A Respite in Time

Dazed. Disoriented. The familiar feeling of being pulled into a random time zone, came rushing back like a knife to the gut. As I trudged across what felt like grass, my exo suit began adapting to the unknown surroundings. I looked at my hands, still seeing blurred double vision from the time jump, and noticed this time the suit was giving me a completely new disguise. The suits advanced fabric danced across my body, layering itself like a chameleon to give me some kind of black, tailcoat jacket? "Alexa, where am I?" I exclaimed.

"Hello Enzo... you have mistakenly travelled to the year 1897, England. The previous mission was successful but an anomaly has occurred in the time jump. Your suit is damaged and needs a new gyroscope, otherwise you will not be able to time jump home safely. I am routing you to the closest destination."

I replied, " Thanks, I suppose I should keep low, as this wasn't exactly the best time for someone of my colour!"

***

I arrived at a small settlement called Shrewsberry, shortly after a tranquil hike through the woods. The sun lit up the town with a lightshow of gold, shining through every crack and crevice, giving the perfect angle to assess the area. The streets were tightly cramped, with both small and tall terraced houses of brown brick, which sat crookedly as though they were stacked on top of one another. It was an aesthetically pleasing town, a charmingly quaint vibe with its simplicity overruling complexity. There was an area I headed towards which looked like a town square, the cobblestone ground made it hard to walk with while wearing these terribly, unfashionable brogue shoes. I perched next to a cast iron lamp post which was dead in the centre of the courtyard, and kneeled for a moment so I could get my bearings straight.

As I got up, I couldn't help the unbearable prickling sensation of being watched, almost as though I wasn't welcome here. I looked around me and noticed each civilian was glaring at me, some scowling, some shying away at eye contact. I felt quite out of place, like the runt of a litter, scrambling around while the others feasted on my malaise. This must've been how my father felt when he was at school in the early 2010s, he spoke of this awkward feeling that being an ethnic minority brings. Racism doesn't exist in the future anymore... what an odd way of life!

I proceeded onto the destination, which was a dainty shop called "The old curiosity." The shop had bespoke windows which were smeared with brown dust, giving the building an unsettling appearance. I placed my hand on the rough oak door, stunted with a sudden anxious feeling that gradually bubbled at the pits of my stomach. The feeling diminished as the exo suits safe enclosure comforted me with a warm embrace, reminding me that hope is only a few steps away.

A somewhat nostalgic bell rang as I stepped into the shop. The musty smell of old antiques smacked my nostrils as the floorboards creaked painfully under my sudden ingress. So much for laying low!

"Who goes there?" pronounced the shop keeper. I meandered my way through the disordered, wooden shelves across to the counter and eyed the man up. He was a short, shrunken man with beady eyes, glaring at me, through golden spectacles.

"I'm looking for a gyroscope of some kind. I have no shillings but I can trade you this gold pocket watch?" I fumbled around for a non-existent watch in my pocket, which Alexa had kindly just generated for me within the second. If only my tech was advanced enough to generate a working gyroscope, life would be so much easier! I forced out a gawky grin as I showed the watch, instantly regretting it as he didn't seem very convinced. My heart began to pound the beat of a thousand timpani's. He knows the watch is fake! I'm gonna be stuck here, how can I even agghh I'm never gonna see my VR again what will happe-

"Hmmm, wait here." said the shopkeeper with a raised eyebrow. A shot of relief flooded through my body as I silently celebrated the success.

I waited patiently for the shopkeeper to return and took the opportunity to look around, analysing the odd design of the shop. There were shelves stacked upon shelves, cluttered with useless junk that the shop keeper had clearly collected over a lifetime. It seemed like quite an interesting occupation, selling, buying... and eventually selling again when bored of the collection.

"Here, take it." muttered the miserable keeper. I took the gyroscope from the man and calmly strode out of the shop, feeling an enormous sense of pride.

With everything I needed, all I had to do was get back to the woods so I could fit the new gyroscope and make the time jump where no one would see me. The town square had suddenly gotten a lot busier in the time that I was in the shop, making it fairly difficult to weave my way through the already narrow street. I stood and observed for a moment in bliss, as I most likely wouldn't see this alluring scenery again.

The town was booming with life, so many people all different in their individual ways. They all wore similar clothing, however there was a clear divide between the rich and poor. The rich wore long dark clothes, some were wearing top hats which gleamed in the abundance of hubris actions. They floated through the crowds with a delicate sense of elegancy, making sure to keep their noses flying high above everyone else's. The poor on the other-hand were quite literally the opposite. Violence, shouting, unruliness. Like starved tigers, fighting over survival with nothing in their eyes except the final kill. It was quite sad to see how people who came from the same ground, the same sun and the same air were trapped in this illusion of divide yet were governed by the notorious leadership of...money.

