Swan Song

[Beret]

Another short story for film class.
 
SWAN SONG
 
“Paradox. That’s your biggest problem. Something occurs that is impossible. Unexplained. It can’t happen.
The question you are looking for, why can’t you change the future? The reason is that it’s just the way things work. You can’t keep the gears of time from turning. If you hadn’t heard that you were going to get cancer from the plant, you would have had no purpose to build your contraption. The cause is irreversible.”
The hut had an eerie lighting about it. The sun was going down.
“Then what happens if I go even farther forward?” Edward asked.
“You Edward, are a man of simple taste.” The man said. “It actually could make a difference. Although, would you be willing to live after your death, and perhaps others you loved gone? The future is a grim place, Edward.”
“And how might you know?” asked Edward.
The old man continued on, ignoring Edward’s question.
“The reason it would work, is because the reason you died would also be gone from you. Although, you would never be able to return to the span of your life. You would become ill again.
“Wait, what do you mean, “again?”
“Hah, this is the part I thought you would have the most trouble bearing. You see, in regular time, there is only one of you. When you enter the slipstream, being when you travel time, a copy of you is created. Imagine this. A computer file, an image file. When you cut and paste this file to another part of your hard drive, a second file is made, being the pasted file. The old file, in the meantime is destroyed. Now imagine this. You a just one file, one measly file, on one giant hard drive. When you travel time, it is practically the same process.” The man’s eyes gleamed.
Edward said nothing for a few minutes. Mulling the information over.
“Jeez, so you’re saying that-”
“Yes, the original you is long gone. You are basically a copied image.”
“Oh my god…..” Edward pinched himself to make sure he wasn’t dreaming. But then again, this had to have been a very long dream.
“So, back to the main timeline, if you are to travel past your lifetime, you may never return. Do not upset the process. Two of the same people can never meet each other. Very bad also if they both exist during the same timeframe.” The old man said.
“Why?” Edward said.
“Don’t want to cause a paradox now, do we?”
“Ah, I see.”
“So, the choice is your’s. Die in your current lifetime, with all your family and friends, or ride off into the horizon, never to return. Like I said it is completely up to you.” the old man said.
Edward got up. “Quite a handful to think about.” he said, his brain seemed to be numb.
“Happens to all the first timers.” The old man grinned.
“Wait, what?” asked Edward, quite confused.
The old man just winked. “Best you be going and making that there choice of your’s.”
As Edward walked towards the exit, he asked “I never quite got your name.”
“Call me Tamus.”
“Got it.”
_______________________________________________________________________
Edward couldn’t sleep. He yearned for the unknown. Oblivion. The uncharted waters.
Then again, he had a sister, and parents. And friends. Depending on when he died, he might see them again. Maybe start over.
Maybe in the future! Or not.
It was the same, all night. 6:00 am. Time for a little walk. He walked into the downtown area. It was all the same. Was this what was at hand for him? The same thing, every day? Until the day he died? Then it came to him. What if he died soon? He could always come and visit his family… Wait, no. He would be dead to them. Hmm.
 
 
The surrounding area started to change. Bushes and trees grew rapidly around him. The fields were cut, and grew anew. He watched years go by. Clickclickclickclick went the date dials. He pulled the stop lever. 2037. There. He was probably dead. It was a brain tumour anyhow. The thought gave him a shiver. He shook it off. Time for another walk.
The choice hadn’t been easy. It had taken much consideration, but he realised that the last thing he wanted was to watch his veins turn black and feel like his skin was falling off in chemotherapy.
The downtown was actually very different, he thought. He looked at the shops. Computers that looked like a cellular phone. Cell phones weren’t much different, though.
“Oh, looks like they’ve invented hover technology for the public.” he said to himself, marvelling at the passing automobiles.
“But mister, they’ve always been like that!” exclaimed a small boy passing by on the sidewalk.
“I’m sorry,” laughed the boy’s mother. “he likes talking to everyone he sees.”
“No, no it’s fine. He’s cute.” Edward complimented.
The boy screwed up his face. “I am not cute!” he shouted.
Edward laughed and went on his way.
 
 
Edward decided he’s visit his parent’s house. Check up on them, see how they were doing.
The house was the same as every other time he had seen it. Maybe with a few more flowers here and there, but otherwise the same.
Dad came out. “Can I help you?” he asked, wondering why Edward was staring at him.
Why didn’t he recognise him?
Dad was doing okay, as far as Edward could see. “Hey, is Angie in?” he asked, referring to his mother.
Dad shook his head. “She’s had a turn for the worse. Cancer. She’s over at the General hospital. Why do you ask?”
Edward staggered backwards. What? Why? How?
No, this wasn’t happening. It couldn’t be.
“Are you alright?” Dad asked.
Edward took off at a run.
 
 
The hospital was crowded. Edward slid through the crowd.
“Hey, I’m here to see Angeline Torrence.” he said to the woman at the front desk.
“Third floor, ward 216.” the lady said, looking bored.
Edward ran up the stairs. Second……. Third floor.
He opened the stairwell door into a large hallway. Room 216. There it was.
He went to the door just as a nurse walked out. “Is this Angeline Torrence’s room?”
“Yes, but she’s resting right now. Are you visiting her?” the nurse asked.
“Yes. I am.”
“Okay, be careful not to wake her though. She just came from surgery.”
“Alright, thanks miss.”
Edward opened the door to the ward. He saw her. There she was, all wrapped up in bandages, with tubes sticking out in many places.
A nurse working at the next bed over was closing the curtains to the other patient.
She smiled.
As the nurse left the room, Edward sat down. “Mom…” he whispered.
He heard a rustling at the next bed over. “What’re you talking about?” a raspy voice asked.
The curtain opened. Edward came face to face with himself. he was bald, pale, and had a large scar slashed across his head. His sunken eyes grew as wide as dinner plates, seeing himself.
 
END
-BeretClock

[Beret]

C'mon, I need feedback guys!

[Beret]

...

[SnakeClock]

Wuh oh, Edward has had a most unfortunate encounter!

Lovely little story you weave here. It definitely has an air of H.G. Wells' The Time Machine about it, and is smarter with time travel than your average time travel fable. I liked that character Tamus in the prologue.

[Beret]

D'aaaww, thanks Snake!