MEMORY SWING
Prologue
Flash back. A great, towering oak tree. A large canopy of leaves, creating shade and comfort. A gnarled trunk, with great branches looming out of the top. And….. a swing. A green, wooden swing with yellow ropes rising high, only to be fastened onto a branch. And laughter. A girl of 4 or 5 laughing, her pink sundress billowing behind her as she swung back and forth… not far off the ground… but from her view, she reached the sky. Her blonde hair flew behind her, as 2 figures laughingly pushed the girl, pleased to hear her squeals of delight. But the faces… the girl was familiar… but unknown… and the 2 figures had no faces at all. They were hidden in shadow, cloaked by darkness. And still the girl laughed.
The shadows danced with delight. Though she couldn't see their face, she knew they were smiling. Though she couldn't hear them, she knew they were laughing and having a great time. Who are you? she tried to ask. But her voice betrayed her. No sound came out. "Where am I?!" she called. She jumped off the swing. Instantly, it halted. She ran to touch the people, to tug them, to force them to speak and tell her what was happening but… as she reached out, as she tried to provoke them into telling her, they were gone.
The girl screamed. But it was not her voice. It was the shrill whine of a 4 year old. Looking up, she saw the leaves turn red, then yellow, then gold, and brown. What's happening? She thought frantically. A leaf started drifting down, followed by two leaves, then three, then five. Suddenly a torrent of leaves flew at her, suffocating her, closing in. Trees on either side of her were having their time fast forwarded, their leaves changing colour, and then dying and falling down. The girl ran and ran through the streets, trying to escape the glitch in time and the memory of a place once been.
The girl was covered in dirt. She halted only when she was out of range of any trees, her lungs burning. Dropping to her knees, she buried her face in her hands and sobbed. Tears dripped down and slowly made tracks in the grimy face of the 4 year old girl. I'm not four… she thought, yet her memory failed her. Who am I? Where am I? Her mind worked furiously. She rose to her feet and slowly began to walk forward. She was in a dark alley, completely deserted. The moon shone on the path creating an eerie glow that made everything look horribly sinister. Suddenly a great dog jumped out from behind a garbage can.
It was the most menacing creature the girl had ever seen. Hackles raised, teeth bared, the dog's eyes were a deep orange colour that seemed to cut right into her heart. It began to walk slowly towards her. She watched it warily. It was a mangy creature that seemed to command obedience in every motion it made. It cocked its head and looked at her. Then, bending low, it pounced.
The girl's heart stopped. Suddenly, an instinct buried deep down aroused within her. She put out her hand and shouted, "Stop." Or at least she thought she did. For the word, once uttered, rebounded around and around her head and she realized that she had not made a sound. And the dog. The dog, that great big dog was frozen. Not an eye blink. Not a single twitch of the muscle. The dog was frozen midair.
The girl slowly withdrew her hand. The dog, teeth still bared, was suspended in an unmoving pounce. She walked around it. It did not move. "Move," she said, hoping perhaps that she would get the same reaction. "MOVE!" All she succeeded in doing was have her voice echo endlessly along the long brick passage. And still the dog hung there. She thought back to the moment in which she had gotten it to stop. She had really and truly, with her whole being, wanted the dog to stop then. She tried once more. I want this dog to move… I want it back on the ground. I want it to MOVE! And as she thought this last word, the dog dropped back on all fours.
The girl doubled over in pain. The word 'move' ricocheted relentlessly around her mind, over and over again. Finally the pain faded. Looking up, she realized the dog was gone. Vanished without a trace. Am I crazy? She didn't understand this power she had. The ability to make things move. Her common sense and heart were at war. It was impossible, she knew. Mental Telekinesis was all a myth. Yet in her heart she knew what she had done. She had made the dog stop.
The sky was a dark blue, a black hole that seemed to swallow the stars. She felt her gaze drawn to the sky. She could suddenly see all the planets. She could see every one but Gamma Planet Terre… could that mean… could she be on that strange and backwards planet the teachers called Earth? In all her wildest dreams she could not imagine herself in such a place. No one lived there anymore. Not since the great Change… not since they decided that this planet was unfit for living on. She felt herself become dizzy. Looking to the sky, she rose and stood looking at the sky. Then, with a flash of light, she herself was gone.
