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The Book (standard:fantasy, 6472 words) | |||
Author: Goodsharkey | Added: Aug 29 2003 | Views/Reads: 4295/2833 | Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes) |
This is a story about time travel and love.. | |||
Click here to read the first 75 lines of the story body. That same feeling you get as you're just about to fall asleep but wake again. His eyes instinctively flicked open and he had to squint as everything was so bright. As his vision came back into focus, he looked round. Christ! He was there. He was in his old classroom at school. The sun was streaming in through the windows. Instantly the smell hit him. That unforgettable smell of schools, just like hospitals. It must have been whatever the cleaners used. Probably to disguise the smell of vomit. Kids always seemed to be vomiting when he was at school, thought Daniel. You'd always see the tell-tale circle of saw dust covering the spot. Then you'd catch a whiff of the deed and you'd want to be sick as well. In fact, he decided, that was probably the reason why all kids were sick. It was a vicious circle passing from child to child round the school as each one witnessed another's puke. Suddenly his thoughts snapped back to where he was. At the front of the class was the teacher. Mr. Dobson! A large man with the tiniest amount of hair. It was like a little tuft on his forehead. However he had a large beard which was obviously meant to compensate for this. If you turned his head upside down he'd probably look quite cool, with lots of hair and a goaty beard. Daniel looked round the room slowly, taking in this incredible experience. He was back in school. It was so real. He looked down at the book in front of him. He was doing sums! Now he tried to remember why this day of all days had stuck in his mind. Then he remembered. In a minute Mr. Dobson would drop the large paper guillotine. The whole class would jump in surprise, except Daniel, because he had been day dreaming as usual and had watched the whole thing happen. For some reason he had remembered this and so here he was able to relive the experience. He looked to his right. Sat next to him was a young boy. What was his name? John or something. Although Daniel was right back in a place he knew so well, he only had memories from his present. What was this lad's name? He remembered sitting next to him. He used to hang about with him at play times. Then it came to him. Johnny Miller. He was sat next to Johnny Miller. Daniel looked down at what Johnny was writing. Sums! He looked down at his own book.... God his writing was so untidy. Thankfully that changed later on. So who else was in the class, he thought He looked slowly round the room. So many familiar faces. Just like an old photograph, but he was in it. Then he realised, across the room was a young girl. A blond girl. A girl he knew very well. It was Mandy. His own wife! There she was slowly working through her work. Her face screwed up in concentration. They had known each other all their lives and been at primary school together, then secondary school and finally the same college. Eventually they had got together and had married. At this age though she had just been another annoying girl. She was so pretty even at that age. At the front of the class Mr. Dobson stood up and carried the large flat paper guillotine across the room. He was going to put it on top of the cupboard, where it was kept. The whole class was oblivious as they continued to work. Daniel watched as Dobson lifted it up above his head and then suddenly lost his grip. The guillotine crashed down onto the floor making one hell of a noise. Everyone in the room jumped with fright. Daniel smiled to himself. He looked across at Mandy, she looked terrified. Bless her. "Sorry class!" said Mr. Dobson. "My fault. Carry on." He picked up the guillotine and this time slid it into place. Then he returned to his seat. Amazing, thought Daniel as he looked back down at his school book, why had that memory stayed with him all this time. Still if it hadn't, he wouldn't have been able to visualise it as a dream. Then he realised, if this is a dream let's make it a little more interesting. He looked up at Dobson and grinned. Then Daniel stood up. His chair made a loud grating noise on the hard floor. He could feel Johnny Miller looking up at him. "What's the matter?" asked Johnny. Daniel just continued to look at Mr. Dobson who was writing something in a book. Probably marking something or even writing a note about how bad Daniel's handwriting was, even for an eight year old. Then the balding teacher looked up. He almost did a double take as he saw Daniel stood up at his desk. "Yes Daniel, what is it?" he asked. At this, the whole room of children looked up to see what Daniel was doing. He smiled. "Sir." He said. Then he stopped. His voice! It was like a little