Finality...and Continuity

Last week had been unabashedly emotional and exhaustingly heavy-hearted - almost surreal in so many ways. Surreal in the sense that I shared this sense of forlorn bereavement with a whole country. A country whose people had always been criticised to be emotionless, passive and expressionless - just because we may not be understood in the same cultural context or measured in similar hues of socially agreeable behaviour as other cultures.

I had been thinking a lot about that feeling of emptiness when I woke up every morning last week. Those bursts of sentimentality and tears which are so rare for me, the constant appreciation and gratitude when I looked at everything around me - and even guilt for all those times I had taken Singapore and the lives we built up here for granted.

And even till today, I reflect back in wonderment - how, even in his death, Lee Kuan Yew managed to inspire a nation to stand up on our feet - literally - in order to bid farewell to him in so many ways. But seriously, how do we say goodbye to a great visionary? Granted, he was not the only architect of Singapore, that there was a team of brilliant strategists alongside him. But what makes a great leader indeed? He is truly the embodiment of a real leader - ruthless when the time called for it, and prophetic in uncanny ways. There is plenty for modern Singaporeans like us to emulate from him - to stand up for ourselves against supposed giants with different ideologies, to fight for our rights as Singaporeans, and to reinforce our very unique identity in a world where larger nations constantly fight for cultural hegemony.

So, it had been hard to bid farewell to this giant of giants, not because we will miss him as a person, but because it is like saying goodbye to what he represents, and the slow dawning of trepidation for the future of Singapore without these values.

Which is why last week would be indelible in my memory forever because we came together as a nation to mourn a great man and what he stands for - resilience, perseverance, determination, pride and unity. Regardless of inconsequential demographics like race, religion, language or socio-economical strata. And I hope these values continue to feature significantly in our future.

I think the deep-seated emotions that many of us felt last week were reflections of the pride we harboured as Singaporeans and what our little nation stands for - despite a barrage of criticisms and pressures from other nations. Many times, our perspectives towards nation building had evolved through the many stages in our lives. But for many of us who hailed from low-income families, we are deeply gratified for this system of meritocracy which provided us with umpteen opportunities and which helped us break through the cycles of neediness. And this meritocratic education system (which is evolving in dangerous ways these days, unfortunately) is something that I am personally very thankful for, because it changed the life of my family.

Much had been written about the unity of Singaporeans, the deep-seated emotions and pride harboured by many of us in our country - as well as the potential to finally be a gracious society. Yet, I constantly worry if our children would understand and grasp the frailty of our so-called success and security. Will they be resilient enough to continue this fight? To stand up for themselves as Singaporeans in future? To continually sustain a country without any natural resources? To carve out a stronger national identity and culture for themselves?

Yet, the glimpse of our Singapore spirit last week was a hope for a future where Singaporeans can fight on and keep our identity burning strong. This hope of unity, this seed of gratitude and the belief that we should stand up for our little island nation and all that we represent...these laid the foundation for much of my broiling emotions last week. There are many imperfections in our country, I do acknowledge that, and yet there is so much raw potential. We definitely have much to do and to work towards. More importantly, there is never a time when the words Majulah Singapura meant so much for many of us. Let us not forget and continue fighting on! And indeed, to let our children realise the importance of fighting on as well.

It was uncanny how the heavens poured with the march of the funeral procession on that unforgettable Sunday. And how the skies miraculously cleared after that...giving way to a beautiful, tangerine-tinged sunset. And maybe even creating rainbows with the inevitable blend of retreating raindrops and shy, emerging sunrays. An era is over, and it is up to us to write the chapters for the next era. Like Lee Kuan Yew once said, "...look at the horizon, find that rainbow, go ride it." Will we be able to spot the many rainbows over Singapore, or better yet, help create one, and continue the legacy of Singapore from now on? It is all entirely up to us, this much I know.

Her First Book (Part 4)

This is the final installment of Big Bee's first book, Another World, Another Time, which she wrote when she was 11. The other parts could be found here:

Her First Book (Part 1)
Her First Book (Part 2)
Her First Book (Part 3)

Another World, Another Time

Written by: Big Bee

Chapter 7: No More Choices

Everything seemed to be going very well until I asked Jennifer a question about this future earth.

I asked her, “Everyone in this future world uses so much electricity now, so doesn’t it pollute the earth? Wouldn’t the earth die?”

“Yes,” Jennifer replied. “The earth’s ozone layer is already gone. Thankfully, the robots were able to recreate the gases that formed the ozone layer and everyone on earth could still survive. However, the robots have predicted that the earth was going to crumble into nothingness within these two years. And robots are never wrong.”

