It's Never Too Late To Try

It’s Never Too Late To Try

By Grace Szpila

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This story is dedicated

to ************

Copyright 2016

Maple Leaf Writing Project

Brattleboro, Vermont.

After I finished the last few touches, I stepped back and observed my time machine. Once I saw that it was done, I hopped in it and used the controls on the right to type 2020. I paused and thought to myself, “What might happen if I built my time machine wrong?” But I shook the idea off and pressed ENTER.

I felt a jolt and then saw blackness. I opened my eyes, and saw my house, but it looked different. I stepped out and looked around. The air was clean. Kids were running around. Everybody out on the street seemed to be happy. For a moment I was lost, in the world of the past. But then I remembered my purpose for coming here.

I walked down the street, and noticed that the mansion was still there. I walked up to the guards and said, “I am here to see the scientist, Doctor Jacob Jameson.” As the guards turned to the side to let me in, I walked through the towering doors.

I noticed someone sitting at a desk. I strode up to her. “How may I help you?” she said in a stern, impatient voice.

“I’m here to see the scientist,” I tried to say in a proud voice, but all that came out is a mumble.

“Name?” she said blankly.

“Um… my name, Zoe.”

“Age?”

“Twelve… I mean I am twelve years old.”

She pointed me towards a long spiraling staircase. As I walked up I noticed my legs trembling.

Once I got to a skinny, brown door, I knocked and hoped that it was the right door. I heard a squeaky little voice say, “Come in.” So I did so. When I walked in I noticed an enormous room. There was test tubes everywhere, scattered around. I noticed an old man. His skin was wrinkled. He was quite unattractive. I opened my mouth to speak, but nothing came out.

Eventually I gained courage and said, ”Excuse me, Dr. Jameson, I have come to ask why you think shutting everyone down and making everything dull will stop the world from ending.”

He replied, “Look kid, I don’t know how you know all of this, I was going to say all this in my speech tomorrow. Tell me everything.”

“Ok, I will tell you everything. I am from the future, and you told everyone that the world was going to end, but you said there was a solution. You said if we make everything dull and somber that the world would not end. Everyone believed you and wanted no proof, but I do. I think we are just avoiding the fact that the world will end.” I paused for a moment to catch my breath. “So I traveled to the past, and well, now I am here talking to you.“

Then Dr. Jameson began to talk, no he began to shout, “You really think I believe all that? Are you really saying you think my work has a flaw? I am the greatest scientist in the world.”

Now that I heard all this I started to question myself, but then I remembered that I was the one who built a time machine, and was that successful? Yes, it was successful. It got me to the perfect time.

I said, “Yes, yes I am saying that there is a flaw with your work.”

“Look kid I know you think you're some kind of genius, but you're not, you’re just an ordinary kid who thinks they're always right. I need to get working on my speech, but you know too much.”

He starts walking towards me, and I feel his cold bony fingers touch my back, I shiver with fear as he leads to the corner, where I see a chair and a pile of rope! Once I get to the chair, he pushes down on my shoulders, and forces me to sit. Then he takes the rope and ties it around me!

“How are you, Alvin?” The scientist said. And then I remembered him, he was that… show host of that TV show... “What Did You Do To Help out?”

Then I remembered Doctor Jacob Jameson was on that show because he stopped the world from ending.

“I’m ok, I’m starting to question letting you on the show. I mean that technically means I also am lying to the whole entire world.”

All my memories flashed before my eyes. It all made sense. Dr. Jameson had told everyone that the world would end, just so he could be on the show. It all fit together. I was right, for a moment I was filled with joy. I then snapped back to reality, but it was too late. Alvin had just left, and shut the door behind him.

This meant so much. I could change the future, but if I failed, everything would always be the same.

I had so many questions I wanted to ask, but he thought that I knew his plan. So I could use that to my advantage.

“I know your plan, but can you just explain it to me?” I said in a hopeful way.

“Why would I do that?” He asked.

I replied, “Well I could I always give you feedback.”

“OK, where should I begin?”

I said, “ Start right when Alvin walked in.”

“So, Alvin walked into the room and said something about lying to the whole world. Then all of a sudden you fainted. I said goodbye to Alvin, and you asked me to tell you my plan.”

“That's good and all, but what happens after that?” I asked.

“Then tonight at 6:00pm I plan to tell everyone that the world is going to die, but I will say that if we make every thing in order and dull, the world will not end. After that I will give Alvin a good wad of money for letting me broadcast my news on his channel. Everyone will think I’m a hero.” He said as if it wasn’t the slightest bit evil.

“I know this might be hard for you to imagine but, in less than one year you will have died from a mob of fans running at you because they wanted to meet you in person.” I said.

I felt bad lying to him, but I knew it was the right thing to do.

“What!” he shouted, his face beet-red with anger.

“I suggest that you cancel your plan with Alvin and live a long life.” I felt even worse saying that, because I knew he was actually going to die in two years.

“Isn’t there anything we can do?” he mumbled to himself.