girl's. He knew his voice had obviously changed over the years, but it had been so long since he had been pre pubescent that he had completely forgotten that he once sounded like he had no testicles. "Sir." He said again almost laughing at his own squeaky little voice. "You're a wanker!" It sounded pathetic coming from his tiny frame. Every child in the class seemed to breathe in at the same time, sucking the air from the room. At least that would have explained Mr. Dobson's expression. He had gone red as if he couldn't breath. He stared intently at Daniel. "What did you say?!" he roared. Daniel smiled. "I said... You're a..." Before he could finish, Dobson was across the room. His hand was up ready to make contact. Daniel never remembered him moving that fast before. Suddenly he felt the teacher's hand crash down on his ear. "Ow! Jesus!!" he cried." That hurt!!" It wasn't over yet. Dobson grabbed him by the collar and dragged him forward. This knocked Daniel's desk over and onto the child sat in front, nearly pinning him to the floor. The child in question was Roderick Adams, a snotty little git with no personality at all. So it didn't really matter that he may have suffered a concussion in the process. As Daniel was being dragged from the room he looked back at Mandy, who looked quite scared at what was going on. In fact the whole room seemed to be stunned. Daniel had thought that his actions would have got a laugh, was it so different being an eight year old? Suddenly the world went black. For a moment he couldn't breath. He seemed to be surrounded by a rhythmic beeping. As he forced his eyes open the air around him seemed to flow again. He was lying down, looking up at the ceiling. His ceiling. He recognised the light fitting, which he had fitted himself in one of his D.I.Y. moments. He was totally disorientated. The sleep book was face down on his chest as he had left it. The beeping sound continued, only much louder. He looked across to his right and there on the side unit was the alarm clock and next to it the black & white photograph of Mandy. What a dream. It had all felt so real. Especially the whack he got from Dobson. He shook his head in an attempt to clear it then he leaned across and switched off the clock. Silence. It had all felt so real. The thought of seeing Mandy again as an eight year old, brought a smile to his lips. God, he loved her. He'd definitely be doing that again. He took the sleep book and placed it next to the photo. Then got up and went down stairs. Down in the living room Daniel couldn't stop talking. "It was incredible, I felt like I was there! It was so real. You know there were things that I didn't think I could remember like all the faces of the kids in our class. Little things like that." Mandy put her magazine down. "That's great." She said. "You've got to give it a go! I'm telling you it's unreal. That book is awesome!" he paused for breath. "I will Daniel." "You were there." He continued as if he hadn't heard her. "We were eight. We were in Dobson's class." "Baldy Dobson?" "Yeah. I don't know why I remembered that particular day, but Dobson dropped that big guillotine of his and everyone jumped!" Mandy tried to remember. "Oh yes!" she beamed, "I remember that day.... That was when you went all weird and started swearing your head off!" "What!!" exclaimed Daniel, nearly falling off the arm chair. How could she know that? "You remember? You stood up and started mouthing off. I remember us all being totally gob smacked. You were the talk of the school." She saw the expression of terror on Daniel's face. "What's the matter? You've gone white. Surely you must remember that of all things. You were suspended for a couple of weeks!" "But... But that only happened in my dream." "Exactly! That's how you must remember it." "No!" he shrieked. Mandy was taken back by just how loud his outburst was. "Calm down Danny." "No! But that didn't happen until I dreamt it just now.!" "It did happen, I was there." "But it didn't!" "You must have forgotten, and blotted it out or something. Then by doing that relaxation thing, it's come back again." She stood and walked over to him. "It's okay." She said in a soothing voice. Daniel looked up at her. He felt so confused. It had been all too real. More than a dream. He had controlled the goings on. Hadn't he? "I'd read a bit more of that book if I were you." Said Mandy massaging his shoulders. "It might tell you that it can bring back memories that you've lost. A bit like hypnotism or something." Mandy kissed him on the forehead, picked up her magazine and left the room, closing the door behind her. What was going on, thought Daniel. He couldn't believe what he'd just heard. If Mandy was right, then everything he thought had been real, wasn't. He suddenly realised he hadn't blinked for about three minutes. He blinked. That didn't help. Could it really have been a memory