First chapter of "Time ghost"

Wars, famine, world disasters -in my feeble seventeen years of life I'd seen them all so when I was where I was, it was unsurprising that I was bored. It wasn't as though the scene itself was irksome, with its elaborate decoration and fine furnishings that could keep one entertained for hours, it was the atmosphere or lack of one so to speak.

At least I wasn't alone, though I may as well have been, with the silent company the two men in the room provided me with. One man was sat in an armchair covered in red satin – a material I knew all too well would be rare and difficult to get hold of but what did that matter to him, he was in the highest position in the Country he could acquire whatever he wanted. He was middle aged, in his mid forties as far as I could tell, and was severely overweight. The man, stood next to him, appeared to be his servant and would stand there in silence until ordered to do something as a dog would do to its master.

The only sound present in the room was the sound of the crackling coming from the fire that the older man was sat in front of to keep himself warm since it was clearly the middle of winter. I, myself, couldn't sense the cold but I could read the signs that told me such as the curtains being drawn to keep the warmth in or the fact the man in the chair had a blanket over him. It was okay for him, to be nice and warm inside this lavish manor house, he couldn't have cared less about the people that were outside on the street with nowhere to go, the people he was supposed to protect.

It disgusted me how large he was, did he even care that people were starving behind the very walls of his humble abode, people who looked up to him as though he were something special as though he had earned the right to eat the vast quantities of food that he hadn't slaved over just because he'd been born into a position of the most highest power? At least I knew that it was his grotesque love of food that would eventually lead to his death, I guess that would be what people used to call karma.

“Royalty”, looking at the man once known as Henry VIII, it made me realise just how much better off we were without them, the most selfish people I could think of. It was just a shame it took nearly six hundred years after this for people to realise this and finally have them thrown out of their power.

The silence was beginning to bore me now and I had to try my hardest to keep focused if I let my mind wander, even if it were just for a split second, I could miss something vital something that could change everything for the better or for the worse. It was my duty to observe just as I had been doing the past ten years.

In their minds they were the only two people present in the room, I was as invisible to them as the air that filled their lungs. Although I had heard that Henry VIII would often catch glimpses of us in the corner of his eye a gift which both him and I held in common.

Finally after a few more laborious moments of silence which I thought were never going to end the man in the chair spoke.

“I think I'm ready to retire to my chamber for the remainder of the evening” he said to his servant, I shouldn't have been able to understand him even though we both spoke the same language. Thanks to the technology we had, however, I could understand him as though centuries hadn't changed the language. The servant helped him stand up, with much effort.

The man held onto a walking stick laced with the finest jewels to help him stand, even his own legs were giving up under the weight. The servant walked across the room behind him with his arms held out in case he fell though I doubt the fragile looking man would have been able to support his weight if that were to happen. I couldn't understand why people allowed themselves to be used so fruitfully. To do the most horrific jobs for the people that treated them like nothing but crap. But I guess in these days it was normal and the servant would have been someone to look up to for serving the person of the highest status.

He suddenly stopped halfway to the door and turned round, staring right at the spot where I was stood with the look of utmost horror on his face. It was obvious he knew I was there but I was just a shadow at the corner of his eye, completely invisible when he tried to focus on me. All the same I still hated the way his eyes stared, it put me on edge as though I were being judged. The way he was staring though made me feel like a monster when the only monster in this room was himself.

“Is there something wrong your highness?” the servant asked with a concerned look on his face.

Henry VIII shook his head, though his face had changed from an unhealthy red tone to being almost as white as snow.

“No I must be seeing things due to my fatigue” and then he kept on walking to the door with the servant looking more worried than ever because he believed the man was losing his mind.

Just as they were heading out of the room, an expensive painting fell on the floor that was hung to the left of the door, startling both of the men. But the moment passed and the man simply asked the servant to get someone to hang it back in its place the next morning. I, on the other hand, was not as calm as them in fact I was rather the opposite.

To them the painting simply fell on the floor because it wasn't hung to the wall properly but to me it seemed like too much of a coincidence that it just happened to happen whilst I was in the room observing, I knew I wasn't alone and that it was only a matter of time until they found me. I closed my eyes and tried to go back, to safety, but what was the use? I wasn't the least in the calm state I needed to be in I was panic stricken.

My heart was racing as my eyes moved from side to side of the room, but what use was it trying to see them when they were as invisible as I was? My life and my very existence were in danger if they were to find my I could be stuck between two worlds forever, alone in the darkness. Did they know where I was? I didn't know what there technology was like it could have been far more advanced than ours for all I knew.

My question was answered less than a minute later when I felt something go around where my neck would be restricting my air. I didn't understand, how could they make contact with me when all we both were was mere air?

They say your life flashes before your eyes when you're on the brink of death but all I could think about was him and if he would care or not that I was gone? I knew I was going to die, there was no possible way I could get out of this, it was too late to try and get back so I wanted my last thought to be a happy one I wanted my last thought to be of him.

Then with him being the last thought in my head, I closed my eyes for the last time and let the darkness take over, take over forever.



***



Then somewhere out of the darkness came voices.‘Will she be okay?’ a man spoke, I recognised his voice but still I couldn't quite understand, wasn't I dead? Maybe this was what it felt like to be stuck in between the two worlds of the past and present, to have darkness but still hear the voices.

“She should be fine, it was lucky we pulled her back when we did, left any longer and I'm sure we would have lost her for good!” another voice I recognised but this time not as well. And then I felt someone stroke the top of my head. My heart leapt if they could touch me it meant I wasn't dead by some miracle I was still alive, I had survived!