“I’m afraid not.”

He asked, “Why should I believe you?”

“True heros don’t have to lie,” I said.

“What if I don’t want to be a true hero?” he asked.

“I will tell everyone what you told me.”

“They will never believe you!”

“You believed me.”

“You’re such a Know It All! Fine, I will call him to cancel the plan.” Doctor Jameson had already picked up the phone and started to dial a number.

“Hello, this is Doctor Jacob Jameson...well, I wanted to cancel tonight's speech…... I’m sorry you had to cancel your plans for this... this also means that you don’t get all that money... bye.” Relief rushed through my body.

* * * * * * *

I sat there next to the scientist. “Can you let me go?” I asked.

He replied, “What do you mean?”

I said impatiently, “I mean untie me from this chair, and let me go outside.”

“Well, I guess so.” He untied the rope holding me onto the chair.

I stood up to walk away. I took a glance back at Doctor Jameson. His face was holding back tears of fear. I stepped out to face the hallway I once feared. Triumph flew through my body.

Once I had gotten steps away from the doors leading to outside I realized, I had no place to go. How was I supposed to get back to my family? I couldn’t build a time machine that brought me to the future, I only knew how to build a machine that brought me to the past!

Then it hit me my parents are still here. They’re just a younger version of themselves without any kids.

As I got closer to my parents’ house, I started to realize how bad this idea was, my parents had no idea who I was. There it was, their house just the way it was...when I lived there.

I pounded on the door, till a young woman who did not look very happy stepped outside and stared at me as if I was a dirty bug. “Mom is that you?” I shouted with joy.

Then I remembered she had no clue who I was; it hurt inside. I said in a more calm way, ”I know this might be hard for you, but I’m your kid.”

“What?” She shouted with confusion, “Danny come here right this instant!”

“Coming Ashley, what's the matter?” he said. A man appeared next to Mom.

“Hi Dad, I’m your kid,” I said anxiously. “Can I come in, so we can talk about this?”

“Ashley I need to talk about this with you...Privately.” Danny practically shouted. They walked into another room and started yelling at each other. After a few minutes passed, they came back out.

“We should go inside,” Ashley said. As we walked in I noticed everything in the house was just as I remembered… perfect.

“What’s your name?” Danny asked.

“Me? My name’s Zoe.”

“If we ever had a child, that was a girl, we would name her Zoe,” Danny said in awe.

“There is also one major problem, we don’t have a child! Can you explain that?” Ashley asked.

Out of breath I shouted, “I am from the future, where Ashley and Danny Bennard are my parents. I built myself a time machine, and traveled to the past. Or as you know it, the present. Anyways I have no way to get to my home in the future. So I was wondering if you could let me stay here temporarily.”

“Zoe, can I get you something to eat?” In that moment I realized I was starving, I hadn’t eaten in hours.

“Yes please, a sandwich would be great!” I said with glee.

Danny begged, “Ashley, can you help me make the sandwich.” It was obvious that they were going to talk about me.

Ashley whispered in a distant voice, “Maybe we should let her stay, just till we sort things out.” They walked into a room farther away from me and I could hear nothing else. Minutes pass, before my parents walked in.

There, in their hands, was the biggest sandwich I had ever seen.

I looked up at the clock. It was 5:00pm, one hour before the world would have turned into chaos, if I hadn’t stopped the scientist.

I gobbled down the sandwich in seconds. “Are you going to let me stay here or not?” I aked, hoping that their answer was yes.

Ashley said, “Yes, under some circumstances like you have to do your own laundry, and sleep up in the loft.” This was definitely my mom. Relief rushed through me.

* * * * * * *

As Ashley helped me make my bed I asked, “Was I a mistake?”

“What do you mean?” Ashley asked in wonder.

“I mean, would you you be glad if you had kid?”

“Honestly, no. You see Danny has been dreaming of having a kid, but I would have to take a break from work.” My heart was strong with pain, knowing I was a mistake. I looked away from my mother so she wouldn’t see me cry, and as I did so, I noticed it was exactly 6:00pm.

As I looked down towards my hand my fingertips started to almost fizzle out of existence! I jumped back and screamed, “Help Ashley I‘m... vanishing!”

My thoughts were spinning around. I was trying to come up with a logical explanation for why this would happen.

“Sweetheart just because I didn't want you, does not mean that you are vanishing! I still love you!” she shouted with concern. Then she looked at me slowly disappearing. First my hands fizzled out, then my arms. It kept going at a steady pace.

I saw my mom’s expression change, like this was all a weird dream.

All I knew was that some part of time travel did not work out the way I planned. Then it hit me. I never would have traveled to the past if Doctor Jacob Jameson never gave his speech. Therefore I never traveled to the past. This version of myself would not exist. I don’t exist, or do I, just in the future?

As I stood there fizzling out of existence I wondered, would I have traveled to the past if I had known I was going to disappear? Yes… all I want is to have the world as it should have been, exciting and colorful. I realized then that I alone had brightened the world.