Timeline Twister: The Tale Of A Pocket Watch
Once upon a time, in the bustling city of New York, a young man named Frederick lived. Frederick worked as an assistant in a top ranked law firm. Life sounded perfect on paper, but the reality was far from it. Frederick's life was a continuous cycle of unending work, hefty responsibilities, and towering expectations. He sometimes felt like he was drowning, trapped in the cavernous belly of the beast that was corporate law.
One day, a clandestine gift, a small box wrapped in crimson red, appeared on Frederick's desk. It was an antique pocket watch with ornate carvings. Intriguingly, it held no note, but peculiarly the hands of the watch moved anti-clockwise. Trying to figure it out consumed Frederick, it became somewhat of an obsession for him.
One late night, working overtime once again, Frederick glanced at the watch. It read 12:03 a.m. replicating his office clock. Angered by the mystery of the watch, he forcefully twisted the hands of the pocket watch to mirror the correct clock position. Suddenly, in a blinding flash, his office vanished. Frederick found himself standing in a verdant meadow bathed in warm sunlight. In panic, he turned the hands of the watch back, finding himself back in his office, untouched by time itself.
It took some time, but Frederick gradually understood the watch's enigmatic power. It could transport him twelve hours back or forwards in time while time in the real world stood still. From then, Frederick started visiting the meadow whenever he felt exhausted, the tranquility helping him find solace from his hectic life.
In one of the travels, he met Amelia, a young woman who frequented the meadow to escape her monotonous routine as a baker. They connected effortlessly with their shared longing for freedom and began to meet in the meadow frequently. Frederick found in Amelia a spark he had always craved. Their bond grew, straddling two different time periods, cementing love that was strong, pure, and rich like the colors of the setting sun.
However, as their relationship blossomed, their lives did not halt in the real world. Missing time and eerie appearance changes drew suspicions in both their worlds. Destiny was moving, and into Frederick's life walked competitive rivalry, George Madison. George was suspicious about Frederick's disappearances and began to monitor him.
One fateful night, George discovered the watch and the magical escapades it allowed. Greed filled his eyes as he envisaged a future of absolute power. But the watch had other ideas. With the illicit intention in George’s heart, the watch transported him not to the serene meadow, but a bleak, lifeless wasteland. The watch refused to return to George's command, leaving him stranded.
Frederick soon realized his watch was missing and began frantically searching for it. When realization dawned that George must have discovered his secret, he quickly confronted him. To his surprise, he found George's office vacant and untouched. Frederick recognised that the watch might have recognized George's mal intentions.
Devoid of any options, George’s pleas for help echoed in the desert’s chilling winds, Finally, Frederick was inexplicably drawn in by the calls of his abandoned rival. Against his instincts, Frederick decided to save George. Consequently, he conscientiously set his foot into the barren wasteland and saved a grateful George.
Upon their return, Frederick decided to break free from his clockwork life in the corporates, utilizing the watch one last time. He stepped into his world of freedom, where Amelia waited and the couple decided to live a life free from any temporal constraints, making every moment count, cherishing the simplicity.
The watch? It disappeared, no longer needed by Frederick, off to aid another soul in search of solace. And George Madison? He returned to corporate life, forever changed. A once insatiable hunger for power replaced with humility and gratitude, gentled by his brush with abandonment.
And they lived, learning the nuances of life, understanding, that the endless chase of a malignant future is no competition for the serene happiness that comes from just living in the moment.