Lost Secrets (1)

… What the hell?

The ground rumbled as I picked up the book. It was as if the bookshelf was alive.

But something was off.

The bookshelf formed itself as a door, and a hidden room was revealed behind it.

The room itself was dark, and it looked like no one had gone in for the last decade.

It was a room that I had never seen before. I wasn't expecting my small house to have another room other than the living room, my bedroom, and my dad's room.

From the outside, my house looks even smaller than the inside. So that's why it was unlikely that my house had more rooms.

I was curious, but at the same time I didn't go in, what if I found disturbing news about the government? I didn't even want to think about that.

"Curiosity is the lust of mind."

That was a famous phrase about curiosity, it was stated that curiosity will conquer fear even more than bravery will.

But did that matter?

What if the room is just a plain old room where nothing is hidden?

It felt like fate itself was pushing me to go in there. But I was hesitant, I needed to know if it was all safe before going in.

My dad wasn't home at the time, he's probably going to be late again as usual. But would he even care about this? … What if it's just a storage room?

Well, curiosity created possibilities and opportunities.

The room was kind of looking odd though, and why would there be a room behind a bookshelf? After realizing that, my suspicions about the room were even higher.

From the outside, I could already see that the room hadn't been used for a long time, at least I'd never seen my dad using it and this was my first time seeing it.

I could already see dust in the room from the outside. The room looks nasty, maybe I shouldn't go in.

Well if I go on, I hope my dad doesn't get mad, I've never even seen him get mad at anyone though. Well, I'm sure he loves me at least a little as his child.

Well… There is a saying about love.

"One of the greatest tragedies in life is that you will always be loved more than you will ever know. Someone in your class might find you warm and attractive, even if you barely or never talked to them."

"You may think you always disappear when you're no longer in the picture, but you've never left the frame."

I hope that's the case with my mysterious dad as well… I mean, you can still love someone without talking much to them. Right?

I was tempted to go in, but is that the right thing to do? Well, I want to respect my father's privacy.

After thinking for a short time I decided to step in it with one foot.

Echoes—!

My footsteps echoed through the unknown and mysterious room. I wasn't expecting much from it but I decided to step in.

There were nothing but boxes, but I didn't want to leave the room right away without exploring a bit of the room.

I didn't know what I was doing, and neither did I think that this was the right choice. I knew there would be consequences, but who cares?

I was imagining what my dad would do if he caught me right here, but if he was going to do something? I mean he might work for the government, but he's keeping that a secret and he rarely talks to me anyway.

But what if he reveals his true colors? And then starts acting strange and goes on a rampage and dominates everything including me…

Well, I don't think that's going to happen, but my mind was overflowing with consequences that might happen even if it was unlikely to.

Though till now, I haven't found anything strange, it was all plain old boxes with some dust on them.

I wondered why he kept this room a secret, but after thinking of that, I realized something. If he hid this from me, there has to be something. With that mindset, I continued to carelessly search the room.

To my surprise, the room was huge compared to the living room and me and my dad's room. It was like he used the room to do something, like an experiment. That's right, he might've used this for government purposes.

Well… I couldn't see the room clearly because of how dark it was. And the room was nasty as hell, spiderwebs and dust were all over the room.

I wanted to give up, but there was no reason not to. I already went into the room, knowing there would be consequences. What's the point of giving up now?

The room was filled with dusty boxes, some empty and others containing old magazines and newspapers. Despite my low expectations, I pressed on, hoping to uncover something significant.

The room looked like one of those abandoned houses in the movies, but this time it's reality. Well, not that I'm finding anything special.

I was determined to find something, even if it was just something plain. That's right, there has to be something hidden in here. I don't care what it is, I just want to find it.

It wasn't a usual activity for me, this is already something special. Normally all I do is just lay in bed and reread the books.

And if this is a secret government room, I want to dig in more about the secrets that are hidden from the world. For now, I don't want to think about the future, I just want to do something in the present.

Normally I would try to avoid trouble, but I already went in, so there's no point in stopping now.

It also felt like I was being watched the whole time, but I scanned around checking for cameras. But what I found was nothing, it must've been my imagination.

….

Boom—!

After I heard a noise I turned around to check if somebody was there.