“Isn’t there anything we can do to stop the earth from dying? Can’t the robots, like, make something to support the earth and prevent it from crumbling?” 

I had been living in this future world for only two months, yet I felt like I was part of it, because of Jennifer.

“Sadly, no. People have already asked the robots to do that but to no avail. There is no hope of saving the world now. In the past, the earth was polluted too much. There was too much littering and too much use of electricity. We have nothing that we can do to save the earth now. And that’s why we just expect the world to crumble and die.”

Did that mean that if I stay here I would die because the earth was going to crumble? What about Jennifer? And David and Selena? What would happen to each one of them? Suddenly, an idea dawned on Jennifer.

“Aren’t you from the past, Alison?!” She exclaimed, almost shouting. I was surprised to see her so exhilarated. I mean, the fact that I was from the past was obvious.

“Yes, I am. Why?” I did not feel like going back to the past at all. Living here in the future was like a dream come true.

Chapter 8: The Solution

Jennifer rattled on like a gun, “You still have time to fix that time machine and go back to your time and tell everyone to save the earth! There is only one future of the earth! The future when no one in the past bothered to stop pollution and everything. You’re a famous scientist, right? Then surely everybody will listen to what you say! You can change the entire future of your earth, Alison!”

Immediately, an avalanche of thoughts flashed through my mind. Go back to the past? The boring old past when I was a loner? Without Jennifer? No way! Didn’t Jennifer enjoy my company? Doesn’t she want me to stay with her in the future?

However, this was my chance to change the entire future of the whole wide world. If anyone would really listen to me, I really, really could save the earth. I knew that I had to sacrifice my wonderful life here in the future with Jennifer to do the right thing. It would be the last time I would be able to see robots. The last time I could ever see such tall skyscrapers, all of them at least 500 levels tall. And worst of all, it was the last time I would ever be seeing Jennifer….

A light bulb appeared in my head. I could bring Jennifer, her step brother and step sister back to the past with me! They would surely enjoy it there! Jennifer would finally be able to see all those beautiful animals and plants! No one would mind them going back to the old earth with me as they were orphans and had no parents to care about them in this future earth!

“Jennifer! You could take David and Selena, and we could all go back to the past earth with me! You can live with me in my house and I’ll take you to see all the animals that you’ve been longing to admire!” I said, flushing with excitement. “It’s the perfect idea!”

Chapter 9: Fixing the Machine

Jennifer’s eyes lit up, but within a second, she looked down and the light in her eyes seemed to disappear.

“No, Alison. I’m sorry, I can’t go with you.”

My eyes widened in shock and I could not help myself but feel immensely betrayed. “Why wouldn’t you come with me?" I could not believe what Jennifer had just said. She said no?

“Messing with time, going to the future, it’s just…complicated. It isn’t right. If we do go back to the past with you, we may not be used to the climate there and everything, and I don’t think we can survive there. I’m sorry, Alison, I can’t go.” Her eyes were downcast and it was clear that she was way more upset than I was.

“It’s okay…I was just disappointed that I would be leaving you.” My voice broke and I held back tears.

“Let’s get going then. I need to finish fixing that time machine of mine, before this future earth crumbles and I die along with it,” I said, determined.

I clenched my fists and thought hard. Making my way to the backyard of Jennifer’s house, I promised myself that I would cherish every moment with Jennifer, and I would not let her down by trying to change the future of this earth.

I worked on the time machine for a very long time. I forgot about time or food and the only two things I did not forgot was Jennifer and of course, making the machine.

She was behind me all the time, giving me tips on this and that, and how to improve my machine. We treasured every single last moment we had together. Once in a while, the ground would start to tremble. It was like an earthquake, except for the fact that the trembles were way longer, way more vigorous and way more often than any earthquake 200 years ago. Jennifer had explained to me that it was because the earth’s core was weak and going to give way.

Chapter 10: Leaving Jennifer

A month flew by. It was a whole month on fixing that time machine of mine and it was finally working again. I knew that I had to go back real soon - the sooner I went back, the better.

Before going back to my time, Jennifer had brought me around the city to buy souvenirs for me to bring back to the past. She bought me a device that could make me invisible. I gave her a pen that I had with me. She had never seen one before and in the future, there was no such thing as a pen - robots just wrote everything out for you.

Every day, I checked on my time machine to see if it was still working and before long, the day when I had to leave arrived.

