TIME

Time. It’s complex and indefinite. It’s also an illusion. The past, present, and future are equally realistic in it’s own way. The real question that we all struggled to answer is the possibility to travel through time. Is it possible to travel forward and backwards? To the past and the future? A young man named William made the impossible, possible, and this is his story.

William was fascinated with the conceptions of space and time. He often looked up at the stars and admired its beauty. The universe is more than just a vast and hollow void of darkness. It is far more than that. It is creation, light, and power. There are forces in the universe that he strived to discover. And in a world where he felt like probabilities were limited, space had an endless amount. He was just one man, on one planet, in one solar system, in one galaxy out of a billion more. Time flows endlessly in the universe and William knew that there are no rules that dictate the direction of time. William spent his life growing up with this idea in his head. He wanted to do more than just land on the moon. He wanted to glide through the stars. All of them. As he stood up, a crew member handed him the helmet. William and his crew were getting ready to board the STS- 132 in Cape Canaveral. As he sat inside the rocket, all he could think about was how beautiful the planet will look from up above. He also thought about the jokes he would hear about when he landed back down to Earth. He didn’t feel anxious nor fear. He felt a sense of hopefulness. The engines began to grumble and he can feel the vibrations beneath his feet. Within three minutes, the vibrations were happening less and less until he felt like his body was floating. William detached himself from his seat and bounced over to his window. The overview of Earth was pure bliss. The size of Earth was incredible to him, but the magnificence was far greater. He was overwhelmed and in this moment of time, this was a memory he would never forget. William and his crew were tasked to do maintenance checks on the International Space Station satellite. While he was doing mechanical work, a memory popped into his head. It was him and his grandfather. His grandfather had always been a smart man. He always looked up to him and he adored their conversations about the universe and time. He remembered asking him that if he had the option to go to the past or the future, what would he choose? His answer was always the same. He believed that time only moves forward, never backwards. He passed away.

If only he could go back in time, to the past, and speak to his grandfather about his experiences and the wonders of space, maybe he would be able to change his grandfather’s close minded perspective. Suddenly, William felt a gravitational pull; a sort of strong force pulling him away from the satellite. As his body slowly rotated, he could see what was pulling him. It was a darkness, yet it looked like a bubble full of darkness in space. William could see his safety tether snapping, which was nearly impossible. It seemed as if no one could hear or see what was happening to William, as if he were invisible. William got closer and closer to this wormhole until it swallowed him completely. The wormhole was like a tunnel full of extravagant colors. There were some bright white lights, some pinks and purples, and even some dark blues. It felt as if he was travelling through this wormhole at lightning speed. He couldn’t breathe. He felt as if he was suffocating inside his suit. He closed his eyes and thought how can he survive this, but he also thought about where he was. He was travelling through space and as we know, space has endless amounts of probabilities. William felt like he was drifting in a fast car, until he was stopped. His feet felt like they were on solid ground, and his body felt lighter. He could hear talking, laughing, and he could feel the sunlight on his cheeks. He opened his eyes, and what he saw was incredible. He was standing on some grass and surrounded with beautiful architecture. It looked like he stepped foot onto Hogwarts. In front of him, was a beautiful garden along a river. The astonishment of the view he was staring at was prodigious. He knew exactly where he was. The aesthetic of Cambridge University can capture anyone’s eye.

William, however in awe, was confused. This wormhole could have sent her anywhere in the universe. He could have been sent to an undiscovered planet full of alien life, but it sent him to the United Kingdom. William decided to explore the university in hopes to find something, or a reason, on why He was there. William found himself walking down a hallway. He turned the corner and saw some students walking in and out of this room. He took the initiative and walked in as well. It was the library. The windows were perfectly parallel to each other across the room. The tables were finely organized leaving an aisle straight down the room. As He was walking down the middle, He noticed an empty seat. He wanted to know what year He was in, but how could He ask these strangers without seeming odd. As He sat down, He realized there was a small black notebook in front of him. It wasn’t placed near anyone’s stuff or backpack. He watched this notebook for a few minutes to see if anyone would claim it or pick it up, but no one did. He hoped, that if He looked inside, He would see a date along the notes. He slid the notebook over to her and opened. There was a numerous amount of mathematical equations, hypothetical ideas, and different theories on singularities and black holes, and He also saw a date: June 28, 2009. At the back of the notebook was an envelope. William opened this envelope and an invitation fell out. He picked it up and smiled. At 8pm that night, William walked up to an office door and knocked. The man who answered it was his grandfather, Stephen Hawking. William explained to his grandfather about what happened to him and how he ended up in Cambridge. He even told him that he was the son of his daughter, Lucy. William praised his grandfather and expressed the love he had. William told his grandfather that they even made a movie about him in the future. His grandfather joked that whoever the actor was that portrayed him probably wouldn’t have his good looks. Stephen thought time travel to the past was impossible, and yet, standing in front of him was his grandson from the future. William explained how he would love to explore and do research on time travelling when he returns back to his present.

As the night dragged on, William said goodbye to his grandfather one last time. He walked back to the center of the university, in front of the river. From there, William once again felt a gravitational pull. He went through the same tunnel as before and once he was out of the wormhole, he was tethered to his safety rope, in his space suit, just as before. When the mission was completed, William and his crew landed back down to Earth. William dressed out of his space suit and walked back to his office before getting medically checked by his doctors. William didn’t tell anyone about his time travel experience. He couldn’t. When he walked into his office, William noticed an envelope sitting on his desk. He opened it and found a check for $20,000 from Stephen William Hawking, along with a note that read, “For Research”.