretch forever. At the beginning of the hallway, a small, faint light illuminated the space, casting deep shadows that made the surroundings even darker. His legs felt heavy, and with every step he took, the sound of scraping against the ground echoed in his ears. His breath became labored, as if the air around him was thinning. Suddenly, a loud laugh broke the silence of the night. The sound, coming from an unknown depth, was not only strange but seemed to be coming from all directions. Trembling with fear, Alex began to run, but the corridor still appeared endless. The further he ran, the louder and more terrifying the laughter became. The sounds pierced his mind in a way that was both unsettling and maddening. In the midst of this darkness, a faint light caught his eye. He stepped toward it, and gradually, the light transformed into a large wooden door at the end of the hallway. It seemed as though everything was within his grasp—the door called to him in a magical way. But as he drew closer to the door, the laughter grew louder. Alex placed his hand on the door, and as his heart raced, he opened it. Inside the room stood Sara, but something had changed in her face. Her gaze was cold and emotionless, not the loving, serene look Alex remembered. She looked at him with a ruthless expression, just as she had in the nightmares. "Alex..." Sara’s voice cast a cruel shadow over him. "You shouldn’t enter this game... this isn’t just a game. It’s a game with time, a game with fate." Alex responded with a trembling voice, "Sara... what are you saying? What happened here?" Sara smiled, a smile that lacked any warmth. "You’re just a pawn in this game, Alex. Nothing is real. This is just a dream." Before Alex could say anything more, the terrifying laughter returned, echoing through the room like deadly gunshots in his ears. He tried to approach Sara, but his legs felt heavy, as if he was trapped in a swamp of fear and despair. With every step he took, he seemed to get more and more trapped, caught in a never-ending loop. Suddenly, the ground beneath him began to tremble, and the space around him twisted. The walls shook, and withered trees and strange shadows passed by him. It felt as though everything he came near began to vanish, as if the world around him was collapsing from within. Alex looked around in utter horror. He couldn’t understand what was happening. Everything was changing too fast, and he felt like he was caught in a digital, simulated world—a matrix, or perhaps an endless nightmare. He gasped for breath, shouting at himself to wake up. The more he shouted, the more he felt trapped in this deceptive world. "I need to wake up..." he repeated to himself, as the world around him began to disintegrate. Then, everything fell silent. When Alex opened his eyes, he was met with a cold, snowy landscape. Immediately, he realized that nothing in his surroundings was real. It had all been a nightmare. He was lying in his bed, still heavy with sleep. With a deep breath, Alex found a sense of calm and finally understood that what he had experienced was only a nightmare. But he still felt that deep inside that dream, something more than what he had seen was hidden. Something that reminded him that fate and time couldn’t simply be manipulated.
By Vafa Abbasiabout a year ago in Fiction
Your Ultimate Guide to Planning a Beachside Wedding
A beachside wedding is a romantic and breathtaking way to say "I do." With the waves as your backdrop and the ocean breeze in the air, it creates an unforgettable experience. However, planning a beach wedding comes with unique challenges. Here’s everything you need to know to plan a seamless and magical beachside wedding.