I made my way to the backyard where my time machine was. There was an aura of grey around me. It was a mist that refused to rise. This was my last time I would ever be seeing Jennifer… and I could not communicate with her ever again.

A lone tear slid down my cheek. I felt like my heart was being ripped out, shattered into a million pieces, like what was going to happen to this future earth. The last time I would be staying here in Jennifer’s house. The last time I would be talking to her. The last time I would be enjoying the future earth with Jennifer. The last time I would ever be seeing her… I bit my lips, trying to stop myself from sobbing out loud.

I hugged each one of them - Jennifer, David and Selena. Jennifer and I shed some tears, then I got into my time machine, preparing to go back to my own time, away from Jennifer.

Jennifer had said right before I went into the time machine, “I won’t forgot you, Alison. I’ll keep your pen with me, goodbye. I’ll miss you.”

I waved back and screamed loudly, over the deafening whirring of my time machine, “I’ll miss you too!! Goodbye! I won’t forgot you too!” My voice cracked and I stifled a sob. I looked out the window of my time machine and I could see Jennifer, burying her head in one of her hands, whilst she used the other hand to wave back at me.

She raised her head and mouthed the word “Bye!” Looking at her tear-stained face made me understand how much she missed me too.

I pushed the button that would enable me to travel through time and then BANG! With a final wave and a last look at my first best (and my last) friend, the bright lights in my time machine blinded me and I could not see her ever again.

Alone yet again, I whispered to Jennifer, knowing that she would never hear this, how grateful and how thankful I am to her. I wanted her to know how much I cherished our friendship. I wanted her to know how much I missed her and how I felt that that there was a huge hole in my heart now, without her. But I could never tell her all these things again, as I would never be seeing her.

Chapter 11: Changing the Future

I arrived back in my backyard in my own time. It was 14^th December 2013 yet again. Miraculously, my time machine had not caught fire like what it did the last time when I landed in the…. I was too heartbroken to think about my time in the future.

My mind was filled with happy memories with Jennifer, but I could not help but smile at the lush greenery now. The tall trees, the pretty and vibrantly coloured flowers. And all the animals… the birds flying high in the cerulean blue sky were sights that people in the future world just know about in history books.

I got back into my house and displayed the invisibility device. It was shaped like a ball. Just a push of a button and I could turn invisible immediately. Aidan licked my face the moment I got into the house. I felt immensely ecstatic being reunited with my precious dog. I petted him and played “fetch” with him. I even told him about my adventure in the future, even though I knew that he would not understand what I was talking about. That gave me inspiration for my next invention. I could create a device that could enable humans to talk to animals! Maybe humans can then communicate with animals and learn about their problems. Just like that, humans could finally understand animals and stop destroying their homes and poaching. Before long, animals will stop getting killed and they would not get extinct. People in the future would be able to admire the adorable animals we once admired and loved.

I took immediate action. I created a long speech on how I had invented a time machine and travelled to the future. Everyone believed me, seeing that I had brought back a device that could make you invisible, from the future. 

I told the world about my friend, Jennifer, who told me that the world was going to die and that she wanted me to tell everyone to stop polluting the world and destroying everything. If every single person in the world really played a small part and helped to save the world, there was a chance that the world could be saved.

I could not let Jennifer down. There was even a law imposed that everyone had to play at least one small part to save the earth. Hopefully, the future of this earth would be changed and the generations after us would be able to enjoy the same earth that we had once lived on.

~ The End ~

  

Her First Book (Part 3)

This is a continuation of Big Bee's book which she wrote last year, with the first 4 chapters featured here and here.

Another World; Another Time

Written by: Big Bee

Chapter 5: A New Friend

I followed my new found friend, Jennifer, to her house. We chatted nineteen-to-the-dozen, strolling down the road to her tiny cottage at the end of the road. I tried to keep up with her incessant chattering. Jennifer really was talkative and friendly. With her hospitality and friendliness, I could keep my problem out of my mind thankfully. We walked on the touchscreen roads, because there were no cars at all. Hovercrafts just travelled high above our heads. There was no animals or plants in sight at all. I made an assumption that they were all extinct by now.

Her personal robot, whose name I found out later was Rose, carried my time machine that was at least a thousand kilograms. The way she carried it made it look like it was as light as a feather.

Her little cottage had only two storeys, and she lived with her stepbrother, David and her stepsister, Selena. Rose left my time machine in her backyard, as instructed by Jennifer. I hoped to start fixing it as soon as possible.

