Chronicles of Time: A Time Machine Story
The story begins in a quaint little town renowned for its beautiful countryside and remarkable citadel known as 'Harmonia.' Living in Harmonia topmost tower, was a decidedly eccentric old man named Nathaniel.
Nathaniel wasn't your average septuagenarian. He was vibrant, full of life, a self-proclaimed storyteller and, indeed, a time-traveler. Nathaniel was ensnared by the allure of the cosmos since a child, embracing its endless mysteries, which eventually led him to invent a Time Machine.
The machine was a fascinating piece of technology, with twinkling lights, humming bends of bronze and steel, and an ancient leather seat taken from his grandfather's favorite armchair. This device was his escape from the stinging reality of losing his beloved wife, Clara, and created fascinating stories that distracted him from his loneliness.
One day, Nathaniel met a young boy named Leo, a lonely, bright-eyed wanderer. Leo's parents' jobs kept them away, thrusting Leo into the elderly man's company. Nathaniel, in turn, shared his incredible time-traveling experiences with the young boy.
They journeyed back to the age of dinosaurs, experienced the grandeur of the Egyptian empire, contributed insignificantly to the French revolution, and even relived a Beatles concert. Together they learned, they laughed, they adventured, they lived.
Nathaniel wrote down every journey in a book titled 'Chronicles of Time,' hugely cherished by Leo. However, the old man never took Leo to one particular period, the time when Clara, his beautiful wife, was alive. It was the chapter of his life the grief-stricken man would read alone, keeping his solitude intact.
One day, Leo stumbled upon a delicate piece of time. A letter, wrinkled and worn, yet preserved was hidden beneath the armrest of the Time Machine. It was a love letter from Clara to Nathaniel.
Upon reading Clara's profound love, Leo realized Nathaniel’s sadness ran deep. Leo uncertainty brewed: he had the solution to Nathaniel's despair. The machine had a two-way ticket feature, which would allow Clara to live in their time. But, was it right to change history?
Eventually, Leo decided. On his birthday, he gifted Nathaniel a Time Journey. Unknown to the old man, he was visiting a moment when Clara was alive, young, and exceedingly in love with him.
Witnessing the love of his life, still alive, vivaciously dancing in the rain, Nathaniel was overwhelmed. Leo, then, presented him with the ticket, shaking nervously.
Nathaniel looked at Leo, his heart filled with infinite gratitude. He decided to bring Clara back, his unexpected chance of happiness. However, as Clara stepped into the machine, an unexpected power surge threw the machine off balance.
They could see the present and past jumbled up, as the machine tried to find its foothold in time. Nathaniel, realizing his folly, ejected Clara's ticket mid-transit, instantly sending her back to her time to save her.
As the machine stabilized, tears welled up in his eyes, for he’d tasted bittersweet love and lost it yet again. As he turned to Leo, he saw the boy was upset. Explaining his decision, he admitted to his love for Clara, unaltered by time but confessed that her true place was in her time, her world.
Leo learned the weightage of choices and their consequences that day. Change, as promising as it may seem, may not always be good.
The Chronicles of Time became the townsfolk's favorite, and Leo, the young boy, grew up to become a bestselling author, writing about his extraordinary childhood. He embarked on time-travel with his children, inheriting Nathaniel's legacy.
In true retrospect, the tale isn't of time-travel, it's about friendship, choices, love, learning, and the notion that change, as substantial as it may seem, may not always be necessary. For in time and with time, we learn, love and let go.