Series Wednesday: Timetopia Page 33

                I sit here.  The history books never said how the Five came to be. I am not very sure what an hourly worker is but I have a feeling it isn’t anything I would want to do.  “Would you like me to continue with my story? Or do you need a second to soak it all in?” I don’t need any more time. I just need answers. “Continue please.”  She nods her head. “Okay where was I………. Right at was at the part of how we came to be. Well as you know all of us Five had different specialties. So the leaders put all of us together. They wanted us to create a bomb that would wipe out people but not hurt the environment. Something that would leave no track of poison. We tried to create what they asked. Which by the way is almost impossible. Any kind of bomb will affect the environment. So we were all up against the wall working day in and day out, with no home or families to go to. We became a family I guess you could say. Once we all really trusted each other, we started branching out from making bombs. We wanted to see what else we could create.” She stops and laughs. “We ended up creating a technology that no one ever thought was possible. A time machine. We really did have good intentions. To rid the world of all the wars and crime. But we were playing God. And well that can get to a person’s head.  So I am sure at this point in the story your wondering how any of this explains how I had you… right?”  She pauses waiting for my response. I wasn’t thinking that at all. I was thinking about what she meant. It all getting to a person’s head. Was she talking about herself or Charles? I shrug, not really sure what to say. “There are many rules being one of the Five. One of them is that we can’t go too far into the future, not past our own time we came from. At some point we are going to let the people run their own lives again. We were giving you the guide lines of how to care for yourselves. At some point we are going to grow old in whichever part of Timetopia we see fit for us. No more erasing people. We all agreed at some point we would have weeded out all the mentally unstable, so there would be no need for erasing.”

                At some point they plan on letting us run our own lives. No more erasing. “You don’t think we are ready now?” she smiles. “Not yet. Right and wrong is still blurry to all of you. That might however be our fault.”  How could it not be her fault? They are the ones who decided long ago what is right and wrong.  “Why do you think that we don’t know what right and wrong? You are the one who laid out what right is.”  She rolls her eyes. “Well you guys don’t think twice about being erased. You all just do as you’re told. Which isn’t what we intended. If no one thinks for themselves it just takes one loud voice to would rule all of you. None of you even ask what it is to erase someone.” I knew that people got erased because we were told but she was right I never thought about is where they go or how it happens. “So what is it to be erased?” She smiles. “I’m glad you asked.” She gets up and grabs a photo album. She hands to it to me. “I don’t understand.” She smiles “I know you don’t. Open it and look through it before you ask questions.” I open the album. It’s full of pictures of other time Timetopians. Looking through it I still am not sure what any of this has to do with being erased. “Okay I still don’t get it. I’m sorry.” She nods. “None of these people were born. The ones in the beginning became murders or cult leaders, to the end they were just erased for not agreeing with the ways of Timetopia.” How am I looking at pictures of people who were never born? There has never been a murder in Timetopia until Rev got here.  “How?”  Is all that seems to come out of my mouth. “That’s the good thing about being a time traveler. When ever some one would make trouble in paradise we would just go back in time. We would go back all the way back to when their parents were kids and shoot them with a shot that would make them unable to have kids. So they would never be born. That is how we kept murder, perverts and just mentally unstable people from being born. We prevent tragedy or pain. Well, that’s how we originally did it.” I look back down at the photo album but in a different light.  They are all just kids’ photos. “They all became bad people as kids?” She slides the photo album in front of her. “I only kept their kid photos. It was to remind me why we are doing this. I take erasing someone very seriously. Although we vote on it, 3 out of 5 gets some one erased. When they started just erasing people for not agreeing with them… I couldn’t and still don’t understand.”  So what’s the song meant in school. I sing it in my head, “Disagree with the black coats and you will disappear. Never to be heard from, never to fear.” Wow this makes me look at my childhood differently. 

Series Wednesday: Timetopia Page 32

                I leave my mom to go talk to my other mom. Actually I’m not sure what to call Kora.  I walk out of the house my mom is staying in and there is Rev sitting outside waiting for me. “You should have told me.” I tell her as I walk by. “Yes I should be the one to tell you that everything you think is a lie. Come on Ava, you know that wasn’t my place.” I stop walking. I trust Rev and there is so much she has kept from me. I just want her to understand what I feel. “No you’re right, its better I am surprised by someone I don’t know. A time traveler at that. This was so much better than my friend telling me. I don’t even really know where you’re from Rev.” I start walking again. “I’m from the Bronx, you always knew that.” She always loves to give me half answers. “There is no Bronx and where you’re from Richard/Charles was still dying. So where are you from exactly? What time are you from? The future or the past?” Rev laughs “Now you’re starting to ask the right questions. I’m from the original time line before they changed it.” I don’t understand how she can be from before. I guess I always suspected she wasn’t from this time line but hearing her say it is another thing entirely. “How is that possible?” She shrugs at me. “I have no idea how any of that works. But you know who does? Kora. Your mom, who is also still waiting to talk to you.”  I know she is waiting but I’m not sure if I want to hear what she has to say.

