The Time Writer.

The wind blew slightly. It was carrying the unheard words, which were flowing as though running up and down the stream. Clouds, full of wonder, filled the gray sky, deep thoughts jumping in the head. It was a gray summer. Feet out of the cage, the snickers, were touching the grass. Flowers here and there, dancing in the wind. There, at last, a boy opened his eyes and looked around. The field was quiet, the river was running. He took a slug from his shoe and put it on a raspberry leaf. It stayed there for a bit, but then, slowly, struggled to the bottom of the leaf. The boy put his head in his knees and whistled a song, words of which he didn't know. Then, he took his old camera out and looked at the old photos, which he made. The whistle song ended as the boy turned his head to see just how a ginger-headed girl was clapping her hands, which were purple from the berries she found in the field. She smiled and went to him. 

"That was a beautiful song, Leny! Where'd you get it? What is it about? " 

The boy was a bit puzzled. Then he hid his paper with something written on it. 

"When did you get here, Charlotte?" 

"Oh! I was here all the time! How's your book going?" 

How does she know about the book? 

"Are you a spy, or what?" 

"No! Not in that way! You just were writing something. You know I have a good eyesight!" 

She sat near him, on the leaves, accurately putting the slug away. Then, she took his writings. 

"Leo, what is it about?" 

"Hey, don't' read that!" 

A shiver went down his back. But she anyway started reading. Something jumped inside Leo. He looked at her face, hopping to see her reaction, but she read it with no emotion. Heart leaped and started beating fast, it was going to blast, to pop up. 

At last, she put away the paper, said nothing. 

"Eh... How was it?" 

"Hm, let me think." 

Sun went out, giving them a golden tickle. The heavy clouds were still there, rumbling. Charlotte put her finger to her lips, that means she is thinking. She looked at the river, her gray eyes were staring at one point. Two minutes past, then five. No movement at that time, Leo held his breath. Then, at last, slowly, she looked at the clouds, filled with golden light. Then, she started. 

"Well, it is interesting. The main character had a bad life, so he started acting strange... I think that the old person he met, who helped him, was actually an allegory of himself. I don't really know, if it is what you wanted to say, but it might be about, that only you can help yourself." 

It was strange, she understood everything he wanted to say. Maybe she really reads minds. 

"That's right. You think very deep." 

She didn't answer and then got up. 

"Aren't you coming home? I wanted to pick some berries to bake a pie. I saw also one of your works, called "The World In The Past. It is my favorite!" 

"Do you like the past so much?" -- Asked Leo with confusion. 

"Yes!! I would love to go to the past! It is my dream. But as you know, it is impossible." 

Leonard looked at the sky and wondered. You can't really go to the past, can you? But if you could, maybe you would change it. Time is something we can't stop. Boom, boom, boom, every second, every minute can't go back. How come? We can go only forward. Many people try to be always in the happy past, but... It doesn't get you back, does it? 

"Heeeey! Heeeeeeey! Leo! Leeeeeeeeo!" 

Leny came to himself and looked at the ginger-headed girl. 

"Were you daydreaming again? Again thinking? You think too much. But that's ok." -- Charlie chuckled. 

"So, you want to go to the past?" -- He asked thoughtfully. 

"Of course, I want, what question is that? Oh, that's it, I am going home and make the pie. If you'll sit here again till night, then tell your mother not to come to our house to ask about your whereabouts". 

The boy said nothing and took his writings. He read them again and again, but he didn't know, what to write next. The wind blew now not softly, but furiously. It teared the flower petals and leaves away. The slug also tried to hold on to the leaf, but nothing helped. The boy looked at the sky. Stormy clouds were rushing into the area. Now they weren't so gray, but deep blue, Leo felt how the clouds clanged to each over with a big noise, as though it was a fight between two armies. Maybe there is a bloody fight, swords crushing, helmets munching, maybe the rain was actually the pure blood of those, who fell. If it is so, then if a rain drop falls into your mouth, will you have memories of the one, who fell? What if the rain was vapored from the blood of a fallen knight? Who knows, what is going on up there, in the clouds. The rain poured and poured. The young writer opened his mouth to catch a rain drop. There came a few seconds, before he caught one. 