/end flashback
Prologue
Flash back. A great, towering oak tree. A large canopy of leaves, creating shade and comfort. A gnarled trunk, with great branches looming out of the top. And….. a swing. A green, wooden swing with yellow ropes rising high, only to be fastened onto a branch. And laughter. A girl of 4 or 5 laughing, her pink sundress billowing behind her as she swung back and forth… not far off the ground… but from her view, she reached the sky. Her blonde hair flew behind her, as 2 figures laughingly pushed the girl, pleased to hear her squeals of delight. But the faces… the girl was familiar… but unknown… and the 2 figures had no faces at all. They were hidden in shadow, cloaked by darkness. And still the girl laughed.
The shadows danced with delight. Though she couldn't see their face, she knew they were smiling. Though she couldn't hear them, she knew they were laughing and having a great time. Who are you? she tried to ask. But her voice betrayed her. No sound came out. "Where am I?!" she called. She jumped off the swing. Instantly, it halted. She ran to touch the people, to tug them, to force them to speak and tell her what was happening but… as she reached out, as she tried to provoke them into telling her, they were gone.
The girl screamed. But it was not her voice. It was the shrill whine of a 4 year old. Looking up, she saw the leaves turn red, then yellow, then gold, and brown. What's happening? She thought frantically. A leaf started drifting down, followed by two leaves, then three, then five. Suddenly a torrent of leaves flew at her, suffocating her, closing in. Trees on either side of her were having their time fast forwarded, their leaves changing colour, and then dying and falling down. The girl ran and ran through the streets, trying to escape the glitch in time and the memory of a place once been.
The girl was covered in dirt. She halted only when she was out of range of any trees, her lungs burning. Dropping to her knees, she buried her face in her hands and sobbed. Tears dripped down and slowly made tracks in the grimy face of the 4 year old girl. I'm not four… she thought, yet her memory failed her. Who am I? Where am I? Her mind worked furiously. She rose to her feet and slowly began to walk forward. She was in a dark alley, completely deserted. The moon shone on the path creating an eerie glow that made everything look horribly sinister. Suddenly a great dog jumped out from behind a garbage can.
It was the most menacing creature the girl had ever seen. Hackles raised, teeth bared, the dog's eyes were a deep orange colour that seemed to cut right into her heart. It began to walk slowly towards her. She watched it warily. It was a mangy creature that seemed to command obedience in every motion it made. It cocked its head and looked at her. Then, bending low, it pounced.
The girl's heart stopped. Suddenly, an instinct buried deep down aroused within her. She put out her hand and shouted, "Stop." Or at least she thought she did. For the word, once uttered, rebounded around and around her head and she realized that she had not made a sound. And the dog. The dog, that great big dog was frozen. Not an eye blink. Not a single twitch of the muscle. The dog was frozen midair.
The girl slowly withdrew her hand. The dog, teeth still bared, was suspended in an unmoving pounce. She walked around it. It did not move. "Move," she said, hoping perhaps that she would get the same reaction. "MOVE!" All she succeeded in doing was have her voice echo endlessly along the long brick passage. And still the dog hung there. She thought back to the moment in which she had gotten it to stop. She had really and truly, with her whole being, wanted the dog to stop then. She tried once more. I want this dog to move… I want it back on the ground. I want it to MOVE! And as she thought this last word, the dog dropped back on all fours.
The girl doubled over in pain. The word 'move' ricocheted relentlessly around her mind, over and over again. Finally the pain faded. Looking up, she realized the dog was gone. Vanished without a trace. Am I crazy? She didn't understand this power she had. The ability to make things move. Her common sense and heart were at war. It was impossible, she knew. Mental Telekinesis was all a myth. Yet in her heart she knew what she had done. She had made the dog stop.
The sky was a dark blue, a black hole that seemed to swallow the stars. She felt her gaze drawn to the sky. She could suddenly see all the planets. She could see every one but Gamma Planet Terre… could that mean… could she be on that strange and backwards planet the teachers called Earth? In all her wildest dreams she could not imagine herself in such a place. No one lived there anymore. Not since the great Change… not since they decided that this planet was unfit for living on. She felt herself become dizzy. Looking to the sky, she rose and stood looking at the sky. Then, with a flash of light, she herself was gone.
/end flashback