that he'd put to the back of his mind? Surely he didn't know the word 'wanker' when he was eight years old. Then again it would explain why he'd always remembered that particular day. There was only one way to sort this. He'd have to try again. He'd have to go to another time in the past. Something a bit more recent and change something that he did. If his actions once again changed the present day, well then...... This book didn't just give him a way of travelling in his mind. It was a way to physically travel in time. It hadn't taken long for him to decide where he wanted to visit next. It was an event in his life that he'd often thought about living over again. Wishing he could change the outcome of that day. Now, could this be a chance to do it? When Daniel had moved on to secondary school, he had become even closer to Mandy as a friend as they both moved onto the same school. However Daniel made a new friend there. Craig Harton. They were inseparable. The three of them went through their teenage years together, bonding as they went. At sixteen they had all gone on to the same sixth form college to continue their studies. It was here that Daniel had first started getting 'feelings' for Mandy, although he was always too shy to do anything about it. It was also here that on a particular day Craig had died on his way home from college. He and Daniel always walked home together, however Daniel had decided to hang about for Mandy. This was to be the day he would finally ask her out. He didn't though. So Craig walked home alone. However he was hit by a car and died. Daniel never forgave himself for that day. He always thought it had been his fault. After the accident, Mandy and Daniel became even closer as they comforted each other and eventually they began the relationship which would lead to them getting married. That was the day Daniel would return to. He would then walk home with Craig and stop him from getting killed. If it worked, when he awoke then his friend would still be alive! Lying on the bed once again, he set the alarm clock for ten minutes and placed it by the photo of Mandy. The book was on the bed next to him. It was strange but after the last go at this he had completely forgotten the incantation, and had to memorise it all over again. It was as if it had been wiped from his memory. He had had the horrible thought that perhaps memory loss was a side effect of the phenomenon, but he decided it was definitely worth trying again. He closed his eyes and began to meditate. Repeating the incantation again and again. Soon he felt the comforting warmth sweep over his body and he began to picture himself outside college on that fateful day. He wanted to be there. He needed to be there. He was there.... He opened his eyes and he was outside the main entrance of the sixth form. Students were milling past him. He was leaning against the railings by the side of the steps up to the main doors. His bag was on his shoulder. He was back. Suddenly he realised he was looking through the doors and could see Mandy approaching. She was absolutely gorgeous in her uniform and long flowing hair. He shook his head. This meant that Craig had already set off for home. He turned and started running down the path to the gates. His heart was pumping. The bag on his shoulder kept banging into his side, so he grabbed it and threw it to the ground. This made the going easier. He dodged between the other students, making their way home. Soon he was at the gates. He stopped to catch his breath. There up ahead was Craig. He couldn't believe it. Was this whole idea stupid. He realised he didn't have time to think about what he was doing or even about where he was. He dived past the gates and ran flat out towards his best friend who was approaching the edge of the road. "Craig!" he screamed at the top of his voice. Craig Harton stopped and turned. He smiled. That wonderful smile. As Daniel reached him a car shot past the two of them at an incredible speed. Daniel grabbed Craig's arm, a little too tight. "Hey! Watch it!" said Craig, still smiling. Daniel looked at the car as it disappeared into the distance. That was the car. He'd never forget it. Although when he had last seen it, it hadn't been in such good condition. Craig had made quite an impression on it. He remembered seeing it up on the pavement, and Craig dead on the road. He'd had to look at police photos of the incident for days after. But it hadn't happened. "Bloody hell, that was close. I saved your life their mate." Laughed Craig. Daniel looked at him. Stared at him. He was alive. So this was to be the real test. Then everything went black. Once again there was no air in his lungs. He desperately tried to breathe in but nothing happened. The constant beeping sound was back, this time he knew it was the alarm clock which had snapped him back form his dream. Try as he might, he couldn't open