Short Story on Lit Up
The Singular Chronology of Elara Ward
A nonlinear dystopian timeline
Now
It’s 2:00 AM, and I’m hurtling through the crumbling backstreets of a neon-lit dystopia. Rain slicks the pavement, reflecting the garish hues of holographic ads flickering on towering steel and glass monoliths. My breath rasps in my throat, lungs burning as if fire-etched.
Three Hours Ago
Elara Ward stands before me, eyes glinting like shards of green glass. “Time is a construct,” she says, voice low, almost a whisper, but it vibrates with the weight of something ancient, something forgotten. Her words feel more like an incantation than a statement.
She hands me a small, sleek device — a timepiece, but not one of hours and minutes. It’s a device of possibilities, of chances not yet taken and paths not yet walked – the screen pulses, its glow a promise and a threat.
“Find the moment,” she instructs. “Your moment.”
Ten Minutes Later
I step into the labyrinthine alleyways, clutching the device. It hums in my hand, a mechanical heartbeat. The world around me feels familiar and alien, like a city seen through a dream’s lens. The rain starts, and I can’t help but think about how every drop has its journey and story.
Now
The footsteps behind me grow louder, the slap of boots against wet concrete. A shadow stretches out, long and menacing, distorted by the fractured light. The tension coils within me, a tightening screw. I force myself to focus on the moment Elara spoke of.
Five Hours Ago
I meet Elara for the first time in a dingy café that smells of burnt coffee and despair. She’s not what I expected — her presence is magnetic, almost otherworldly. She tells me about the device and how it can alter the fabric of time and bend reality. It’s ludicrous, but there’s something in her eyes, a depth, a sincerity that makes it impossible to dismiss.
“Time isn’t linear,” she says. “It’s a series of points, interconnected, yet separate. Your task is to navigate them.”
Now
I skid to a halt at a dead end. The walls are tall and imposing, covered in a tapestry of graffiti. The footsteps stop, too. The shadow merges with the darkness.
“You can’t run forever,” the voice echoes, hollow and metallic. It’s him – the Collector. A myth, a ghost story told in hushed tones — an enforcer of the timelines, a guardian of the status quo.
I turn, the device throbbing in my grip. “I’m not running,” I say, finding a strange calm within the chaos.
Two Hours Ago
Elara explains the rules and the dangers. “There are guardians,” she says, “keepers of the timelines. They’ll do anything to maintain the flow of events as they know it. But remember, they fear change.”
Now
The Collector steps forward, a figure clad in dark, seamless armor. His face is obscured by a visor, reflecting the world in fractured splinters. He extends a hand, demanding the device.
“You don’t understand,” I tell him, my voice steady. I’m not trying to change the past; I’m trying to understand the present.”
He hesitates for a moment. The device glows brighter, sensing the shift. This is it – my moment. I press the button.
The Future
The world shatters and reforms around me. I am everywhere and nowhere, everywhere and nowhen. Time stretches, bends, loops back on itself. I see Elara again, her eyes filled with both hope and sorrow. I see the Collector, his visor cracked, revealing a human eye, wide with fear and understanding.
I emerge in a place I do not recognize but know instinctively. It is the present, yet not – a new present. The rain has stopped, the air is clean, the city is brighter, and the neon lights are less harsh.
Elara stands beside me. “You found it,” she says, a rare smile touching her lips.
Now
I am different. The device lies dormant in my hand, its purpose fulfilled. I understand now. Time is not a line but a web; each strand has potential and a choice. I look at Elara and see her journey’s depth and sacrifices.
“Thank you,” I say, and it holds the weight of every timeline, every possibility.
As we enter this new dawn, I know the journey is far from over. It has, in fact, just begun. And in this moment, I am at peace with the infinite paths ahead.
Ani Eldritch 2024