By felciya arrabout a year ago in Fiction
Life at the Cost of Drinking a Cup of Time: The Simulated Dream
Part two: A Gamble with Fate (Continued) Several preliminary tests had been conducted as trials to prepare Alex for the real experiment on the day of the accident. These tests were specifically designed to place him in controlled conditions and assess his body's reactions to time simulations. The goal was to bring Alex back to the day of the accident, but before anything else, they had to ensure his body could handle such a challenge. The tests were carried out with utmost precision to determine if his body responded properly to the simulations and whether any adverse effects would occur. The days in the lab passed quickly, with each experiment bringing Alex closer to the ultimate goal. -First Steps Backward- As the sound of the machine faded, Alex found himself in a familiar place—a quiet street bathed in the soft light of a streetlamp. He could smell Sarah’s perfume faintly, hear the laughter of their son, Tom, in the distance, and feel the warmth of the summer night air on his skin. Everything was just as he remembered, but it didn’t feel right. The world around him was a simulated version, designed to mimic the past with disturbing accuracy. Alex knew this wasn’t real, but it was real enough to make his heart ache. He stood still, unable to move, while his eyes locked onto the scene. Before him, Sarah stood on the porch, waiting for him. "Alex," her voice gently drifted from a distance, a voice that still echoed in his mind. Her eyes were filled with love, the same gaze she always had when she looked at him. But something was different. The look in her eyes, just as Alex remembered, no longer held the same trust it once did. There was distance, a kind of caution in her eyes that Alex didn’t recognize. "Are you okay?" Sarah asked, her brows furrowed with concern. Alex took a step forward, his heart racing. "I—I’m not sure," he muttered, unsure how to begin this conversation. He didn’t know how to tell her that he was from the future or that everything they had was built on the fragility of time. Just like the moments before, the world around him began to shake. The porch, the light, Sarah’s face—everything trembled as if a scene were collapsing. A wave of panic swept over him. He couldn’t lose her again, not like this. He reached out, trying to grasp onto the illusion, but it slipped through his fingers. His breath caught in his throat as he realized that nothing could be held onto anymore—not even the past. -Ripple Effects- Alex’s mission was simple: save Tom. But even as he stood in this world, just a few steps away from Sarah, he knew that his presence was already beginning to alter the course of events. In this simulated past, every interaction had weight. Every action, every word, could bring him closer to saving his son—or it could set off a chain of reactions that would change everything he thought he knew. "Sarah," he began, his voice trembling as he tried to hold on to this fleeting moment. "I need to ask you something. It’s really important. Please listen." She looked at him, but there was something in her gaze that made Alex hesitate. Could she somehow sense that something was wrong? "What’s going on, Alex? What’s happened to you?" she asked, her voice laced with worry and anxiety. "You’ve been distant lately... Is there something you're not telling me?" For a moment, Alex faltered. The weight of the decision was heavier than he could bear. How much should he reveal? If he told her he came from the future—about Tom, about the accident—would it give him any chance of changing the future? "I—" he began, but the words wouldn’t come. He didn’t know what to say, didn’t know how to convince her. The world trembled again. This time, more violently. The universe around him began to destabilize, and he felt time’s pull dragging him back to the present. There was no time left. He hadn’t made any progress toward his mission. "Alex, what’s happening?" Sarah’s voice turned into a scream as the scene started to fade, her face morphing in fear. Alex turned toward her, but before he could say anything, the world completely collapsed, and he was swallowed by darkness. -A Moment of Clarity- When Alex opened his eyes again, he was back in the machine. The world he had been in—the past, the simulation—was gone. Only the cold, sterile environment of the lab remained. He felt disoriented, his body heavy with exhaustion. Professor Darcy stood over him, his expression unreadable. "Alex, you were in the simulation for an hour. How did it go?" Alex struggled to sit up, his mind spinning. Sarah’s voice still echoed in his ears, her concerned questions ringing in his head. It had felt real. So real. "I... I couldn’t reach her," Alex said in a hoarse voice. "I tried. But it wasn’t like I thought. She... she sensed something was wrong. She felt it." Darcy’s eyes narrowed as he entered some commands into the machine. "We predicted this," he said, his voice soft but firm. "The simulation doesn’t just recreate the past. It reacts to you. Your presence here isn’t just as an observer. You’re changing things... and the past is reacting to you." Alex’s heart sank. "What do you mean?" Darcy paused, as if carefully choosing his words. "It means the simulation doesn’t just recreate the past. It’s reacting to you. Your presence here is affecting time." The machine and the simulation were presented as tools for altering time and its consequences. Ethical and philosophical questions about changing the past began to surface. -The Gamble- The day of testing came to an end, and Alex returned home. He still felt an overwhelming fatigue in his body, his mind filled with questions and uncertainties that no one had been able to fully answer. When he entered the house, he felt that the experience of that day was still alive in his mind, like a nightmare that wouldn’t end. The sound of the lab machine, the familiar smells, and the cold atmosphere of the place were all etched in his memory. But at this moment, he needed to do something beyond all of this. As he walked into the house, he decided to record the experience of that day on an audio tape. Every word that came out of his mouth unconsciously eased the pressure that weighed on him. He couldn’t keep all of these experiences in his head; he had to document them. He brought the microphone close to his mouth and slowly recorded everything that had happened to him. Then, he wrote on the tape, "Project S" and handed it to his sister, Rosalyn, asking her to listen to it and note any changes that might occur in the tape over the next few days. He also emphasized that she should not speak to anyone about this project. He knew that this project was, in fact, a fruitless gamble that could consume everything he called the present.
By Vafa Abbasiabout a year ago in Fiction
