Occasionally

- What are you doing out here, so early?

- Thinking…

- About what?

- Things… in general… life… us… the future…

The sun had just slit the horizon with its razor of light, slowly colouring the sky with the first rays in shades of yellow and vermillion.  I felt like my soul was in a peaceful mood.

He sat down by my side on the soft white sand. The sound of the waves, my favourite soundtrack, helped me think, making my mind wander freely…

His arm touched mine, occasionally. His leg touched mine, occasionally. He did not say another word, for some time. He knew me. He just waited, patiently, respecting my time and my timing. I was not in hurry. Why would I be? I was in love and I was being loved by the sweetest man alive… and he was sitting right there, so close to me, at my side.

I was often emotional. He felt it, automatically and pressed my arm, without saying a word. He knew me so well, indeed.

That tender gesture triggered my reactions harder and deeper. I felt warm tears running down my face. He pulled me closer to him and embraced me, bringing my head to rest on his chest.

- I love you so very much…

I held his hand in mine and kissed it gently. 

He smelled my hair and closed his eyes, as if trying to hold that moment in his memory.

- Your scent is so remarkable…

I hummed an almost inaudible:

- You’re too sweet, my love…

- I’ve been thinking…

- So have I.

He took a deep breath and held me tighter.

- Oh, my love…

I knew exactly what he intended to say. He did not need to speak it all out loud…

It was the same I wanted...

***

Time Traveller. Epilogue. The Caches. The Portal

 - For heaven’s sake, man, how many of you are there, after all? Do you all look like this?

- We are a group of clones from the same original DNA. That’s why we look so much alike. We were thirteen… in principle…

- Oh, my sweet Lord!

The three friends looked at each other. Was History repeating itself… in the future? Or were they just playing it over and over again?

- What are these false ‘caches’, after all? They are certainly parts that match together, as far as we could find out.

The sudden change in the subject was more than welcome.

- Yes, they are. They are two parts of a single portal, placed separately, on purpose. They were not supposed to be used by anyone but the messenger… Me, in this case… They were left here for one specific purpose: the mission, I have come for, as you might have noticed already.

The three friends were not surprised at all. That conversation developed as an interesting series of mysteries unsolved, soon to be explained.

***

- The past, as well as the future, belong in where and when they are originally. They must neither be touched, nor changed, in any way. That’s a sacred rule and ought to be respected, above everything and all other existing laws, otherwise an unlimited chaos is the result. When there is a risk that this decree is being broken, the only way to interfere is to use a subterfuge.

- Oblivion…

- That’s correct. And then the portal to that opportunity is closed, so it will never arise or open again.

- How?

- It is completely destroyed at once.

- But there can be others…

- Time portals are not open unless there is a reason… And only the council and the Supreme can authorize the creation and opening of a new one. There must be a very good reason to come back to the past and the traveller must always come back using the same means.

- And there is a reason, right now, I guess.

- Yes. There is a reason… a good reason…

Anticipation was stamped on the three men’s faces. The traveller looked straight at the pale skinned man.

- There is a very good reason, indeed!

***

- I was sent here, by the scientists, to look for and take you back to the future, where you really belong in. It was not easy to find you, as I thought it would be when I arrived…  I have left some clues, but they’ve never been used. It seems, however, that someone else might have found them and started looking for the pieces that were prudently placed apart from each other.

- I read a post that there was supposedly a false geocache in the lighthouse…

- And I saw the one about the mill.

- Someone else must have read about them and wanted to verify what they were all about.

- I don’t think it was an innocent search. These people know what they are looking for.

- And that is…?

- Let’s get out of here. I’ll explain everything on the way.

***

- When you were sent back to the past, there was… there will be… whatever… a rumour about your presence there. Some say you’ve saved the future of humanity, some say you brought a critical suspicion about the intentions our Supreme Chief had about the planet itself.

- Maybe both things…

The man with pale skin spoke with a tone of voice that was very grave.

- And what do they say about the vaccine?

- The vaccine works well. Everything is under control.

- Well, it seems the voyage was worthwhile, after all.

- It looks like it, indeed.

The young man wearing glasses looked at the three men. He caught a glimpse of a strange gaze amongst the other three men. They did not seem to be very comfortable with the subject.

- What was that?

- What do you mean? What was what?