                I walk up to Kora’s house. I have never seen any of the Five stay in our neighborhoods. They all have a house all on their own so they can focus on what’s best for the people. But as I approach her house, I see Kora out playing with the kids and growing her own garden. She is different in a way the history books never told, but she is also the one that the books don’t have much on. Unlike the others who put their entire life stories out there for us to learn about. Kora sees me walking up and instantly walks over to me. “Are you ready for some answers?” she asks me as she points to her house. “Yes I guess I am.” I start walking to her house.  She follows behind me as I walk in and I sit at her kitchen table. “Would you like something to drink?”  I look at her for a bit. “Yes some water would be nice.”   She grabs me a glass and sits down in front of me.  “I’m sure you have a lot of questions.”  She is right, I do have a lot of questions. “How are exactly are you my mother?” she smiles. “Well, you came out of me that’s how.”  She laughs. I just look at her, I get the joke but I am not sure if this is the time to joke around.  She must see the serious look on my face because she suddenly stops laughing. “Why did my mom raise me and not you?” My question seems to stump her. “Because I am one of the Five, and we made a law that we are not allowed to have children.” I don’t understand, she is one of the Five she makes the rules. “Don’t you make the rules? You are one of the Five aren’t you?” She sits down at the table and puts the water in front of me.  “Yes… I guess that is true but not one of us is supposed to have more power than the others. So we all voted on the rules.” That makes sense. “So why did you have me if you weren’t supposed to?” She gives me a long look, but somehow I feel her looking into my soul. “Well, you have to hear the whole story. Because just telling you one part will make no sense.” She waits for my response. “Okay then, lets here the whole story.”  She takes a drink of her water. “As you already know I was born in a time of war. I was born in a very broken country. You see mothers were paid to have babies in somewhat of a factory. See our country needed workers and bakers and even candle stick makers.” She stops to laugh. I am not sure what the joke is, but she continues. “So I wasn’t born to a mother and father, I was born to a factory. Since my mother was… how do I put this. She was very beautiful and I had only two roads in life. Either to be smart enough to be a scientist or to be sold hourly. All the girls in my class knew this as well. We didn’t have much of a future if we were not smart, so I worked my ass off. I worked harder than all the girls in my class. I made a name for myself. I only had until I was 18 because that’s when they would make the final decision. After 18 they couldn’t make me work in the hourly factor where my body would be sold. Once I was picked as a scientist I would be just that, a scientist for the rest of my days. At my graduation I knew I would be picked to be a scientist. However, 5 of the 10 judges voted me for a home uses position, so I was just to pretty to let go. I was so scared of what that meant. Lucky me a war broke out. Something I had created was needed, so I got to be a scientist. My country was however taken over and I was shipped to another land with a bunch of other scientists. A constitution camp would be the name for it. So there I was, in a new land with a bunch of scientists. And as history knows it, this is how the Five came to be.”

Poems: My lost love named sleep

Sleep oh how i miss.

the deepest the darks the great obis.

Hard to get you often play.

More then often i wish you were here to stay,

But you slowly come and so fastly go.

Without your love my mind works slow.

My body aces for your comfort.

My sanity lost with out you.

I beg and pled for your warmth.

But oh dear sleep you laugh at me.

You have all the power.

Because at the moment your all i need.