Where am I? What about the rain? He was dry, crescent shining. Leny got up. What is it? He felt strength in his hands and a fresh smell of leaves and berries. When he looked around, he saw a village. It was full of people, dancing in the moonlight. It looked just as a fairytale. All of them were wearing outstanding costumes. Leo got up and walked slowly towards them. But the closer he got, the further were the people. He stopped. It was no use. Now he felt tired. He wanted to go home. But why now? He felt free, Leny was out of the cage of the world. Then, the boy felt a heavy hand on his shoulder. The boy jumped and looked at the mighty figure. There stood a tall knight. He asked for something. What did he say? It was a husky voice, that was squeezed out of his mouth with a big afford. 

"Wh-what...?" -- Asked Leonard. 

Then, he felt something. It was a cold feeling on his shoulder. When Leo touched it, there was a dark liquid. A dark-black one. The knight collapsed in front of the boy. 

"Mister! Oh, mister! Are you ok?" 

But the knight didn't give an answer. Leo started to panic. Maybe... Maybe if he could turn the time back, he would know, that the knight asked for help! He could save him! He surely could! Heart again started beating. It was all over his body. Everywhere. In his cheeks, toes, arms, even eyes and head. He felt his heart on every finger, on every part of body. It hurt. It was beating too fast. 

Then, all of a sudden, he opened his eyes. There was the dark sky. It was night. Mother is waiting. 

A door opened somewhere in the town. It closed with a clang. Lights everywhere, it was beautiful. The night was cool, the rain stopped. When Leo came to his house, he found his mother in the yard. She looked angry, seeing him so late. 

"What were you doing so late? I've told you, to come home not later, then 9 o'clock. Look at the time! It is Half past 11! Don't you understand that I am worrying about you!?" 

Leo sighed, and not looking up, hugged her and went to his room. The boy was tired from nothing, so he didn't have the power to have his night dinner. Turning on the light, Leonard started writing about the time. What did he write? He couldn't understand himself. The boy didn't think about what he wrote. Then, after several hours he came to himself and found out, that the paper, on which he was writing, was all in words. What did he even write about? It was almost morning, but Leo had to know, what he wrote. But then everything went dark and Leny fell asleep. 

It was a gray morning. The wind rushed into the opened window of a house. There it made the curtains shiver from cold. Coldish air ran through the house, tickling toes of the ones, who slept. It ran to the kitchen and made the bread fall from the table, then the air rushed toward a white bed, making the blanket to fall down with a rustle. 

Leo woke up with a jump. Cold wind filled his room and caused his paper to go wild, dancing. The boy rushed to his papers; an idea came to his mind. It was a crazy one, but those, who knew Leo, would say, that he always does something crazy. Leny almost felt the light coming from his head, he thought of himself as a genius, or even a discoverer. 

The pen slipped in his hands, writing very fast, his eyes half closed, pouring with excitement. Half a day passed. Leo stopped. The sun was already fried and had a bit of red colour in it. Leny ran from his house and slammed the door behind him. He ran and ran, as though trying to keep up with the sun. But the sun took in account his challenge, so it was almost as fast as Leonard was, at least he felt so. At last, he came to the field and saw Charlotte lying in the grass. Her gray eyes wore motionless, looking up in the sky. Leo panted and as he got there, he fell to his knees. The boy didn't run for several months, if not a year, now his heart got weaker, so it was very hard for the poor fellow. He finally looked at Charlotte and said: 

"I've found... The time machine..." 

Charlotte barely moved her eyes towards him. 

"Not funny. Don't do jokes on such things, Leny." -- She paused, then started again, tiredly. 

"What's the thing about going always forward? We never can go back. Every second is already in the past. Imagine. Everything I said, is already in the past now. Do you know? Every time you blink, you lose a half of a second of seeing your life. If you fold all of the half seconds together for all the lifespan of a person... The person really doesn't see the world for nearly a half of life! Every time we sleep, we don't see the world, we lose it. We lose the opportunity to see the world just because of our eyes, which get tired. I want to be a small child again, who doesn't know anything about all of this. About time, death, illness and more." 

Leonard gazed. He closed his eyes, because they got blurry from the lack of air. In any time, he could collapse. 

"Please... Just listen, ok? It is true, I found it! Don't you believe me?" -- Leny looked at her one more time. She seemed now to be angry. 

