The Experiment

Time seemed to flash before my eyes. I saw the future, and then the past, then nothing. Everything was pitch black, almost as if I was stuck inside an endless void. My arms seemed to float in mid-air; however my legs weighed down as if gravity pushed against it. I felt lighter than a feather, and all of my troubles drifted away. What was I just doing? Where am I? Am I dead? Is this how being dead feels like? I realized that my eyes were still open and I closed them. Suddenly, it all came back to me. I was a test subject for an experiment they called “The Blur”. I would be sent inside my mind and try to converse with me from the past. Then they would send me back and see if anything has changed.

“Picture a scene that has happened in the past few days,” she remembered one of the scientists explained. I closed my eyes and thought of the day when I spilled the coffee all over my shirt by bumping into someone at Starbucks. It was so clear that I could picture that exact moment. I opened my eyes and there I was, standing in line waiting for my coffee to come. I looked around the cafe and spotted the guy I bumped into. Then, I looked at the clock. It was 10:54 AM. I got my order about two minutes from now. I shut my eyes tight again and pictured the clock move a minute faster. My eyes opened to see the clock magically appear a minute later. I saw myself grab my coffee and about to head towards the door.

“Wait!” I yelled out to her. She didn’t stop, though. She continued walking and bumped into the guy at the door, forcing the coffee to spill all over her shirt. I sighed as the scene turned black. The word 'FAILED' appeared above me in red. Those words seemed to pierce through my heart, making me feel sad. But suddenly I started to feel determined inside. I’m not going to fail again and let those people down. I closed my eyes again and pictured me at the amusement park where I should’ve been studying.

The sounds of people screaming on the roller coaster sounded explicit to me now. I opened my eyes and I was inside the photo booth. I took in a deep breath before opening the curtains and walking outside. The first thing that caught my eye was the Ferris Wheel that spinned unusually slow. It was the odd one out since all of the rides around it was moving extremely fast. I scanned through the crowd of people and finally found me sitting in the merry-go-round with my friend.

“It looks like I was having an insanely good time,” I said to myself sadly. I hit my head against my hand. What am I thinking? I’m supposed to be studying right now! I ran towards the merry-go-round and started shouting.

“Hey! Stop!” She looked around a bit and a glimmer of hope appeared in my chest. Yes! Yes! She heard me!

“Over here!” I shouted even more. “Hey!” She shrugged, though and continued riding the plastic horse. That hope shattered. I’m thinking if this is really possible. I was so close, yet I always seem to do the wrong thing.

I was sent back to the void where the the word 'FAILED' was hanging up in the air again. I yelled at it and hated the word’s very existence. My legs seemed to weaken on its own and I collapsed onto the ground.

I always do something wrong and I regret it later. Then I let everyone down and, fail. Mabe that’s why the scientists chose me to be the test subject. I made enough mistakes that could last a lifetime.

“Everyone makes mistakes and fails from time to time,” I recited my friend’s pep talk out loud. “You just have to make sure that you don’t make that same mistake again.” Saying those words out loud made me want to try one more time. At least one more before I tell the scientists to wake me up. Wait, how can I tell them to wake me up? They didn’t give me something to communicate with them. Maybe I’m trapped here forever unless I succeed at the task they gave me.

I rubbed my temples to calm me down. One more time. Third time’s the charm, they say. I closed my eyes and imagined me in my college dorm yesterday.

My friend, Kate and I were in a heated argument and we’re still mad at eachother. I just forgot what it was. Ha, it’s funny that you and your friend were mad at each other for something that seemed important, but really wasn’t. Then you’re too stubborn to realize that it was you who needs to fix this. You are the one who needs to gather up your courage and end the whole thing, because you care about them.

Kate opened my dorm door and walked out before slamming it shut. Her arms were crossed and her face was a bright red from crying. She collapsed onto my bed and continued to cry. I had to try something different this time. I have to actually go up to her and tell her herself. I walked up to our blue bed and gently sat next to her. She looked up and her eyes widened in shock. I did it. Me from the past can see me, but can she hear me?

“You’re, you’re-”

“I’m you, but from the future,” I ended. A smile appeared on her face and she squeezed me tight. My back stiffened. Now it was my turn for me to act shocked. This wasn’t the reaction I was expecting, but hey, I’m not going to complain. I hugged her back and we sat there for a while, just me rubbing her back and comforting her while she cries. She finally breaks away from the hug and sighed.

“What do I do? You’re from the future, what happens?” she asks.

“I can’t tell you that, but I can tell you that it’s not too late to change it. Go back to Kate and tell her you’re sorry. Give her a hug and the conversation will go on from there,” I answered. She pouted a little and crossed her arms. I realized just how stubborn I really am. “Please, it’s the right thing to do. Trust me,” I ensured. Past me, or she, or whatever she is, nodded her head and smiled.

“Okay, I will. Thank you, future me,” she thanked, not knowing what to call me.

“You’re welcome,” I answered back. I watched her wave at me before running out the dorm and yelling Kate’s name. A warm feeling emerged from my chest. I thought it was me feeling kind and proud for once, but it wasn't.

The room started to spin. I had no clue what was going on. I didn’t want to close my eyes since I was scared what would happen. Did I pass? Am I finally going back home? The room continued to spin even more until I couldn’t take it anymore. The world turned black just like it was earlier. It was different this time, though. I heard voices. People telling me that it’s over and I’m awake.

“She’s stable,” I heard someone say. A bright light blinded me and I squinted my eyes to block it out. I was in a new room that looked too blurry to figure out where.

“Put away the flashlight and give her some space!” a woman yelled. The light disappeared and I could see more clearly. At least five scientists crowded around me, and so was Kate.

“Sophie! Thank gosh you’re awake!” she screamed out. Her loud voice rang in my ears causing my head to jerk to the side. “Oops, sorry,” she apologized. I sat up and felt her arms wrap tightly around me.

“Aren’t you mad?” I asked her. Kate let go and raised an eyebrow,

“Why would I be mad? Is it about that fight yesterday? We solved this yesterday already, remember? You ran out of your dorm a couple minutes after I ran out and we both apologized to each other in the elevator,” explained Kate. I searched through my mind for that memory and there it was. Kate and I giving each other a hug after talking it out. I still remember the old scene of what happened before that, of course. Kate and the other scientists realized what’s really going on and they shrieked in delight.

“It worked! The experiment is a success!” one of them shouted. I chuckled as I watched all of the scientists celebrate around me. Kate was laughing, too with them. A light and fuzzy feeling rushed through my chest. I've never felt this way before. I guess it's because I finally did something write for once. This is how it feels when someone is successful. Success. That word is rarely heard by some people. For me, it’s a scarce occasion to know how it feels to thrive in life. I did it, though. I finally succeeded at something and fixed the friendship between my friend. I learned a life lesson at the same time which now that I think about it, has taken me twenty one years to really understand it. It’s okay to fail. It’s okay to make mistakes. But it’s not okay to keep on repeating it. Just watching everyone around me helps me realize that. Some people don’t even know how it feels to succeed cause they live their whole life not realizing their mistakes, and never trying to learn from it. Well, I’m not gonna be that type of person. Cause time is short, and the unexpected could happen anytime.

#shortstories