- You three are hiding something from me, aren’t you? What happened?

The stranger looked at the friends, as if waiting for a clue on what to say.

- He knows about the use of Oblivion and that it was obviously an ingredient added in the capsule before he was sent back to your past, that is, our present.

- Then it’s more than time for the truth.

***

- But why?

- They sensed you were going to break the most sacred universal rule.

- Did I do anything wrong?

- Not really. You just told Leona that the Supreme would explode the planet.

- Oh. And does it make any sense? Would he do something like that?

- Not likely, I guess. He cannot do that without the approval of the whole council.

The pale skinned man and the young man spoke at the same time:

- But he will!

- What?

- He will definitely destroy the planet.

- When? Why? How will he do that and how can you be so sure?

- That was how I landed here in this time and space, in a capsule that was sent on a trip back to the past, at the moment the planet exploded. He sent me here… And I did not come here alone…

***

- What do these people want?

- They are evil, rich and they control one of the most powerful Pharmaceutical Industries that  rule over the present and probably the future of mankind. They killed the other passenger. If they get access to the portal, they will have even more power and they can change the things in the future and past… or at any time… They would transform this world in complete chaos.

- We need to act immediately. We will be protected in the woods…

- So, what is the plan?

- We need to reach the facilities before the Supreme gets what he wants. Otherwise we will be lost in the middle of nothing, as well as the planet, which will be completely blown to ashes and cosmic dust.

- What if we get there too late?

- They are waiting for us. It will not be too late… Maybe late, but not too late… We got to talk to Leona, or her father… or both…

- First the scientists… Leona used the Oblivion against him, remember?

He pointed to the man wearing glasses.

- She is too faithful to the Supreme… she must be convinced first, and we have little time.

- What if you fail?

- Then our fate is sealed. But we must try. It is our only chance.

The four men got into the woods and found a small clearing where they put the two parts of the portal together and, with a key that was brought by the traveller, a curious door opened, as if by magic. The difference was that the magic was pure science, not yet available in the present time. That technology in the wrong hands would be a disaster to the world.

The two clones, similar in appearance and purpose, turned to the two young men and got ready to depart.

- We have little time. We better go. You will be OK.

The sound of a car stopping and the quick steps running closer put everyone in state of alert.

- Quick. Go!

They made it to the portal, running and without a proper goodbye. The gateway closed immediately as they crossed it. The young men ran away to the opposite direction, hidden by the trees and grasses, while two men dressed in black got to the clearing a fraction of a second too late.

- Fuck! We missed it! We are in big, big trouble now! The director is going to kill us.

- Let’s go back! We must report it immediately!

***

- Do you think they got there in time?

- I guess we will never know, will we?

- Probably not. I would like to think they fixed the things properly.

- Not an easy task, however… but worth the try…

- What do we do now?

- We go back home… There is nothing we can do about those things anymore… I read about a cache hidden in the other lighthouse… we must stop there and check it.

The young man wearing glasses opened his eyes wide.

- You must be kidding me! I want to be away from caches…for a time… Let’s just go back home!

The two men got in the Jeep. The night was falling slowly. The red light flickered in the lighthouse, when they drove past, as if blinking invitingly to them.

***

Time Traveller. Part 2. Oblivion.

The three men were in silence, for a moment. There was not much else to say. The one wearing glasses was holding his head in his both hands, shaking it slightly, trying to process what he had just heard.

- How could that be possible? Why did they do that? I wonder if such a complicated trip to the future and with that purpose had helped anyone, anywhere, anytime, anyway…

- I guess we will never know.

- Well, then how would we know I really did get there and reached the intent?

-You would have never gotten back here if you hadn’t.

- Then…?

- Oblivion was rarely used in time travelling. It was efficient when they wanted to send the voyagers back to when and where they came from. Sometimes also to prevent being revisited. You travelled to help them and all mankind in the future. Those must not be the reasons they used it in you.  I wonder what the real intention was…

That was not the only concern in the pale skinned man’s mind, however. Something else seemed to be out of place. He thought the parts they acknowledged about that whole story did not fit well, somehow, but he did not want to express his apprehensions out loud still. He had some doubts, but an idea was building up in his distressed mind. He had decided he needed to think a little longer about it.