My new found friend, Jennifer, had golden hair, with curls that looked like strands of noodles. She was slim, unlike all the other people in this future world. She was also fair and kind of pretty. Jennifer was clever and I found out that she too excelled at Science - another similarity between both of us. That made me feel less agitated. Maybe she could even help me repair my time machine.

She let me stay in the attic and set up a little bed for me. I found out that she was also an orphan, like me. We had meals with David and Selena, and there were robots which served and cooked the meals. We barely even had to lift a finger as all the usual household chores were all done for us.

As the days passed, I just stayed in the backyard to fix my machine. Thankfully, I knew that there was a solution to fix my machine and I had a chance to go back home. I grew closer and closer to Jennifer. With her intelligence and skills, she helped me fix the time machine. Rose was helpful too, and she provided materials I needed to use to fix my time machine. I was very grateful to Jennifer for helping me and providing a roof over my head whereas I did nothing to help her.

Before long, I stopped fussing over all my problems. After all, what was the use of crying over spilt milk? I was in a different world with my first friend.

In the mornings, David and Selena both went off to work and Jennifer was the only one who stayed at home every day. Now, with me, she had company and enjoyed chatting with me, finding out about the past, two hundred years ago.

Chapter 6: The Past and The Future

In my time in the future, I stayed mostly in Jennifer’s house, but I did go shopping with her every now and then. The shops there were all run by robots. Rose kept all of Jennifer’s money and paid for everything that she bought.

We visited the museum one day and it was then when Jennifer showed me how to teleport. She had instructed me to click my fingers and say where I wanted to teleport to and in a second, I would be there. I teleported to the museum and it was an extremely memorable experience for someone who once lived in the past. She explained that most people used hovercrafts to travel around instead of teleporting because it was safer. If something goes wrong while you were teleporting, you would lose a few of your body parts, or even be left with only half your body. Thankfully, Jennifer and I did not lose any body parts.

The museum was enormous, way bigger than the Louvre Museum in Paris. The Louvre would just seem tiny, compared to this museum in the future. There were amazing items in the museum, like portals to different planets, a device that could make you stay underwater for as long as you wanted without an oxygen tank, etc.

An ant in a gigantic cage was considered to be one of the most treasured exhibits. It was known to be the last animal ever alive. I furrowed my eyebrows upon reading it and stifled a chuckle. In 2013, ants were everywhere! People squashed them, hated them and even put ant baits to kill them! Now, this little ant had a home about the same size as Jennifer’s, and had a dozen robots taking care of it.

 

I even forgot about going back home to my time. After all, in my past, I lived alone and never had any friends. I just buried my head in a book all day long. Now, in this future earth, Jennifer was my first friend. My first friend in 16 long years. And the technology here was superb, the weather was awesome and robots did everything for you.

Robots controlled the weather here. You could program a robot to make the weather sunny that day, or to make the weather stormy.

Even fixing the time machine was easy. I could easily have ordered a robot to fix my machine for me and it could be finished in less than an hour. However, I trusted my own capabilities of fixing the machine, thus I wanted to do it by myself. Besides, I could spend a longer time here in the future with Jennifer.

Jennifer was just like me too. She had no friends, except for David and Selena. There was one robot for each of the people in Jennifer’s house. Therefore, she owned three robots - a typical, common number for most households in the future.

Jennifer asked me about the past too. She asked me curiously, as robots could not see the past, but only the future, how it was like back 200 years ago when there were forests, reservoirs, zoos and jungles. 

The first thing I told her about was Aidan, my sweet little dog. I told her how he entertained me every day and how I looked after him. I also explained to her about how the birds flew around freely in the vast, azure blue sky. The sky in year 2213 was anything but a shade of blue. You could not even see what colour the sky was, because of all the smoke and pollution that filled the air. The animals were the best things of all to Jennifer. The only living things now in the future was just humans and robots. No cute, furry little animals for people to admire in zoos and forests any more.

Two months had already passed, and I had completely forgotten about my time machine, although I missed Aidan a lot. It was put under a shelter in the backyard, untouched. I forgot about the fact that I wanted to go back home to my time. With the technology and cool weather here, who would want to go back to a world where it was sweltering hot and you had to do everything by yourself?

To be continued...

Her First Book (Part 2)

This is a continuation of Big Bee's book which she wrote last year, with the first 2 chapters featured here.

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?

“14^th 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...