Well other than food and water that it.  😜

Series Wednesday: Timetopia page 31

                Kora, the mother of Timetopia is standing in front of me. “Ava I need you to say something.” I look around. “Did I pass out?” She smiles at me. “No you didn’t.” I look at the window. “Then how is it day time?” She looks at me a little lost. “It was night time when you went through the door?” I look back at the front door which is open. “Yes it was night time. Can you please tell me what’s going on?” She helps me up and sits me on a sofa. “You just time jumped or traveled. Whatever you would like to call it.” Did she just say I time traveled? “How is that possible?” She laughs. “Well I set the door to open to you and send you here, to this time. It’s really that simple.” How was that simple? “Where is my grandmother?” I ask her. Kora is even more beautiful in person than in pictures. Her thick black curls curl perfectly in place. “Your grandmother is dead, I’m afraid.” Why would my mom send me here if she was dead. “Trust me she wasn’t a woman worth meeting.” What did she just say to me? “How did you know my grandma?” Kora is looking up and then back down. “Well… because she was my mother.”  Wait. Am I related to a Five? This would make her my aunt. Everyone always said growing up that I looked like Kora. “So… you’re my aunt then.” Kora’s mouth drops. “No, Ava I’m your mother.” I stand up “No you’re not! My mom is my mother.” Her face gets really serious. “No sweetheart I am your mother. She was your care taker.” I can’t breathe again. “REV!” I scream and I hit the floor. I feel like my chest is going to explode. “Ava you need to relax PLEASE!” I can’t relax or get a breath in. “REV!” I scream again. “Okay, you want Rev, so I’ll get you Rev.” She grabs an orb like Charles’. She drops the orb to the floor and sticks her arm in to the air but part of it disappears. She seems like she is reaching for something. She pulls Rev out of the air. Rev hits the floor next to me. “Really? You had to pull!” She runs to the bathroom. I can hear her throwing up. She comes back out. “Ava are you okay?” Rev asks me. I am breathing better now. I start to cry. “Did you know?” she sighs. “Yeah, I know she is your mom. That’s why you’re so special.”  I start to lose my breath again. “What about my mom? Is she dead?” Rev shrugs.  “No of course not, she is here healing. If you calm down I’ll take you to her. I’m sure you have lots of questions for her. After you see her though, we do need to talk.” Kora says. I try to calm down.

                We walk through a very different Timetopia. She walks me to this house and points to it. “She’s in there Ava.” I run up to the doors and open them and there she is. “MOM” she turns around. “AVA” She hugs me too tightly. I close my eyes to enjoy the moment.  “I thought you died.” I cry to my mom. “No Ava, I’m right here.” She hugs me tighter. I don’t want to ruin this, but I need answers. “Am I your daughter?” My mom pulls me over to a sofa and we sit down. “Yes, you are my daughter.” I take a breath of release. “Blood doesn’t make someone a mother.” What did my mom just say? “I am not your blood?” I ask her. She shakes her head no. I don’t want to believe this. “So I am Kora’s blood?”  My mom nods her head yes. “Does dad know?” My mom laughs. “Yes, your dad knows.” This makes no sense. How could I live with my parents if I am not theirs? “How did you end up with me?” My mom takes a deep breath. “I can’t have babies. Neither can your father. We wanted a baby so bad, but our bodies just didn’t allow it.” Why does no one seem to know how to answer questions? “That’s why you couldn’t have your own kids. That’s not how I ended up with you.” I don’t mean to sound rude. “Well you see, Kora found out we couldn’t have kids before it went into our records. She asked me to fake a pregnancy and she would give me her child. We just had to promise to love you and teach you everything you were going to need for all of this.” I stand up. “What was I going to need for this?” My mom clears her throat. “You would need to learn how to code. How to think for yourself, but also to be kind and compassionate. You needed to see what the other children didn’t.” I start to think really think about my child hood.  How my dad and mom always told me not only believe what I am told. They taught me things that school told me was wrong. I never told anyone about what my parents told me because I didn’t want anything to ever happen to them. I could always tell that we were different than other families. I guess I see why now. “Why didn’t you tell me I wasn’t yours? Did you have any idea what I would have to go through to get here?” My mom opens her arms to give me a hug. I hug her. “I couldn’t tell you. I knew what you were going to face was going to be hard, but I knew you were strong enough to handle it.”  My mom steps back from me and pushes my curls out of my face. “You need to get the rest of the story from Kora.” That’s what I was afraid of. What is she going to tell me? 

Series Wednesday: Timetopia page 30

                “Ava wake up. We are here.”  Rev is shaking me. I guess I could fall asleep. I feel like we were just outside the city and now we are here. Rev and I slowly get out of the van and slowly walk up to the door. I put my hand out for Rev to walk in front of me. “So what is the plan now? Do we knock? Is she waiting for us?” Rev shrugs. “I don’t know. Your mom just said to get you here and the rest would just happen.” What would happen? We both stand at the front door. Rev knocks. “Come in.” A voice comes from the other side. Rev goes to open the door. “What the hell!” Rev backs away from the door. “What’s wrong?” I ask her, she is looking down at her hand. “The door pricked me and it’s still locked.” I don’t understand. How can a door prick her? “What does this mean?” She pulls out her gun. “I am not sure. Your mom said this part would be easy but a door that pricks doesn’t seem easy. Maybe we shouldn’t be out here in midday. I think we should come back at night.” I look at her and she looks around at all the other house. “Why don’t we just ask my grandma to open the door?” If she is telling us to come in she should be able to open the door.  Rev moves out of the way for me to knock. I start knocking on the door. “Come in.” Again the voice says. “Grandma it’s me Ava. The door won’t open, you have it locked.”  I wait for her to say something. “I cannot open the door for you. The door must open its’ self. I’m sorry. Have a nice day!”  What does that even mean? I look at Rev. “Like I said we will come back at night.” We start to walk back to the van, but then I see a group of kids in the neighborhood garden. I start to walk over to them. “Where are you going?” Rev asks me as I head over. “To get some answers.”