The young man had had trouble enough for the moment and maybe he would need time to process some things before anything else could be planned or done.

He tried to avoid his friends’ stares, when he walked off for a while and stayed out in the porch, gazing at a point that could not really be seen in the distance.

His mind was elsewhere, in another place and another time… His thoughts were hastily overflowing and urging for action. He needed to do something.

The pale man sat by the computer and typed some words. The result of the search made him divert quickly to a string of pages, until he thought he found what he was looking for.

He closed the laptop, straightened up and muttered to himself:

- I think it’s more than time to go and see this whole thing by myself…

He walked back to the living room.

- Guys, we need to do something... but first we need to stop at the beach, on our way down to the city.

- At the beach?

He acceded with a faint smile.

- Yes. At the beach…

***

They drove along the beach road to where the mills were standing. The car was parked not too far from their destination. The wooden walkway was quite filled with passers-by. For all that mattered, they were a bunch of beach-goers, walking erratically by the seashore, taking pictures of everything around.

- There they are. And what do we do now?

- There are too many people around. We will need to be careful.

- For all that matters, we are just looking for geocaches…

- Is that the official version?

- Yes. That’s the official one, but I don’t think anyone is interested in what we are doing here, anyway.

They pretended to be taking pictures of every feature of the peculiar rock and shale constructed buildings. There were five of them along a line by the wooden built pathway, facing the sea. Each one was photographed in detail to be scrutinized later. If the pale man was right in his suspicions, they would need to come back to the beach in the evening, for a closer check.

The night came down very slowly. They were sitting out in the terrace, facing the sea and drinking cold beer, almost in complete silence. The place was not busy. They had been analysing the pictures taken and some needed to be zoomed up to show details of what they thought would be useful later.

The pale skinned man was correct in his qualms. There was something there... definitely…

***

The night was fresher and quieter. Three silhouettes moved silently along the wooden pathway. The men knew what they were looking for, but they needed to be careful. The mills were not public property. The owners could have cameras installed around the area, which would be a nuisance.

When they reached the mills, they looked around to certify they were alone, before getting into their target. They jumped over the roped rail, so to examine the first building.

The man wearing glasses suddenly got stiff.

- Do you hear that?

- What?

- Shhh! Listen!

Someone was running on the wooden pathway.

- Quick, let’s hide.

They hasted to the shadow of the round building, hoping they had not been seen by the runner who was getting closer to where they were. Their hearts were pounding hard. They could hear him (or her) coming closer and closer.

A jogger wearing a dark hoodie slowed down and stopped right in front of the mill. Looking around as if checking if there were no one else around, the figure stepped into the private property and disappeared from their sight. They heard a noise. It seemed the door was being forced.

The man wearing glasses whispered.

- Who the hell is that? How come he is here?

- Quiet!

The door seemed to have been opened. It kind of complained in its ungreased hinges, with a distinctive sound.

- He is in! What is he looking for in there?

- Let’s get out of here, before someone shows up. This is getting too dangerous!

- Wait!

The loud sound of an alarm setting off was coming from inside the house. They heard someone hurrying down the stairs and suddenly the hooded figure sprinted past them, jumped over the roped rail and disappeared in the darkness, away from them and from the light.

Not long afterwards a police car, flashing its red and blue lights, raced up the cobblestone street, followed by a white van with red lettering on the side. The two cars stopped by the mill. They heard the noise of people shouting and running closer…

- What the fuck? Did you see that? I can’t believe this!

- What are these guys doing here? What are they up to?

- This is not good news! Let’s get out of here before it’s too late.

- No. Wait! That man did not have time enough to search for things while he was in there. I wonder what he was looking for upstairs. Maybe this is our chance to get in the mill, without trespassing…

- What do you mean? Are you crazy? We cannot go in there. These guys are dangerous and they might know us!

- I’ve just had an idea. We’ll turn around the mill and pretend we are just nosy passers-by trying to find out what’s going on here. We better split!

- This is crazy, man!

- Don’t think much. Just go. Now!

People were coming from different directions. A police event was something the quiet village was not used to, so it was quite a commotion.

They walked around, separated from each other, trying to avoid being seen together.

When the man wearing glasses was approaching the door, he felt like someone pulled him back.

- Hey!

He turned around. A policeman was holding his arm. He stiffened when he realized there was another man, he was sure he had seen before, standing by the officer.