his eyes. Something was wrong. He felt panic start to take over. Had he been under for more than five minutes? He couldn't have if the alarm was going. Then, just as he thought he was going to suffocate, air rushed into him. It felt like it came from everywhere, not just through his gasping mouth, as if it was entering his whole body. His eyes opened but still everything was a blur. He tried to focus. He was lying down, he could tell that much, but the room was spinning and seemed to keep changing it's dimensions as if the ceiling was rising and falling. Then it finally stopped and came into focus above him. He breathed out slowly, more out of relief than of control. He was back. Then he felt strange again. Something wasn't right. He moved his hand down to where he had left the book. It was still there. Thank God! Something was definitely not right though. Then it hit him. The ceiling.... It wasn't his. He sat bolt upright. He was in a completely strange room. He looked down to his right. There was a bedside table. The alarm clock was on it, still beeping. He reached out and stopped it. Where the hell was he? Ten minutes ago he had been at home. Hadn't he? Could he be mistaken? Was this all a dream? He was really confused now. He still had the book, which meant he hadn't dreamt the whole thing. But what was real and what wasn't? Had he been drinking last night? Was he at a friends house? "Hello!" he called. No answer. Looking round the room he could see a chair in the corner with some clothes on. There was a wardrobe and opposite the bed was a T.V. There were no pictures or photographs. He picked up the book and slid off the bed. If he had his book, he doubted if he would have just had a night on the town. He walked to the door and opened it. He was now in a kitchen. Again there were no pictures anywhere. He walked through to another door. Beyond was a lounge. In it was a sofa and arm chair, a cabinet and another T.V. and video. Looking across at the window he could only see the roofs of other houses, so he knew he had to be in a flat. Again there were no photos or pictures to give any clue as to who lived there. Then he had another attack of panic and darted to the front door. He found himself in a hallway leading to a staircase down to the outer door. He ran to it and flung it open. He was outside. But where? He looked round frantically, and suddenly he realised where he was. He was on Hanbury Street. He'd walked past these flats a hundred times. He wasn't far from home. He took a last look up at the flat he'd just left, strangely in the hope that someone might be looking at him from the window. Someone who might be able to tell him what was going on. Then he turned and ran down the street. Soon he was on Bucks Avenue and then his own street. There was his house. He ran up to the door completely out of breath, the book still held tightly in his hand. He knew that somehow the book would answer his questions if nothing else did. He tried his key in the lock but it wouldn't fit. What the hell was going on? He started banging on the door. He had to see Mandy, she was all he wanted right now. Then the door opened and there she was. Daniel felt a weight lift from him. The world hadn't gone completely mad after all. It couldn't have if his darling Mandy was here. "Oh thank God!" he sighed. "Danny what's wrong?" she asked, "You look terrible." "I don't know. I've just woken up in a flat somewhere!" "What?" "I'm telling you. I went upstairs and did my dream travelling thing and when I woke up I was in a flat on Hanbury Street!" "Very funny." She laughed, all concern leaving her face. "I'm not joking! You saw me go upstairs before. I used the book again." He showed her the book. "What book?" I haven't seen you since yesterday." "Mandy. I'm not in the mood for this!" He barged past her. What was wrong with her, he thought. She must realise he was upset over this. Suddenly Daniel was aware of someone else in the hall. Someone very familiar. He looked up and there at the other end of the room was Craig Harton. Daniel nearly fell there and then. So many thoughts were flying through his head, that he felt he was going to explode. Craig was here. That meant that the dream he'd just had was real. Only it couldn't have been a dream. It had to be more than that. He actually travelled through time and saved his best friend's life. Christ! Yet Daniel had no memory of a life that included Craig. All he knew was that he'd gone upstairs no more than thirty minutes ago and now he was completely lost. Unless, the dream state could move him through space as well as time. Could he somehow have moved to a new location as he slept. Bloody hell, let's face it, he thought, if he could travel through time why the hell couldn't he somehow move to another place. Maybe that was another skill he could pick up from the book. "Are you okay mate?" asked Craig. "Yeah! I