                Rev follows as I walk up to the kids planting trees. “Wow, your rose bushes are very beautiful.”  The kids light up and get up from their gardening to talk to me. “Thank you. Our garden is the best in the city. Pretty soon we will have to go to all the other gardens to make them just as nice.” They smile so proudly. “Why would you do that if you have the best?” Rev asks, not understanding Timetopia’s ways. “You’re funny. If you’re good at something you have to share it with the group. No one can be too good at anything.” One of the girls says giggling. “Right. Complete nonsense. So what makes you special then?” All the girls and boys laugh. “Nothing. We are all one community. To be special is to be selfish.” I start to laugh at the anger on Rev’s face. This is what we are taught all our lives, I’m not sure what response she expected to get. “Well then I’m going to step over here while you talk to the Stanford children.” The what? We all look at her confused and she throws her hands in the air. “I’m sorry about my friend. We have been traveling all night.” One of the girls steps forward. “How can we help?” She says with a smile.   “Do you see that house over there?” I point at my grandma’s house. “No man’s land.” The kids all say. I have never heard that term before. “What does that mean?” The kids all look at each other. “Why do you want to get in that house?” asks the same girl who offered to help. “My grandmother lives there.” The kids all look at me. “She never comes out. No one has ever seen her, only the wellness checkers.” Wait, if she was sick she would be in the wellness center. This makes no sense. “Do any of you know what’s wrong with her?” They all shake their heads no. “No one sees or talks to her. Just the wellness checker who comes once a month.” The kids seem scared. “You have never heard your parents say anything about her?” A little boy stands up. “My dad thinks it’s a watch center. He said his dad told him that long ago there were watch centers in the neighborhoods to make sure the people were safe.” What would we need to be safe from? I smile. “Thank you for all your help. I’m sure my grandma is just too old to be in a wellness center. But once I see her I will be sure to have her come out and say hi.” I have a horrible feeling about this! The kids smile and all give me a hug. I turn back to Rev and get in the van. We will come back at night fall.

                We are back at the house. Rev looks at me. “I think only you can open the door.” I look down because I think so too. “I know. I mean you can go with me once it’s opened.” She shakes her head no. “I don’t think so. I think this is part where you go in. I’ll wait for you out here.” I don’t want to do this without Rev. What if is something happens to her when I’m in there. We both get out of the van. I hug Rev, “Just in case once I go in and you get everything you need to get Charles and go back home… Thank you for all your help Rev.” She hugs me back. “Like I said, I’ll be waiting right out here until you come out, so no good byes just yet.” She smiles at me. I walk up to the door and take a deep breath. I grab the door knob to turn it when I feel the prick. I hear the door unlock and I walk inside. I hear the door close behind me and I feel the floor give out. I am falling. I try to scream but nothing is coming out. I hit the floor hard. I can’t breathe! “Breathe Ava. Drink this.” A voice says as someone hands me a glass of water. I am sipping on the water trying not to throw up. I look around and I am in the house, but its daylight outside. I don’t understand. Where did I fall from? “Ava speak to me, are you okay?” I can’t believe my eyes.

Poems: I say goodbye to the soul sucker

Empty words from and emptier soul.

I hear your words as they fall flat on the floor.

The lies of a hopeless man i know all to well,

But much like the idiots before me i didn't slam the door.

I tried to change your sad selfish ways. 

But you were not broken at all

Just a fox hiding behind the mask of a clown. 

But you are nothing more then the past.

No long will i try to help the self centered bastards

I leave my dad issues behind.

And right here right now i am free for the very first time.

Sorry i am no longer a shoulder to cry on when you down.

And a punch bag you kick when i am on the ground.

No longer do i make excuse for your lack of manners. 

Or just your lacking.

I am done.

No more listening to the world tell me what a loser you are.

I say good bye.

You can suck the life out of some one else!