FABULA TEMPUS PART XI | PART- XII | PART-XIII (END)

PART-XI

“This is worse than it was in 2046. Are you sure this is the place?” Bram said.

“I think I am.”

The place was destroyed. Perhaps there was nothing ever to destroy. As far as their eyes could reach, the two could only see fields. 

“Let’s go. Walk slowly, there might be a danger.”

“Shh… Sam, I hear something.”

“Yeah, these are footsteps. Hide!”

“Where?”

“Just duck.”

And both of them sat very low. They were sure they were not visible. Then they saw four people wearing tight black jackets that seemed to have no zip and black pants. They were holding something that looked like a spear. The sharp ends of the spears were glowing. They were scattering blue lights all around.

“They look like some kind of weapon,” Bram whispered.

“Don’t talk, they’ll hear us.”

The heads of the men turned with a jolt towards them. Bram could feel their eyes piercing into his. They knew about Bram and Samuel. They moved towards them at a fast pace, almost running.

“Don’t move,” Samuel whispered.

The men stood over the two, not moving their eyes. One of the men, who looked like their leader, raised his spear, and then brought it down to hook it around Bram’s shirt. He raised it again. Bram was lifted from the ground. He was hanging in the air. The pointy end of the spear was just centimeters from his eyes. The light was flashing on his face. The leader then flung the spear, almost throwing it away and Bram fell away into the distance. Eyes filled with rage and disgust were still fixed on him. The leader waved his spear and motioned to the others to take them away. Bram could not remember what happened after that.

Next, he found himself being woken up by Samuel,

“Hey, we are not staying. Don’t sleep like this is home. I don’t know what we will do next. I’m sorry I put you into so much trouble.”

“You think I will be disturbed with all this? What about all the trouble you saved me from? I would not have agreed to come with you if I did not know how dangerous this would be. Anyways, I learned a little trick from an old friend.”

Bram pulled out Tempus from under his shirt. Samuel grinned.

“You think you are the only smart guy?”

He pulled out the other two Tempus. That was when they heard a voice,

“Hello? Is someone there?”

Samuel looked at Bram wide-eyed. It was all dark so they could not see each other. Neither could they see the man who was speaking.

“Yes, there are two of us here. Is there anyone else with you there?” Bram said with a breaking voice. They heard a laugh.

“Someone? There are a hundred other people with me here. Who are you?”

“Mr. Stevens, is that you?” Samuel asked.

“Sam? My boy! You are here.”

“I am. Mr. Stevens, is my dad there with you?”

“Mr. Hale? Oh yes, he is here. I will be right back with him.”

Both of them heard the conversations now. Stevens was saying,

“Wade, your son is here. Oh no, I’m not joking. No! I have not lost my mind. Come with me. Just come.”

Bram asked Samuel,

“Who is Mr. Stevens?”

“He was one of our servants. It just does not feel right calling him a servant. He was a part of our family.”

They heard two pairs of feet. Bram could sense how Samuel had held his breath. His wait was finally about to get over. He would meet his long-lost father. His father whom he had lost because of his grandfather’s thirst for power. Finally, a weak voice said,

“Is anyone there? Sammy?”

Though Bram could not see anything, he knew that tears were streaming down Samuel’s face. Even if they could not manage to get out of here, Samuel would at least be able to have a final conversation with his father.

“Dad? Is it you?”

Two hands closed around one another. And someone looking from a distance would almost think they were one.

 

 

 

PART-XII

“Dad, I am back. I am here to take you back. Back to Mom. Back to a normal life.”

“Son, I don’t think that is possible anymore. And that is because of what I did...”

“You? What did you do? It was all grandfather. He was the one doing all this, chasing his madness.”

“I helped him, son. He could not have done any of this without me.”

“Dad, it’s not over yet. We can go back. We can leave this place.”

“You have just come here. You don’t know these people. They don’t talk. They have some abilities with which they can look into your mind. They can look into each other’s minds. They talk with their thoughts. They will know what we are thinking about. They will know about our plan to escape. You go back the way you came here, son. I cannot see you getting tortured.”