Her First Book (Part 1)

Last December was really eventful for Big Bee. She was immersed in lots of experiences and achieved a number of milestones. These milestones had nothing to do with PSLE preparation though! I know lots of parents start preparing their Primary 5 kids for the PSLE even in the December holidays. But I decided to make this holidays totally chillax and enjoyable, so that she is totally rejuvenated for the PSLE revisions this year. 

One of the fundamental things that she achieved was to complete a book with 12 chapters - the idea and plot behind the book was entirely her own idea. She was really proud of it, and truly enjoyed the whole creation process. Most of all, she was really fascinated by the fact that she could create whole new worlds and brand new personalities just through the power of the written language. 

I thought of starting a series with a couple of chapters per post, so for now, here are the first 2 chapters! By the way, it is not edited at all, so you might spot some syntax errors here and there. 

Another World; Another Time

Written by: Big Bee

Chapter 1: Alison Taylor

I added the finishing touches to my time machine - a project that I had been working on for ages - and finally, I believed that my dream of making the world’s first time machine was coming true. I had been dreaming of making a time machine ever since I was a young girl. I connected a few more wires and completed the task of making the machine. The only thing was, I was not sure whether it could really work. Nevertheless, my time machine still looked gorgeous, and I stood back to admire this project that I had been working on for years and years. I was filled with three different emotions: happiness, pride and a little bit of uncertainty.

It had not really been a difficult task for a scientist like me. Well, I was one of the world’s most famous and successful inventors, and I had to admit that I could invent almost anything. Everyone in the whole wide world knew who Alison Taylor, the famous 16-year-old inventor, was. Despite my fame and everything, I was actually an orphan and no one ever cared much for me. I grew up alone in an orphanage without any friends. Now, I even lived alone with my Yorkshire Terrier, Aidan, in this huge mansion which doubled as a science laboratory on Daffodil Street.

Aidan was my pet puppy. He was a typical Yorkshire Terrier - brown and black fur, fluffy and small, with skinny legs. Most importantly, he was the only one so far who truly understood me. He was once a stray dog and he always loitered outside my house in the backyard. He always peered into the windows, staring at me working diligently at my inventions. I could not help but smile at the cute little face staring at me every night. Thus, before long, I took him into my house and he became my pet.

My house had four storeys and an enormous backyard. The first and second floor was used as my science laboratory, and it was filled with whirring machines and tools found from almost everywhere. The third level was where my bedroom, living room and kitchen were. Lastly, the fourth floor was where I had planted a telescope, to look out into space every night. When I was a toddler, I was already inventing little things, so it was no wonder that I would turn out to be the inventor I was now.

When I was four years old, the milk bottle had not been invented yet. With a cup and some rubber found in the orphanage, I just played with those materials all day long and came up with the idea of a milk bottle. I had used it to drink my milk and the owner of the orphanage saw what I had created. Therefore, he stole my idea and introduced it to the world. As I was still a helpless, young child, I could do nothing to stop him.

After all these years, I realised that I was already a child prodigy back then, because not every young child could create such things that the whole world would use.

Chapter 2: My Time Machine

My time machine was metallic but on the inside, it was very comfortable as it had air-conditioning and fluffy, red seats. It was almost like a car, except for the fact that it could hover a few feet above the ground and could travel way faster than any sports car ever created.

“Do you like it, Aidan?” I asked him, tilting my head to one side, admiring my time machine. He stared back at me, unblinking, with those huge warm eyes of his. I knew that he just loved my invention.

The only way to find out if my invention really does work or not, is to try it out, I thought to myself. Another thought flashed through my mind. What if my entire time machine exploded whilst I was on it? What if my entire house explodes too, because of the time machine exploding? I was only 16 this year and making a time machine was an impossible task for many other inventors, so would my machine really function? 

I had to believe in myself. I left Aidan in the house with an automatic food and water dispenser so he could survive by himself whilst I was time travelling. After that, I took my time machine out to my backyard, where I usually conducted my experiments.

My time machine was only controlled by a remote control - by pressing six buttons, my time machine could travel up, down, right, left, forward and backward, so it was no difficulty for me to shift it out to the backyard. I could just sit in the machine as I controlled it using the remote and made my way to the backyard. I had to decide where I wanted to go. To the past? To the future? Of course I should go to the future! And maybe I could even try to remake some of the inventions in the future! I started setting the date in the future which I wanted to go to. I thought to myself, I should travel to the future, 200 years later…in year 2213! Passers-by were starting to crowd around my backyard to stare at my mammoth project, gawking and whispering among themselves in hushed tones. 

To be continued...