think so..... Sorry. It's good to see you again." Daniel walked to him and hugged him. "And you." Replied Craig. Daniel walked through into the lounge and sat down. "I'll get you a drink." said Mandy, heading towards the kitchen. Craig came in and sat opposite him on the sofa. "Did you have a bad night?" he asked. Daniel smiled. He looked round the room, glad to be home. There on the fireplace was their wedding photo. Mandy looked so beautiful in her dress. Suddenly terror swept over him once again. Mandy was in the photo all right and so was he, but he wasn't the groom. Craig was! "What the fuck!" He stood up and grabbed the photo. Craig was there in the picture holding Mandy and Daniel was stood beside them both with a huge smile. He was the fucking best man! Craig was the groom. He had married Mandy. Craig stood up. "Danny, what the hell is wrong with you?" Daniel stared at him. Then looked down at his left hand. He hadn't realised before but he had no wedding ring on. Mandy entered again. "What's going on?" She saw Daniel holding the photo. "Danny?" she said softly. "You and him! My best mate!" He felt like he'd waked in on them having an affair. It was all too much. He smashed down the photo. "NO!" he cried and pushed past her into the hall. Before he knew it he was running back towards the flat on Hanbury Street. It suddenly hit him. On the doorstep just now Mandy had said he lived there. It slowly started to become clear. The book definitely worked. He had saved Craig from the accident. Then Mandy and him had obviously started a relationship and had married. This was ridiculous. Daniel's life, as he had known it, was over. He'd lost Mandy to his best mate. Yet he had four years of memories with her floating round his head. Even if he somehow tried to carry on with his life, he didn't know what his life was. He reached the door to the flat. He tried his key. The door opened. He ran upstairs and into the bedroom. There he threw himself on the bed and started to cry. When he woke up he realised he'd been asleep for two hours. He was still in the flat and Mandy was still married to Craig. He looked at the book. The bastard book. It had to be destroyed. All it had done was bring him misery. All he had ahead of him was an empty life without the woman he loved. Unless. He sat up . Trying to get his thoughts together. If he could travel back one more time to a point before Craig and Mandy got together, maybe he could still be the one who asked her on a date first. No. That wouldn't work because he had no memories of the new life. How could he visualise a place to travel to. He would only now be able to go to a time before the day of the accident. What if, he thought. What if he went back to that day again and this time let Craig die? What was he thinking? Could he be that selfish? Why not. Craig had died after all. It wasn't Daniel's fault. Craig should have been more careful. He looked down at the book which lay on the bed next to him. He had to do it. It was the only way to get his life back. Then he realised, he couldn't remember the incantation. Why did he always forget it after sleeping? He reached down and opened the book. There it was. He read it to himself a couple of times until he could remember it. Then he laid back on the bed, closed his eyes and tried to relax. It was hard at first. He couldn't get the thought of Mandy from his head. Then he slowly started to calm down. He spoke the words again and again until that was all he knew. The warmth started to enter his body. His limbs felt heavier and heavier. Then the bed seemed to open up beneath him. He was sinking into oblivion. He began to visualise the same day as before. Stood on the steps outside college waiting for Mandy. The alarm clock! Shit! He opened his eyes. He was there. Outside the sixth form again. His bag was on his shoulder and he was leaning on the railings. But he hadn't set the bastard alarm clock! How would he know when to wake up? First things first. He had to sort his life out. He looked up and saw Mandy heading towards the entrance. He would just wait and ask her out. For definite this time. But then his thoughts went to Craig. He would be crossing the road any moment. Could he let him die? Then a sudden inspirational idea crashed into his already hammered mind. What if? What if he saved Craig and then basically lived his life again. He needn't ever wake up. Would that work? He'd save Craig, then ask Mandy on a date and he'd get to live it all over again. A fresh start with Mandy. Maybe that was the danger of not waking after five minutes. Maybe you became trapped in whatever time you'd placed yourself in. Well that wasn't so bad. That's it, he decided. With that he threw his bag to the ground and started running again towards the gates and Craig. Sooner than he realised, he was there. With Craig. "Alright mate? Decided to walk home after all eh?" "Yeah." Replied