November 12th, 1999, was an unusually thunderous dark night. The occassional blinding lightning bolts revealed the darkness of the swirling clouds: threats of a heavy rain evident.
10:04 PM
Bala unaware of all these turmoils going on outside was comfortably sitting all alone in the college library with a dozen books spread in front of him. With rapt attention as if every neuron of his were firing, he jolted down quick sentences and equations onto his diary, not noticing the librarian walk up behind him.
"Listen Bala... i'm afraid i have to ask you to leave. You are the only one here. I gotto close the library and you better hurry to the hostel before it starts raining.", said the librarian.
Bala turned around, "Yes Sir, i will. Just give me a minute."
He turned towards his diary and stared at the last sentence he had written and added the words...
...alternate future ?
followed by a big question mark to the sentence and closed the diary.
Chapter II - "The man"
Outside the library, the man waited for Bala in the shadows. He was wearing a black jumpsuit with a hood and was well camouflaged. He saw the watch and muttered under his breath, "..three, two, one.. now!" and looked up. He smiled.
10:08 PM
Bala came outside the library with a couple of books in his arms. He took a look at his watch before continuing to walk in the direction of the hostel.
Bala strolled like a keyed toy, obviously very familiar with the path, careless of the deserted dark road, pre-occupied with his own thoughts and oblivion of the man who followed him in the shadows.
Bala wanted to be alone with his thoughts. He assured himself that he very close to finding the answer he was looking for, for the past six months. All he needed now was a clear mind, a cup of coffee, and his notes in the diary that he had been collecting all along.
A dry stick snapped with a soft but a loud enough sound that gave Bala a fright.
Bala turned around and saw no one. He asked, "Is anyone there?".
There was no answer but he had a weird feeling that he wasn't alone. He waited for the next lightening to illuminate the blackness. He saw nothing and started running towards the hostel.
Chapter III - "The friend"
Kannan was waiting for his roommate Bala in the lounge when he saw him enter the hostel.
"Hey Bala, i know you'll be back when the library closes. Lets go for dinner before the rain starts.", said Kannan.
"I'm not hungry. Moreover i need to complete this thing i had been working on. Im close to finishing it!", answered Bala.
"Oofu, You and your research! What is it this time?"
"You wont believe it if i told you."
"Try me." replied Kannan.
"Ok... here goes... Einstein suggested a concept called `worm-holes` in the space-time continum. It is shaped like a hourglass with two different time on both it end. I think i found a way to create a worm."
"That was all greek to me. Do you mind translating that in English?"
"Well, essentially it is the `Time machine`."
"What? Are you kidding me? You are building a time machine? Damn! What do you want to do with it?"
"Kanna, i havent thought about what i would do with it. Now that you mention it... i would propably come back to this day and watch myself explain these things to you from outside."
10:15 PM
The man hiding outside the hostel smiled cheerfully hearing Bala & Kannan talk. He opened a diary, got to the page dated November 12th and wrote "Yes" to the last question on the page.
If the subject were to disturb any of the happenings, won't it create a fork in the timeline... thus creating an alternate future ?
Labels: Short Story
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