Just a normal day in the life of Jerry. He wakes up to go to a job he doesn’t even like but who shall pay the bills? He’s clumsy, unlucky, hasn’t had a promotion letter greet his mailbox in the past 9 years . He always spills his much needed coffee, messes up the addresses of tax notices, forgets to buy his groceries on the way back home, and accidentally applies for a yoga class for ages 3 and up.
His life cant get any worse. Or can it?
Jerry had applied for a part-time job, to save up extra money for things he could need for future use. For example, If he got diagnosed with some chronic disease ,or he survived to see the next world war and decided to shift from Europe to Asia. Many reckoned jerry for crazy, because he tended to worry most of the time .He always had sanitary wipes with him, in case he touched something which was dirty, or something got on his face, like.. idk bird litter. He wasn’t exactly crazy, though. He had but was undiagnosed with a disorder, known as, the obsessive compulsive disorder, which you might be familiar to as OCD . Always washing his hands till they got white and puckered ,washing his hair until it was ,literally ,squeaky clean, washing his face so much it moved in one unit, and many such antics.
On his way to the part time job, he decides to stay at a coffee shop for a while. He enters, and is greeted by a young youth at the counter. Jerry places his order, and is served the same by the youth.
“You opened recently?” Asks jerry, as he had not ever heard of the shop, let alone seen it.
“Yes sir, family business. I decided to open a new branch, the fist one is in Texas” Replies the youth.
“Is that so? Long drive from Texas to Houston, isnt it?”
“Quite a long one”
Jerry stands silent.
“Around the corner there, is a spot with free internet on the computers. Feel free to use them”
Jerry smiles “Shall do.”
Jerry turns the corner to find a single computer,and a zinc tub to sit on.Strange of a shop that gives free internet to provide users with a zinc tub to sit on?
Better than nothing,atleast.
He sits down,and like usually,he spills his coffee all over the keyboard.
Scared of what the consequences would be proposed in his already unbearable if the computer malfunctioned, He panic and starts vigorously wiping the key board with his sanitary wipes.
And thats how everything started.
He looks around as a bubble like barrier surrounds him.He looks around,sees the place has completely changed.He tries to look for the youth he saw earlier,but cant find him.As he walks around,he realizes everyone is speaking german.Not a problem for him though,as he had lived in rome for many years of his life and had a father who was german.He walks around,and asks a lady:
“Were you here right now as well?”
“ive been here since morning,mister”
She says,soothing a baby in her arms
Jerry loves babies,and reaches out a finger to the infant,whograbs it instantly
“Awh,whats his name?”
“Adolf hitler”
“Why would you name him after that crazed man?”
“who?”
“The person who started the holocaust,the –“
Then there was a snap,a whoosh,as the woman watched on in horror.I found myself again,surrounded by the bubble.But this time,I tried to reach for it.I saw my hand lingering forward to feel the barrier,and touched it nervously.It was truly like a bubble,but it was firm.As I touched it,It started moving to its sides,but it didn’t collapse.I started to move my hand around the soft yet glass like,smooth surface of the barrier,a rainbow of colors etched on it as it reflected light.
Then,only whilst I saw the colors of the rainbow,did I realize I was outdoors.Was I not indoors just now?
Was I not surrounded by a crowd of lively people just now?
I looked around to see,barren land,and then the barrier disappeared.Unknowing of what was happening and unknowing of what to do,I decided to walk aimlessly further into the barren land.So I walked,and I stumbled and crawled,my legs aching as they dragged themselves across the infertile land.I looked around,hoping to see any obvious signs of life,of settlement.Myeyes caught notice something reflective in the distance,liketin.Only when squinted my eyes and peered at the material,allwhilst walking towards it,did I realize it was,INDEED,tin.Andto my much needed relief,It was a tin roof.A sign of settlement! Out of my much expected desperation,I started to run towards the house.As I neared towards that beacon of hope,I realized that it was an old,small,house,which a garden around it,honeysucklesgrowing over the cracked mud-walls. In front of the house,I saw two bony children,their skin sticking so alarmingly close to their bones that it seemed the bones could peirce through their skin at any given moment.
The children looked up at me,the skin clinging to their skull for dear life.They both stood up expectantly,rushing to me,as if I was a close relative.Theyre expectant eyes stared through my soul,smiling softly at me.It seemed as if they had to use all their energy to pull up the corners of their mouth because as soon as I smiled,their smiles dropped.
The boy finally spoke.
“food,sir?” He spoke in a strong irish accent,his voice wavering.
“Food?” I replied with uncertainty lingering in my voice.
“You didn’t get food,sir?Youre not one of the food bringers?” he asked,softly.
By this time,I had partly understood of the events happening to me.I asked him softly,
“where am i?I am a lost traveler,you see.”
“Ireland” he replied
“what year is it?I have been wandering for such long time”
“1842”
“Listen,im from the future,this is a famine,Itll continue-“
BAM,WHOOSH,ZAP!
Not again,I said to myself.And then I looked around.Boy,was it a SIGHT! People were flying around,wearing shiny clothes,andgas masks
I got approached by a strange looking man,who said to me,”ay,you cosplaying?”
“no?..”
“yo that’s one groledge fit frfr”
“what?”
“geronims you mean what?”
“what year is it?”
“you got some real slickitycheesedoodly-ahh memory”
“what year is it?”
“you really need me to remind yo goofygeronimosilton-ahh?”
I had started to laugh so much,it ached my sides.
“what gasp are you saying?!” I said trying to control my laughter
“it’s the year 2409”
“is it now?”
“you talking some posh English right there my slickilydoodlebop bruh”
“lemmi show you round my brother”
“listen,ive time travelled-“
“so?I like doin that from time to time to meet my pops grandads grandad”
“wait,we can time travel?But that means-“
“Yeah,old newton really figured everything wrong.Everything of his discovery is getting proved wrong”
“really?”
“yeah,but only one yet”
“I see”
“I think im gonna stay here for the restof my life”
“be-“
BOOM,SWOOOOOOSH
I had started to like this until I turned around
Now you see,since childhood,ive always been interested in dinosaurs.I knoe every creatures name,every dinosaur that can fly.And I wasn’t thrilled when I saw a voloceraptor was running at me with full speed .I screamed,shielding myself with my arms.
Another zap and a whoosh.
I woke up in the coffee shop again,and frantically looked for the youth I had earlier met.I narrated the events of my adventure to him.He looked at me like I was crazy.I tried showing him,but it didn’t work.Maybe I accidentaly wrote a code?Lord knows what I had done,what I did,but I am not keen on doing it again.Well,maybe I am,but if trying to get a promotion counts.Looing back at it,its unbelievable.I feel like I wshallucinating,or I was lying to my own self.But I know what I saw,the bubble I felt,meeting baby adolf hitler and everything.
It aslo helped me overcome my overly everything-should-be-cleaned attitude.guess it wasn’t so bad for me after all,eh?
Falah Qurashi
Class 8
Presentation Convent Higher secondary school Rajbagh Srinagar