Samuel kept quiet for some time and then said,

“Dad, I can’t leave without taking everyone with me. I did not come here for fun. I came here to save you, all of you.”

“I would not disagree to go with you if your act does not hurt you in any way. Who is that over there?”

“Oh, this is my friend Bram.”

“I never really heard of you, Bram. What’s your story?”

Bram was thinking about his answer when Samuel came up with a better one,

“You would not want his introduction. It’s very complicated. Dad, if what you say about these people is true, then we have got to hurry.”

“What are you going to do?”

“First, I am going to help this friend of mine who is in great peril. So, Bram. I am going to tell you what to do.”

Bram laughed,

“I know. I am lucky I don’t have that small of a brain. You will take my Tempus. I will have to use the Tempus which was once my future self’s and take the one we got from Bage. When I reach the future, I will destroy both of them. Just checking. Is that right?”

Samuel smiled,

“Absolutely. Thank you, old friend. I could not have done any of this without you.”

“I hope I see you when I get to the future. And yes, don’t forget to tell your father about me.”

The two friends hugged each other. The Samuel he knew would never know about any of this. He was not sure. Time travel is a crazy thing, after all.

 

 

PART-XIII

THE GIFT

Bram wrapped his fingers around the black ball and pushed the right button. This would the final time he would be doing this. He smiled. But that smile had a little uncertainty in it. He did not know for sure whether the future would be good or not. What if it was not how he had imagined? What if it would be worse? Deep down in his heart, Bram knew what he would do if any of that happened. He would not do anything more. He had meddled with time enough and time was not a thing to be played with. He would listen to an old friend’s words.

Life is never perfect. Nothing is ever too good.

Bram scoffed.

Certainly not his own words.

It felt like such a long time. It was like an eternity would have passed when he would be back.

He was back. 2044.

The world that would never change. This 2044 would be the only and final one. The only 2044 of which grandparents would tell their little grandchildren. A beautiful world.

Tall buildings standing with no intention of bowing to anyone. Bright lights flashing all across the night. A light that seemed to make everything bright. The night that Bram Cape wanted to last forever. He was standing outside his house. Before that, he had to meet many people. 

And he did.

Elijah did not seem to remember anything. Neither did anyone else. The building was not even there. Everything had changed. And no, he was back. Standing outside his house.

The house that seemed to have gotten bigger. Ah, the world seemed to have gotten bigger. Bram made the courage and twisted the doorknob. The door swung open. Bram walked slowly and cautiously to the kitchen. His heart was beating very fast, almost ready to pop out at any moment. The noises were coming from the dining table. He saw them, four chairs assembled around the dining table. One was occupied by his mother, the other by his…… Was it?

Dad.

The man whom he had seen only in the pictures. Who was on the third chair if the fourth one was for him?

Sitting on the third chair was Samuel. Samuel Hale. Was it Samuel Hale?

Samuel smiled and walked towards him. Then he wrapped his arms around Bram. He said,

“Welcome back, big bro.”

“Br... Bro as for brother?”

“No, bro as for sister.”

All of them laughed. Finally, Elle said,

“Sammy, you don’t say things like that here. You forget too fast, Bram. It’s Brother’s Day, remember?”

“Yes. Of course, Brother’s Day,” Bram said hesitantly.

That night, Bram felt that he spoke the hardest he could ever have spoken. He asked Samuel,

“Sammy, do you mind if I ask you a question?”

“Yes, I do mind. Just kidding. Ask.”

“Please don’t feel bad.”

“What? I’m not going to feel bad with anything until you ask me where Mom and Dad found me.”

“Found you?”

“Bram, open your eyes. I am adopted. My real mother and father died. Then, oh it feels weird to say this, Mom and Dad took me in. Ring any bells? What was that thing you wanted to ask me?”

“Nothing.”

“Oh, I’m not going to press you by asking what it was. Good night, Bram.”

“Good night. And hey, Sam?”

“Yeah?”

“Happy Brother’s Day.”

Samuel smiled. Some force that no one knows of and no one ever will urge the two to come close and give a long hug that seemed to last forever……

THE END