***

The Boy in the Attic

Although it was still day, there was only a faint light coming from a point in the attic and seen from the base of the staircase. I had not been allowed to climb those steps up there ever before.

I did not need permission anymore, from anyone, anyway. I had to face it and I wanted to do it.

The two flight of stairs were dark and unpolished. The old unused wooden treads and risers creaked when I stepped on them. I mumbled.

- Don’t look back...

The attic was not as messy as I thought it would be. It was dusty, but not dirty. I hardly noticed there was a small square window, facing the south. Light was being filtered through its dusty glass. Some boxes and an old broken metal tricycle with a stained wooden seat were on the way. I saw a rocking chair by the wall opposite to the window. Old furniture were piled up at the poorly lightened corner end. On top of them there was a dark brown wooden box with metal pin decorations all around its lid.

He was sitting there on the floor, at the far end, playing with some tiny toy cars, almost in the dark. Most of those small cars had no wheels anymore. He was barefoot, wearing old homemade stamped cotton pyjamas. He did not look directly at me at first, as if he did not notice me at all. His curly hair was light brown, almost blond, cut very short. The lips were cherry red and the two little dark red spots on the lower lip were clearly evident. Those very curious sad-looking hazel eyes noticed me finally.

He smiled shyly when I walked closer.

- Are you ok?

He nodded affirmatively.

- Can I sit there by your side?

- You’re gonna dirt your clothes.

- I don’t care.

- Ok, then. It’s a shame. My cars are all broken.

I sat by his side and took one of those toys in my hand. I felt like crying and he noticed it, but I recovered quickly enough.

- How old are you?

- Five.

- What are you doing here on your own?

- I like playing alone and besides I was waiting for you. Will you play with me? For a while? 

- Yes. For as long as you want me to.

He opened a broad satisfied grin, showing his small well-built teeth. He looked like a tough little one.

- Do you like the rocking chair?

- Yes, but… you must be careful. It is broken. It might fall apart.

I checked it and noticed the parts were not well fixed in their right places, so I tried my best to repair and finally sat in it. The woven straw chair cringed a bit. It was still a good strong chair.

- Would you like to come here with me?

He walked up to me and I picked him up and let him sit on my left leg. He smiled and lay his head on my chest, still playing with one of his toy cars.

The slow, soft rocking sound of the old chair and my arms around his tiny body were like an invitation to fall asleep. He closed his eyes. I could feel he relaxed and his toy fell down from his hand to my lap. He seemed to be feeling comfortable and loved. I hugged him tighter and softly kissed the top of his head.

My eyes were wet. My heart was overflowing.

I quietly got up and went downstairs with him in my arms and carefully placed him in a single bed with a hard mattress there was in the room below the stairs. I sat on the dark wooden edge, trying not to disturb his peaceful sleep. His face was very serene. I stroked his soft thin hair. He took a deeper relaxed breath, almost smiling, as if contented with a dream he was having.

I got up and walked off the room, leaving the boy in his bed. I looked back at him from the door.

He was still smiling and his grin was spontaneous in his sweet happy dream… He was quite a good-looking little one. He would be a handsome man in the future.

I took a deep breath and opened my eyes. My journey to the past was over… I was happy I made it.

***

Long-lasting Dance

A long-lasting dance with the Jack of Spades was definitely not on the menu. I chose watching him from a safe distance, so I was not harmed by his fire… or the one that started slowly burning in my chest when I first set eyes on him.

There he was, standing tall on the background of the group, looking casually at me, who greeted everyone else and walked on to him, with a smile on my face and the hand ready for a handshake. I looked into his blue-greenish eyes for the longest briefest moment and introduced myself. He did the same.

I could almost hear my own thoughts shouting out loud in my head and I was afraid he would notice it in my eyes or could read my mind somehow.

I wondered if he would ever be aware of the effect he had on me. Little I knew of what was happening in his mind, when he smiled that way of his.

‘Please like me’.

That was quite an astounding first impression.

***

- It’s so good to be here. It feels like home.

