Alchemy of Time

Predina, 2060

Violence has grown in the city of Predina. Armed with heavy missiles and rifles, the rebel group has been going from door to door searching for the escaped descendants of the Gilmore lineage. The last thing I can remember is my mother urging me to run like the wind as there were huge bangs on the front door. My shaking mother rushed me through the small escape door in the basement that led me outside in the opposite side of the city; the side I have never been to. Why my mother didn’t follow behind me, can only rationalized in my head as her being a glutton for punishment. Hence her marriage with my father.

I, on the other hand, the sole heiress of the Gilmore estate, have a huge target on my back. The rebel group is after me, to make an example out of me. To show me as a symbol of greed and to show that they have the power to end it.

Therefore, I must escape.

I hear loud footsteps followed by silence and suddenly the sound of bullets firing through the ice-cold air in coldest day of the year. I frantically look around and my eyes land on a small beaten down dark wood house. I look at it and nothing about it feels safe, yet I feel drawn to run inside of it, as if the house has been waiting for me all along. Like it has been placed there for me.

My intuition wins over logic and I dart towards it hoping to not catch the eye of any rebel mercilessly waiting with their guns listening to every small noise since morning.

The floorboards creek as I step in and I catch my breath, choking on tears that are waiting to come out now that I’ve finally found shelter after running for two hours. I try to warm myself as I slowly slide down near the window sill, trying to calm myself down as I hear loud footsteps and distant yelling.

I loosen my grip on the pocket knife in my hand. I grabbed it when I heard loud screams in the neighborhood. The rebels had yelled “Felicia Gilmore! If you’re hiding that girl your life will not be spared.” The knife was the only thing I could grab before I got ushered through the secret door.

The commotion outside seems to have died down. I slowly rise up and catch a glimpse through the window. The footprints on the snow tread straight. There’s no further sign of any hostile groups. I breathe a sigh in relief and turn around to inspect the old house.

Nothing jumps out at first. The floors are dusty with few dents and scratches. The curtains are dull with faded colors, swaying through the cold wind. I notice the sofa, chairs and center table that are discolored and dirty.

Suddenly, I notice a silver chain dangling atop the fireplace mantle. The shiny object lures me to it and as I get closer, I realize the symbol on it matches the one on my pocket knife. I pick up the chain and attach it to the pocket knife when I swirl of energy bursts around me in a circle. I panic and look around, hoping no one sees me. Before I realize, I’m in a different room. One that is livelier, colorful and bright. Vibrant with huge chandeliers. I notice that the furniture is the exact same one in the old house, but looks fresh and new. There’s a woman working at the front desk. It hits me that the old house was the front part of something much bigger, and important.

***

Predina, 1860

I walk through the large courtyard behind my castle. The huge trees in the garden are home to many beautiful birds and then some insects. The pond in the middle of the yard is filled with exotic fishes. The sound of nature fills my ears, keeping me in a state of bliss.

“Reggie.” My assistant Brenna calls out. I take one glance at her and understand that there’s an urgent matter that needs my attention.

“The academy needs to be closed down Reggie. We have no funds.” Theo Clark, my investor, tells me disappointedly.

The air in the room is cold and tense. Like everyone has suddenly lost their sense of purpose.

I look at Theo in the eye and ask “So what now? People don’t believe in magic?”

“Precisely. There are innovations and discoveries that’s making people question the legitimacy of our work. They think we’re tricksters.” He says making me scoff.

I look out the window at the heavy snow. There’s one man leading this movement. Huxley Gilmore. I grab my coat and gloves, put on my boots and head out the door in the snowy winter evening as Brenna tries to stop me from behind.

“There could be a storm Mr. Reggie.” She says. I ignore her pleas and keep walking with an agenda.

My agenda is to prove to Huxley that magic is real.

As I walk past Widora, School of Sorcery, I come across a commotion in the entryway.

“Mr. Reggie. This strange woman….” A woman says, looking at the girl up and down in confusion. “She appeared out of thin air” She adds.

I walk close to the woman to ask her name but when her eyes meet mine, they seem familiar.

“Felicia. Felicia Gilmore.” She says.

A surge of anger flows through my veins but quickly subsides when she shows her knife. She explains how she connected the knife with the silver chain causing an outburst of energy that brought her here.

The symbol belongs to the academy. Someone must’ve put a spell on these objects and left them lying on the streets.

I enquire her about Huxley but she gives me a confused look. Maybe some other Gilmore.

An idea strikes me. Huxley could be the one to put the knife and the silver chain together to witness the magic himself.

I laugh to myself and people watch me like a maniac. In my excitement to prove Huxley wrong, I pull Felicia with me and walk outside, giddily describing my plan to her.

“You really don’t know Huxley Gilmore? He’s an innovator. Said he built a way to go back in time. But doesn’t believe that some people can predict the future, and that some can produce crystals by rubbing their palms together. Like this.” I show a blue crystal to Felicia who takes it in her hand curiously examining it.

I learn that she found the knife in her home and the silver chain in a different beaten down house.

“You said the beaten down house looked exactly like the entrance to my academy?” I question her, astonished at the remark.

“Yes. Like the past.” She says.

“Eh. Okay.” I tell her not wanting to waste more energy discussing her adventures. All I want to do is show Huxley the power of my academy.

We reach the front door of his house. I look at Felicia who looks hesitantly at me. Huxley opens the door looking tired and fed up, like he was working on a very difficult invention. He seems irritated by my presence but then his eyes fall on Felicia and he screams, “It worked.”

He runs up to her and asks her about her life. “What is it like where you come from.”

“Terrible. They’re hunting me down. I ran here.” She says, holding up the knife with the silver chain dangling.

I take the knife from her hand and place it in front of Huxley. “See it for yourself. Remove the chain and then rejoin it. See where it will take you.” I tell him.

He looks at Felicia with sadness in his eyes and asks her how the world could be so horrible in the future. “All I ever wanted was for people to seek the truth.” He says before removing the chain from the knife and then reconnecting it.

Suddenly a blue light surrounds everyone and before we realize, we are in the middle of a snowy black path surrounded by nothing but trees on both sides.

“We are in the future.” Felicia tells us.

***

Predina 2060

We run from the bullets and the screams as Reggie and Huxley throw various questions at me in confusion about the horrifying times in the future.

“People are starving.” That’s all I say before they both give a disappointed nod, feeling just as helpless as me.

We look at the knife, wondering if it’s magic or science. Huxley claims he worked on an innovation that brought me to the past while Reggie claims it’s the spell on the knife that did the work.

I refuse to participate in the debate but reach an understanding that people are missing magic in their lives.

“Do you know magic that can help grow crops?” I ask Reggie, ignoring the protests from Huxley.

When Reggie says yes, I pull him outside with me and draw attention. The rebels run to us, screaming in joy that they caught me. But I tell them to give me a chance to show them magic. We walk to nearby farm that is rotten with blight.

“Fix this please.” I tell Reggie.

He takes a deep breath before placing his hand on the land and a rush of energy goes through the soil and into the crops. A bright golden light fills the area causing everyone’s jaws to drop in awe. The light surrounds the entire farm and within seconds disappears, leaving the crops looking thriving.

Huxley looks in wonder along with everyone.

The leader of the rebels notices the knife in Huxley’s hand and walks towards him, drawing up a silver chain with the same symbol as the one of magic academy. He smiles at us happily. And for once, I understand what was missing in our lives. A little bit of magic. Science helped us progress but magic brings us together.