The Late Message That Came Early – Part 1

I sipped on a hot cup of tea, reclining on my chair staring through the window, occasionally glancing to the right. The television was running across the hallway. Apparently Donald Trump had been elected for a second term after a successful four-year ‘reign’, as I grew to call it. Some people just wanna watch the world burn. I continued enjoying the sights through the window, the sun setting into the horizon, the birds returning to their nests, back to their loving families. Slowly the sky was turning red, in contrast to the green of the countryside, but today it was somehow working and I found it immensely beautiful.

I quit my extremely lucrative job and moved to the countryside a month ago, tired of the hectic city life and needing a break to work on a book that I began a long time back. Despite being here for a few weeks, I did not expect to come up short in the creative side. The words just did not come like they used to. Twelve years in corporate had probably turned me too rusty in that department. Perhaps the idea that happened upon me many years ago was not meant to be. I was just not the same person now. But new ideas hadn’t yet found its way into my head and I just couldn’t figure out what to write about.

So there I was stuck both physically and mentally in the middle of nowhere. I had paid a good sum of money for this old cottage with ivy growing on its walls all the way to the roof; something I have always dreamed of from all the Enid Blyton novels I had read in my early teens. I have always wanted to live in an old place, like Kirrin Cottage from the Famous Five novels, living life with my cousins and friends, going on little adventures with a dog. But as I grew, I realized life is not as easy as it seems. Everyone is busy with their lives. These days, I rarely see my cousins. Friends have gone by and new ones seem to pop up every few years. Yet it is very hard on the heart when a close friend you had spent a half of your life with eventually lose touch with you. Ahh… Memories. Always brings a tear to my eyes. At least I have my canine friend who I have named Timothy after the famous Timmy and like a telepathic call, there he was standing in front of me, ball in his mouth, brimming with excitement for his evening walk. I obliged.

We came back late into the evening. Night was falling and here, without the phenomenon of light pollution, I would be able to actually see the milky way with my eyes. The city people have no idea what they are missing. But today there were no stars. Grey clouds of mist were quickly trailing across the sky. A storm was brewing and I had to get inside.

Storms are when you miss the company of people. I had to stay near the fireplace to keep my feet warm. Timmy was close by resting, sharing his warmth with me. I had a book open in my arms, but I was not reading it; my mind was elsewhere. Procrastination can take you back in time, almost like time travel.

I was desperately lost in my thoughts when I heard the loud crack, like that of a huge whip. Lightning had struck one of the walls of the cottage. I quickly grabbed my umbrella, put on my boots and went outside to see the damage. The light from my torch showed me that the thick outer wall around bedroom upstairs had broken down completely and a huge crevice showed its dark head. The wall was hollow, probably to save brick. The first thought that raced through my head was the damage this was gonna cost to my bank account, which hadn’t seen an increase since last month. Suddenly Timmy started barking. I looked at where he was staring at and my eyes fell upon an object, grey in colour inside the crevice. As I watched, it slid on the broken walls and fell to the ground. I cautiously went near it. It was shaped like a huge elongated egg almost eight feet from top to bottom and almost a metre across in diameter at its thickest. It had dirt and grime all over it and I realized this had been inside the walls for a very long time, hidden from the outside world. I prayed to God that this was not a coffin or sarcophagus of ancient times.

I looked closely at the middle and I saw a strange marking, almost like the palm of a hand, but weirdly drawn. I couldn’t control myself. I put the torch down and I rested my palm on the marking. The reaction was imminent. With a loud click, the object split from the middle and smoke started to rise from the opening and I moved back.

Without warning, something thrust forward from the inside and Timmy started barking again. I couldn’t see what it was in the dark. I cautiously went near it. A sudden flash of lightning lit the entire sky and I jumped. Not because of the light, but because I was face to face with a decayed corpse. From the looks of it, it had been there for a long time, decades in fact, because that wall had probably been there since the very beginning.

Another flash lit the skies again, this time longer and I could read the inscriptions on the chair beneath the corpse and my entire body froze.

John 117 - Date of Departure: 18:15, 21^st February 2102

And on cue, thunder started to rumble with the elating beats of my heart and a single thought raced through my head, chilling me to the bottom of my spine: 'A Time Traveller'!!!

To be Continued... (Update) Go toThe Late Message That Came Early Part 2 to read the rest of the story😉

Sorry people... Hope that was an interesting read but unfortunately that's it for today. Ever come across an experience where you decide to write a story and words keep coming out and they dont stop??? Yeah... That happened and eventually I had a 2000+ word 'short' story and it wasnt even over yet. So I decided to split it into two parts. I'll definitely post it tomorrow. 

Give me reviews in the comment section and also suggestions for the future. It helps me become better at what I do... So thank you for reading and keep supporting, keep sharing. Have a great weekend. Peace!