I started to move through the vicious tides of the crowd, suddenly feeling the awkwardness of being the only coloured person in the area. I'm almost through the crowd, just a few more- CRASHH!

I was forced to the ground, grazing my shoulder on the rugged cobblestone as a lady tumbled into me.

"I'm tttterribly sorry young fella," she stuttered as she scrambled to pick up her paperwork, which now blanketed the floor. I watched as she barged her way through the crowd, still feeling a bit startled from my fall. Wait she left her book on the floor!

"Ma'am you forgot your..." It was too late. She was nowhere to be seen. I dusted myself off as I picked up the abandoned book from the floor, curious as to what was inside. It was an onyx black notebook made from the most prestigious of leathers. The distinct smell filled my nostrils with delight and was truly refreshing as real leather isn't used in the future anymore. I ran my hand across the soft brushed spine, feeling the polished grainy texture and opened the book. The top of the blank page read CHATWIN 1807. I swear that's the surname of guy who created moleski-

" OI YOU THERE!" bellowed a scrawny looking man. He wore a flat cap with braces holding his dirty trousers and had soot powdered on his face. "HE JUS' STOLE THAT GIRLS BOOK!"

I wallowed in fear as everyone's solemn gazes slowly rolled over to me. Even the sturdy horse pulling a cart froze and craned its neck to glare.

"I saw's ya... I hear of creatures like you. Comin' to our country an' infecting us with your lurgies, " snarled the man.

A posh lady in the crowd screeched, " OH it's a tragedy. My eyes, my beautiful eyes!" More and more people started shouting things and they slowly enclosed me into a corner like prey.

"Mummy, I'm scared!"

"I'm mortified, utterly mortified!"

"They came from the sun, burned and ready to kill us all with fiery eyed vengeance!"

"WE'RE GONNA DIE!"

The chattering of the fearful crowd grew louder and louder, I didn't have time for this narrow mindedness. I pointed forwards and shouted, " Look there goes the Queen!" To the crowds dismay, they all gasped and looked behind them. With time running short, I turned and sprinted down a random side alley which conveniently lead to the forest in the distance. While running, I smirked at how easy it was to fool the crowd. I can't believe racism ever existed, they seemed afraid like children to spiders!

I stopped running once I reached a safe distance and was surrounded by a small, peaceful orchard in the forest. The exo suits tailcoat disguise faded as I prepared myself for the time jump. I followed Alexa's instructions and placed the gyroscope in a small compartment inside my vambrace. I trusted that Alexa would handle connecting the ancient device appropriately.

"Alexa, set the destination 10th March 2046. Let's get home safe this time!" The whirring of reality crumbling coated my ears with a huge sense of relief. I stayed still, as the grass beneath my feet started moving like waves of the ocean, drifting gracefully with the ebb and flow. The colours of the sky became vibrant and mixed together to form the most beautiful kaleidoscopic patterns, which slowly faded away as everything started to turn white. Sound was splashed across me and moved like a school of fish with varying pitches, blending amongst the psychedelic state of time travel.

The future. A metropolis of technology. Joy ran thick through my veins as I breathed in the polluted air of New California. I sometimes forget that even though the future is so advanced socially and tech wise, it's still rammed with people who only now have realised the effect of global warming. The past had some strange ethics, but they were living on a clean world which is something that this current future will never offer.

"Hello Enzo, welcome home," said Alexa in a warm tone, " Might I add a small suggestion of going to the local tradesman, this gyroscope here has an estimated worth of $15000. I can route you to the closest destination?"

"$15000? Is money even worth it nowadays? I guess I could store it for memories sake.

I followed Alexa's kind directions to the nearest trade shop which was only a few minutes' walk. The familiar white marble roads and towering skyscrapers were quite the contrast of the year 1897. At least I could walk normally without sliding in those brogue shoes on the uneven cobblestone! I nodded at couple, happy to see a more diverse civilisation, as I let them past before entering the shop. Opening the door with much confidence, I walked up to the counter to see if I could make the trade.

"Good afternoon young sir," pronounced the robotic shop keeper, maintaining its static voice.

"Hi... I have this gyroscope which I collected and was wondering if I could possibly make a trade?" I showed the gyroscope to the curious shopkeeper and to my surprise, the robot dropped its mechanical jaw, making a grinding metal sound. I could see the delight in the robots face and chuckled under my breath.

The robot belted out, " This relic is perfect for my collection! I'll buy it for $20,000 no questions asked."

"Deal," I smiled as I shook hands with the now contented robot.

Walking out of the shop, I reflected deeply upon this experience, leading me to think about the racism I had encountered with the fearful civilians. Children fear spiders, not knowing what or who the spider is and that fear slowly grows into hate. The child never heals the fear that lurks within, and expresses the hatred, influencing others. What if racism was always just a fatuous fear?