Another World; Another Time
Written by: Big Bee
Chapter 3: The Future
I
held my breath and pushed the button that will enable me to travel through
time. My heart hammered like a machine gun against my ribcage. At first,
nothing happened. Suddenly, BANG! My machine seemed to be emitting a lot of
thick, black smoke and that did not seem right. Inside my time machine, all I
could see was a bright, blinding light and my machine quivered. I started to
get a little nervous… Was my time machine exploding? Was I actually going to
the future? A ringing sound filled my ears - it was the same feeling you feel
when a plane was taking off.
Screech!!!
That loud, high-pitched noise reverberated through the air. It sounded to me
like a car skidding on a treacherous, slippery road. Instead, I realised that the
sound was actually coming from my time machine, even though it had no tires or
wheels. I rubbed my eyes and realised that I had actually survived…Am I in
the year 2213? I looked around me and came out from my time machine, only to
find myself standing on some sort of touchscreen floor.
I
was in a totally different world. There were skyscrapers everywhere and they
all looked like tall control towers. The whole place seemed air-conditioned.
There were no trees, grass, flowers or any plants at all, very unlike the lush
greenery we had in our time. People were travelling on hovercrafts, which were
cars that hovered above ground, like my time machine. In fact, my time machine
actually fit in with all the cars here in the future. There seemed to be a lot
of robots drifting about aimlessly. There were even more robots than humans
from what I could see, and all the humans looked so plump. Probably because
they had robots at their beck and call and no one ever exercised. I stood
there, bewildered, my mouth agape like a goldfish. I was really in the future!
The
robots that wandered around the city seemed to be smarter than humans. They
were able to answer any questions asked. You could ask a robot what would happen
tomorrow and it could recite the specific schedule of its owner for the next
day. They could foretell the future and even make somebody or itself invisible.
Robots could walk through walls, read minds and even fly. The robots in that
time had their own minds, and could communicate with you, understanding
whatever you say or do. A robot in the year 2213 could help you write a book,
for example, or even help you cook meals. The most incredible thing was, it
could even invent anything or build anything in less than an hour. If there was
a robot like this in my time, 200 years ago, it would seem just imaginary - something
that never ever would have existed.
Chapter
4: Stuck
I
just stood there, blinking unbelievably, totally shell-shocked. I was in a loss for words.
All of a
sudden, I smelt something burning. I swivelled my head round, only to see a
sight that shocked and startled me. Gosh, it was my time machine! My time
machine was on fire! My machine must have over-strained itself. I had no water to put
the fire out! Unless I put out this fire in less than a minute, my time machine
would be damaged, and I would not be able to go back to my time! I would be
stuck here in the future! I will not be able to see Aidan again! I started
panicking, looking left and right for a fire extinguisher. I spotted a teenage
girl not far away, who looked just about a few years older than me. She wore a
crimson-coloured silk dress and had a robot who followed her wherever she went.
Maybe she knew where a fire extinguisher was.
And at
that time, little did I know that this girl was going to play such a big part
in my life.
“Please
help me put out this fire!!” I begged her, almost turning hysterical. If there
was no fire extinguisher or anything to put out the fire, I would be stuck here
in the future. For my whole life.
“Sure,”
she replied nonchalantly. She seemed friendly and helpful.
Muttering
a string of vulgarities, I watched her as she beckoned to her personal robot
and whispered something to it. I bit my lip out of frustration and worry.
Would my time machine be fine? In a flash, a fire extinguisher appeared out
of thin air. I could not help but feel amazed. The technology here was really
good. Too good to be put in words.
The
robot came to my time machine and sprayed water on it. My hands started shaking
from exasperation. Despite the air-conditioning in the city, beads of
perspiration formed on my forehead due to my anxiety. Oh no, I suddenly
remembered something. My time machine was not waterproof! It would definitely be
damaged, whether I put out the fire or not! The water and fire would both spoil
my entire machine. My eyes widened in both shock and fear. I stood rooted to
the ground, incapable of any speech. Does this mean I’d be stuck here?
I
grumbled silently to myself as I paced up and down the touchscreen road. I let
her put out the fire as it seemed to be the best solution, even though I knew
my machine would be damaged.
“Thanks,”
I told her, feeling depressed. I sighed heavily and frowned. I was stuck here
forever, unless I find a way to fix my machine.
“You’re
welcome,” she told me. “Your car caught fire? I’m Jennifer Lloyd, by the way.
What happened? You look so miserable.”
There
was a tinge of happiness in her voice that annoyed me somehow. If she was stuck
in my shoes, she definitely would have been mad too.
“I’m
Alison Taylor. And that’s not my car, it’s a time machine. I came from the
past, from year 2013. My time machine isn’t waterproof so it got damaged and
now… I’m stuck here for, like, eternity.” I answered, and I knew very well that
Jennifer probably will not believe me.
She
raised an eyebrow. “Are you kidding me, Alison?”
“No,
I’m not, argh. What’s the date today?” I inquired, in case I did not go to the
future. Only after my question came out of my mouth then I realised that it was
quite a dumb question. When have there ever been flying cars and robots in my
time?
“14th
December, 2213. You can stay with me in my house for a while until you find out
how to fix your machine,” Jennifer offered, flashing a megawatt smile.
“Okay,
thanks so much. I think I will need to take a few months to fix this machine
though.” I suppressed a fake grin, and deep down inside me, I felt like throwing
a huge tantrum. If I am not able to fix my machine, I would never ever be able
to see Aidan again.
I
decided to look on the bright side of life, thus I did feel pleased that I had
a new found friend and I had somewhere to live while I was stuck here. Also, it
was amazing that I was in another world.
To be continued...
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