"W-who's there…"

But it turned out to be a rat, but a box fell because of it.

I sighed, relieved that it wasn't my dad or something, but it wouldn't make sense if he was suddenly there, because I would've noticed his presence.

The box that fell had papers in it, taking a closer look I noticed that it was a magazine from the past.

- Year: 2032

- Year: 2030

- Year: 2037

Some of the magazines were from the past, some even from a time when I wasn't even born. Though the magazines didn't provide useful information, it was interesting to see things from a time when I wasn't even born.

Some of them were about fashion while others were about the newest technologies.

I was more interested in the past than the future, because, in the current era, there wasn't much you could learn from the past. The government deleted most of the sources where you could learn from history. And why? We don't know… The government is truly hiding a lot.

It was normal to have magazines from around 5-10 years old but to have one's older than that was rare at this time. The government would even ask you to throw your old things away or give them to them. But to think there's a hidden room in here with old stuff.

The more I realized the more I suspected my dad of being part of the government.

It will make sense since he leaves the house and has unusual things in a room that he always hid from me…

He's truly someone I know absolutely nothing about, for me he's the definition of being mysterious, he's the perfect example of one.

Also, he could be a spy from the government, but for me, it was pretty much the same. Both were mysterious enough to be on the same level, but Spy still sounds cooler to me.

Well, I needed to find more proper evidence of why the government was related to my dad and this room.

I now know that the boxes weren't just plain old ones, they have things in them which could give me hints.

Some of the boxes were empty and some were filled with magazines and old newspapers.

Well… I couldn't expect much from the plain old room anyway.

I sighed, whispering, "I shouldn't have gone." To myself.

As I turned to leave I saw a glimpse of a suspicious-looking box, all the other boxes were brown but that one was black.

For some reason, it felt like the box itself was telling me to open it.

Unlike the other boxes, this one somewhat felt different just by looking at it.

But the results were the same as usual, it was an old newspaper again.

After taking a closer look I realized it wasn't a usual newspaper, it was something else.

It was a newspaper about science.

What could be so good and interesting about it?

….

[Newspaper Excerpt: September 12, 2031]

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GLOBAL NEWS!

Produced by TimexSecret

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Seiji Makoto Crowned "Scientist of the century " for his unbelievable Innovations*

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The genius behind the most ambitious technological feat in modern history!

Celebration for the man behind the most advanced invention of all time.

Nicknamed: The G.O.A.T of all science.

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In a historic moment for scientific progress, Seiji Makoto has officially been honored as the "Scientist of the Century" for his extraordinary work in temporal mechanics during the late 2020s. Makoto, whose contributions have reshaped the boundaries of what was once considered impossible, is hailed for his central role in the development of advanced temporal technologies. His breakthrough device—dubbed the "Time Ma—" by insiders—has pushed the limits of human understanding, ushering in a new era of technological revolution.

Makoto began his research in the mid-2020s, driven by a vision to unlock the mysteries of time itself. His relentless pursuit led to unprecedented discoveries, culminating in the creation of a prototype that many now believe to be the most significant invention since the dawn of the digital age. While details remain closely guarded, the impact of his work is already being felt across multiple sectors, from defense to resource management.

Seiji Makoto is more than just a scientist—he's a pioneer who redefined what it means to innovate," said Dr. Naomi Ishikawa, a colleague and prominent researcher. "His dedication and insight have set the stage for technologies we once thought were pure science fiction.

I gasped at the news, with my eyes almost exploding. "My Grumpy old Dad? G.O.A.T of science? Granted he's not that old but still."

However, as groundbreaking as these developments are, not all questions have been answered. The full extent of the device's capabilities remains shrouded in secrecy, with only select government bodies having access to the technology. Despite these unknowns, one thing is clear: Seiji Makoto's name will echo throughout history, marking the start of an era where the very flow of time might be altered by human hands.

Experts across the globe are now left to wonder—if this is the future Makoto has brought us to, what lies just around the corner?

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End of Excerpt

… What did I just witness?

For some reason, some of the words and phrases were covered in blank ink which made it unreadable.

But what the hell have I just read…?

My dad is a scientist.

Wait…? This doesn't make any sense…