I heard the man sigh that was stroking my hair sigh.

“How could they do this? I mean tracking our moves is one thing but this, trying to kill someone! Surely that's taking it a step too far! And out of everyone my dearest Alana” the man had a loving tone under his voice, I clearly meant a great deal to him.

“What I want to know is how exactly they knew where she was in the room, I mean she should be invisible so they clearly have technology that we don't which is rather worrying. I mean who knows what other technology they have” the man that spoke sounded educated as though he knew exactly what he was talking about. He also had a hint of curiosity hidden in his voice as though he was eager to learn more.

“Yes that is a good point. If they know where we are but we don't know where they are we don't stand a chance against them!” the man sounded extremely angry and aggravated. By this point I was beginning to become aware of my other senses such as the softness of whatever object I was laying on which I presumed to be a bed and the smell of damp in the air which reminded me that I was underground.

There was nothing more I wanted to do then open my eyes and see just exactly where I was but the topic of conversation that these two men were discussing was something they never spoke about in front of someone as inferior as me. However if they presumed I was still unconscious then the conversation was sure to persist.

“We need to find out just who exactly is telling them where we are going to be, Sir”

“What are you talking about?” the man snapped back at him as though he had touched upon a sore subject.

“W-well they know exactly where we're going to be s-so I can only presume there's a traitor with our base somewhere” the man sounded terrified to answer but still did his best to stand his ground which I respected him for.

“You're accusing someone which I have taken my time to hand pick of turning against us! Don't be so ridiculous, they clearly have technology which means they know exactly which time and where my people will be travelling to. I can't believe it's you out of all people that I'm having to explain this to!”

“I'm s-sorry Sir it was just a thought that was all. I'm just worried about the safety of everyone that's all”

“Well that's for me to worry about. And I don't want you to take this whole traitor thing any further do you know what would happen to the person who you falsely accuse. Do you really want the fact that you were responsible for another man’s death to be on your conscience for the rest of your days?”

“Of course not Sir! Once again please accept my apologies, I shan't mention this or think about this again”

“Very well, now if you don't mind leaving the room I'd like a moment alone with Alana after what happened today it's made me realise just how precious she is to me. Oh and will you cancel the arrangements for the meeting from today somehow I think she won't really want to talk about what's happened”

“As you wish Sir” there was then a moments silence before I heard footsteps and then the sound of a door opening and closing. The man that was left behind was still stroking my hair but not in an affectionate manner much more like a Father would to his Daughter.

“I'm ever so sorry for all of this Alana I never meant to put you in any danger. I wish I could promise you this won't happen again and I wish you would believe me if I told you that but somehow I doubt you will. I really do miss the days when you were a child and I could have told you that the world was made from chocolate and you would have taken my word for it without a second thought” the man sighed before I felt him kiss the top as my head, while I led there struggling to remain as motionless as I was with the warm words I had just heard.

Then the hand left the top of my head and I heard another set of footsteps, which I presumed were his, head away from me and out of the room with the sound of the door closing behind them. I waited for a few moments before I knew it was safe to open my eyes. Even though the room was only lit by one single candle that was placed on the table next to my bed, the brightness still burnt my eyes.

My mind had become so used to the darkness that it had been engulfed in for possibly hours that any source of light was now too much to bear. I closed them slightly so that only a slit of them was exposed to the light and began to observe my surroundings. It only took me a few moments to realise that I was in fact in my very own room.

It wasn't much with the plain furnishings and concrete floors and walls but still it was home and was where I'd spent a large proportion of my life and where I was sure I'd end up spending the rest of it. I opened my eyes a little more and reached to turn my lamp on which was next to the bed for some more light but it didn't turn on.

I sighed this meant we'd used all of our electricity for the day and the only appliance that would remain on was the air fan that hung above my door, making a buzzing sound as it cleaned the polluted air making it safe for me to breathe. It was so dark now, just how long had I been out cold for? Slowly I sat up, my whole body was aching as though it had suffered a fall but I hadn't the only part of my body that should have been aching was my neck where they grabbed.

I shivered as I remembered the terrible feeling I had when I thought I was on the brink of death it was not one I'd like to repeat any time soon. At least I would be able to see him again, not like he would care though if he was really concerned about me he would have been in the room with me right now unable to leave my side for the worry he held. Maybe he hadn't heard though or maybe he was busy or had been told to leave me?

Why was I making such foolish excuses it would only hurt more when I knew the truth. Once again I sighed, I needed to stop getting my hopes up I really did. I looked across the room to the part that was mainly shadows and could vaguely make out a white mass placed on my desk, it stood out like a sore thumb in the darkness.

Curious as to what it was I gradually pulled my legs out from under the covers and placed my bare feet onto the cold concrete floor. I let out a moaning noise as I struggled to rise to my feet, using the strength of my arms to push me up. I took two steps to get the candle from the table and lost my balance in the process causing me to almost fall to the floor.

I felt as though I'd been inside a giant ball and been thrown back and forth. Steadily, using the bed as a support to lean on I grabbed the candle and made my way across the room to the desk. My heart sunk when I realised that the white mass was just some paper with details of my next assignment on it. I only had to read the words “Population Crisis 2192” to know this. I couldn't believe that they thought I'd be ready to travel again after what had just happened.

Although it did make sense, after all the fate of the world hung in the balance and it was only people like me, that could fix this. We were the ones who travelled back in time leaving part of our body in the present and the other part in the past. The ones that risked it all just so that the world may once again reach a reasonable population. We were the time ghosts - the only hope left in the world for its future survival.