He hugged me tighter. My head was on his chest and his arms were encircling my upper body. His strong muscled legs were all around mine, as if holding me so I would not fall away from him or from the sofa. We were listening to a bunch of my favourite songs, most of them he was just getting to know…

“You say you had your heart broken
 What a stupid little thing to do…

 Make no mistake
 I'll do whatever it takes
 To get over these walls
 High up in the atmosphere
 If I could catapult my heart
… To where you are”…*
(*Catapult, by Jack Savoretti)

When the song was over, he got up and so did I. He touched my face so lightly with both hands, I felt like feathers falling softly on my bare skin.

I smiled shyly. He kissed me and held me tight. I felt I was so small and, at the same time, totally protected by him and that was one of the best feelings I had in my lifetime.

I was slow dancing with the Jack of Spades and I was enjoying it with all my body and soul. I had the feeling he knew exactly what he was doing and that made me so happy.

The living room was quiet, the lights were low, but we kept on dancing to the songs playing silently in our heads, by an invisible band… for quite a while… feeling the soothing heat of our bare skins one against the other, our hearts at the same pace.

He, then, took my hand in his own and led me...

***

My attention was totally directed to how his pale hands were touching my skin, traveling along my body, very lightly and so warmly.

- I love your hands and the way you touch me. You’re such an affectionate man.

- I love touching you. Your skin is so soft.

- And I’ve never thought I would love someone the way I love you now.

- You have been neglected, my love…

There was a sudden pain in my chest. I turned around. I could not control myself. I got so emotional, I just closed my eyes and let my tears run silently warm and freely. And they were burning hot. My body shuddered a little.

He put his arms around me and held me. His chin was resting on my neck. I could feel he smelled my hair. I felt his body warming mine up, while I sobbed uncontrollably in his strong embrace.

***

It was a sunny Saturday afternoon. I had a walk by the seashore and sat quietly looking at the sea. A fresh breeze blew through my face and hair. The sky was so blue, it reminded me of him and his eyes.

My own eyes wandered away in the distance, and so did my mind, to the past. I shivered.

- How long ago was it?

I turned around. Besides some noisy seagulls flying above, there was no one at sight. I thought my imagination was playing games with me.

- How long ago? Do you remember?

I decided to speak out loud.

- You know very well how long ago.

I recalled the day we’d met, long years in the past, from the moment the sliding doors opened and I saw his sweet and welcoming smile, with the heart in his hands, to the blatant goodbye kiss he gave me, before I walked into the airport restricted area, on my way back home.

- I’m so glad your pain has gone away.

I did not respond, just got up and walked off, silently.

Warm tears insisted to blur my vision, while the wind blew colder, this time all through my body…

***

Oblivion (Part 4: The Future)

The pale skinned man’s green eyes were set sadly at the two young friends. He knew what they wanted from him and he knew what to do, but he did not know if he should… or wanted to do… He was so close to…

***

- Close your eyes. Relax. You’ll be on a hard trip. Try to stay calm.

He did as he was told to. His trip soon began. He felt his face heating up. It seemed to him a bright light was so close ahead. He tried to open his eyes but it was like looking at the sun, so he shut them tight. Some seconds afterwards, he felt the heat receding. He believed it was safe to open his eyes and he did, carefully.

Then he saw it. It was smaller than he thought it would be and was moving faster than he expected. “Oumuamua” or something very similar to it was travelling the space in front of his eyes. He looked around. He was alone in a dark space, like the one when he fell in the hole.

- What the hell? Am I hallucinating?

His body was vibrating as if all the molecules in it were driven in a freaking movement, trying to stay together, but fighting hard for it. Then he felt an excruciating pain. Suddenly it all stopped and he was back in the darkness. He felt as if he was being sucked into a large vacuum cleaner tube in high speed. Then he saw a cool flash of white light and he finally fell into a glass capsule, in the middle of a large white room, without any furniture around. The shock was unexpected. He was on his hands and knees, trying to figure out where he was.

He heard the annoying sound of a siren ringing insistently. He looked around. What he saw was some strange looking people, although somehow familiar to him. He also saw a woman with very deep green eyes. He recognized one of the very pale skinned men. He smiled. He was in the future.

***

- How did you know the terminal was still active?

The pale man looked at the young man in front of him and wondered if he should tell the truth or simply avoid the question and change subject. He decided it was time to say the truth.

- I repaired it myself. I was planning to go back to the future and I knew it would not resist for more than one trip, if so, as it was too damaged. It was luck… In fact, I still don’t know for sure if he succeeded.