"Not funny! Not funny, not funny, not funny, not funny!! You know that! Stop trying to deceive me! Even if you do this kind of thing to make me just feel better, then stop. I tell you, I hate, when people do this!" -- She raised up, her angry face was full of tears. 

"Oh, C'mon, Charlotte! Did I ever lie to you? Just listen, please, listen!" 

Charlie looked at him again angrily, and, waving with her red hair, rushed from the field, leaving him alone. 

Something was in the throat. He wanted to shout, to cry, to roar, but nothing happened, just the lump in the throat hurt more and more. Leo didn't notice, how he was starting to collapse. But he thought "no... If I fall asleep, then mother will be worried... I can't..." He tried to force himself up, but nothing helped. Leo never felt so useless before. It was just as being eaten by something big, much bigger, then him. 

Leny found himself in a strange place. Oh. It was the village again. The knight wasn't lying nearby. Leonard looked around, hopelessly. He wanted to drink. Suddenly, something heavy was put on his shoulder. It was the tall knight from before. He started talking to the noy in a husky voice. Now Leo knew that he wanted help. The boy put him on his back and rushed to the village. This time he could reach it. Eyes still blurry, he didn't see the faces of the people around him. There was a ringing in his ears, so he couldn't hear anyone. Leny found a strange house with medical instruments in it. The boy banged at the door and fell inside. He gave quickly the knight to a person, who had to be a doctor. But then, the doctor said: 

"OH MY GOD... You! Boy! Where have thee found this rotting thing!? Our enemy!! You know, you little... Or are you dumb enough!!?

Leonard didn't catch anything, so he didn't answer. 

"Oi, are you from the enemy!?... BURN HIM! BURN HIM FROM HEAD TO TOE!!" 

There came people, running in, took Leo and roped him. Then, they fastened him to a wooden cross. What is going on? Aren't heretics used to be burned this way? Why him? He tried to help... He knew that the knight needed help! Oh, only if he could put the time back, he would know, that it was the enemy of the village. And what about him now? His feet were all hot, flame running all over him. 

He waked with a sudden. Strange, it wasn't yet night. Leo started to walk to Charlottes house. He needed to show her, no... He had to show her... No, no! He must show her. The time machine... The most genius one... It was so brilliant... No one can do that thing, except for him! 

He knocked on the door. A red headed girl, full of tears, opened it. 

"I'm sorry for that time. Aren't you mad at me?" -- she sounded very miserable. Charlie hugged him. 

"It is sure OK. I've came to show you the time machine... It isn't a joke." -- he opened his bag before she could start yelling. 

"Here, the time machine." 

"I really believed you... But it is just a book." 

"It isn't just a book. It is the time machine. Now, if you close your eyes without peaking, magic will appear and you'll go to the past, trust me." 

The gray-eyed girl was puzzled but took out a small piece of cloth and covered her eyes. 

"Now, you lie somewhere, or be anywhere, where is most convenient for you." 

She lied down. 

"Ready? And here it goes..." 

Then, the girl heard a story. A story of a cruel village, bloody fights, freedom, knights, princesses and more. All of this were leaping in her head. She found herself in a field. It was after a fight. Helmets everywhere, covered in fresh blood. Then, she saw the village. In that story Charlotte Washington was a princess. Knights served to her; people loved her. What could be better? But then, Charlie saw one day a small girl, age of 8. She was crying and crying. Her tears were never dry, because upon them came new ones. 

"What's the matter, dear?" -- asked the princess. There was no answer, but tears. 

But then, when Charlotte looked in the eyes of the girl, she saw the same gray eyes of hers. The girl was weeping without a stop. There she was, a red-haired girl, with gray eyes, full of tears. 

"I get it now... I get it, I get it... Leo... Why you never told me that!? The past was never so good, the future never was so good... The best is the now. I want to go to now. If I stay here for more, where will the real world go?" 

But there she waked up. Night. Bottles lying everywhere. What's going on? Charlotte found herself lying in a dark room, in her right hand was a bottle of cheap vodka, in the over was a cigarette. She was lying on the floor. When Charlie looked at the year, she came to shock. She wasn't 13 years old now. Now she was 37. Charlotte put down the bottle and gasped. Now she remembers. She was 37 all the time, was she? What kind of time writer is Leo?