Daniel, catching his breath. "We don't want you having any accidents do we?" "Cheers." They started walking towards the road. Daniel kept an eye out for the car. "Listen Danny." Said Craig , "I want to tell you something." He paused. "Mandy and I have decided to go out together. Awesome eh?" Daniel could not believe what he was hearing. This wasn't supposed to happen. This can't be the right day. "What?" he mumbled. "Yeah. I asked her out before we left tonight. I'm seeing her later." This could not be. Mandy was the woman he loved. The woman he'd always loved. He'd known her all his life. Rage flashed through his mind. I am not going to lose her, he thought. Before he realised what he was doing, Daniel grabbed Craig by the shoulders. In a split second he knew what he had to do. It all fell into place. On the day of the accident Craig must have asked her out. She'd said yes. Unfortunately he had died on the way home. After the accident Mandy had been devastated and of course had come to Daniel for support. He had always been her second choice! Daniel dragged Craig to the road side. It was all over so fast. The car was heading their way. Daniel actually lifted Craig and threw him into the road. He didn't stand a chance. The car smashed into him and he must have died instantly. He bounced across the bonnet, smashed into the windscreen and flew up into the air. The car lost control and mounted the pavement, before crashing to a stop against the college wall. Craig's lifeless body landed in a heap opposite Daniel. The world became silent. Daniel stared at the broken body of his best friend. He felt numb and suddenly extremely cold. The wind was the first sound to return to him. Then the soft sound of voices. Lots of voices all around him. He blinked. Then slowly realisation dawned on him. He was surrounded by students. Some friends, some strangers. In his moment of madness, the world had only contained Craig and himself. He had completely forgotten that he was in plain sight of everyone. Including Mandy. There she stood. Looking at Craig's body. Then she looked up at him. Huge tears in her eyes. Those beautiful eyes Daniel had always loved. Now she stared at him with horror and hatred. He took a step towards her but then as he realised everyone was looking at him in the same way, he decided to run. He didn't care where to. He just turned and ran. He had lost everything. Everything. The tears flooded from him as he rounded the corner out of sight. Was there any way back to normality? The book! Where was the book? It was with him in the flat on Hanbury Street. In the future. He had to wake up. How? He stopped running and wiped the tears from his face. Then suddenly he could hear a sound growing louder. A whining sound. Could it be the alarm clock? About to drag him from this hell. It wasn't the alarm clock. An ambulance had obviously been called and was heading in his direction, siren blasting. Then the whole world went black. Out of the darkness came the distant sound of a voice. It was calling him. This time, although once again he couldn't breathe, he felt calm. He was returning. He didn't know how but he was coming back. The voice grew louder. Air once again entered his body. He opened his eyes. Above him was what seemed to be the outline of a person. "Mandy?" he croaked. "Mandy?!" came a gruff voice, "Who the hell is Mandy?" Daniel tried to focus, but the room was spinning again. Eventually it slowed and a large man with a beard came into view. Daniel was lying down, with the man stood over him. "Wake up." Said the man. "What?" "Grub's up!" With that the stranger walked away. Daniel sat up. Where was he now? Then the truth came to him. A sickening truth. It was like a kick in the head. His stomach felt like it was wrenched from him. He was in a fucking prison cell. Grey walls surrounded him. "No!" This was crazy. Or maybe he was crazy. What could have happened now? The book. Where was the book? Suddenly a prison guard appeared in the doorway. "Come on Pearson. Move it." "Where's my book?" "I said move it!" screamed the guard. As he slowly followed the guard along the bleak corridor, he was surprised at just how calm he felt. He had killed his best friend in plain sight of everyone. Obviously he had been arrested and sent down. His life had never happened. Mandy and he had never happened. There were just too many things running through his head to concentrate. If he was in jail how could he have taken part in the dream travel in the first place? Why did he still only have memories of a life that never happened? He obviously didn't have the book any more. His mind raced to sort out the facts. He knew that somehow there was still a way. Eventually he would be released. He would find the book. He had to find the book. That was the only thing keeping him alive. The book. Tweet
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