- You don’t? Oh, man.

- The damage was almost irreparable. But there was a chance and I had to try it, anyway. I would not mind if anything went wrong with my trip. I’d have not nothing to lose…

- But then why did you not go before and all by yourself? No one would ever know…

- I was not totally ready, but then you guys came and…

- Oh, man. That is not fair and it’s so dangerous anyway.

- It is what it is. That young man needed urgent help and I had the means. I had to help him. Hopefully he’ll come back with an answer.

- And a mission…

The pale skinned man tried to smile but could not. He was not comfortable. He was worried. The sadness in his eyes was so palpable, almost solid.

- Hopefully.

- How long are we to wait?

- If everything goes as planned, just one hour… you know… Time is just a concept. There are too many “ifs” …

The young man looked at him. He was obviously very worried by then. What if anything went wrong? That was insane… but how could he stop a friend in need with such a stubborn resistance?

- I know what you’re thinking. I am as concerned as you are. If the trip was unsuccessful, we would have lost more than just time… and now there is nothing to do but wait.

- Oh, man. I should have never agreed with this madness!

- Too late now! We will have to wait and see… as always…

***

- How could you travel here into time and space? Who helped you?

The Supreme was restless and he was normally a very calm and reasonable man. He had faced some time travellers coming inadvertently into the terminal, but this time he felt something was very wrong.

The stranger kept on looking to the woman, who was also curious about the intent of that interference in their routine, by that young man coming from the distant past of her original birth planet.

The Supreme got even more impatient and told the woman:

- Sort this thing out, will you? And send him back to where and when he came from!

The woman was surprised the Supreme was so upset by a thing that happened so many times before. She knew, however, that he disliked the people from the past. Her brother was a bad example to remember and she knew why she had to sort that thing out, before they had another unpleasant incident.

She set her green eyes on the young man and asked him to follow her to the lab at the Stellar Station, where the doctor would help her with the situation.

Up to the moment when they left, the young man said almost nothing. When they were all by themselves, he looked at the woman and she noticed he was going to say something important. Her heart pounded fast. She knew those could not be good news.

- I have a message from the past and the future.

- You’re not making any sense.

- I know, but you will understand when I explain.

- Then speak, young man.

- Leona…

Her eyes widened. How did he know her name? Her heart was beating faster now. She needed to calm down and she was not likely to.

- I did not come for one reason only. But I’ll need your trust and your help.

- How do you know my name?

- I know more than your name. There are things you must know and act before it’s too late. But I’m here for personal reasons too. I need your help to go back to my past; years before the time I came from.

- How can I trust you and help you? Things are not that easy to do. The terminals are being scrutinized by cameras designed to keep all movements under vigilance.

- I know there is an old terminal at the Stellar Station. The Thirteenth told me about it.

- Who?

- John, the Thirteenth…

- Where is he? How come?

- He is in the past… and cannot come to the future.

- How could you, then?

- Through the terminal he was going to use. It was not totally destroyed when you came through last time… You are in great danger, Leona. You’ve got to believe me.

- Wait. Stop! What are you talking about? John... the Thirteenth… whatever he is being called, is very ill. We are trying to work on the vaccine and we are not succeeding at all. He could not have survived...

- Leona, I need to talk to your father. The vaccines have been sabotaged.

- Sabotaged? By who? Who would be stupid enough?

- Not stupid, Leona. He’s a very wise man with an evil purpose and a hunger for power. We need to do something… urgently, before it’s too late. The Supreme turned into a man with a very twisted mind. He is evil. He will destroy the planet in some days from now.

- No way. You’re hallucinating. He would never… He has all the power he wants. Besides, he is the one more interested in following the results of the research and tests of the vaccine.

- Believe me, please. We are running short of time. How do you think I know all these things? I must talk to your father. Please. I can help you.

- Leona!

The woman turned around. Two older men were coming along the corridor. They simply ignored the visitor, as if he was not there.

- You need to come and see this. The vaccine is not working. The effect is very destructive now.

- Father!

- I can help!

- And who are you?

- A visitor from the past to try and save the future.

- What is he talking about?

She tried to speak, but a cry from the lab on the other side of the corridor made them stop the conversation and run.

- He’s dying!

***