Through the Lens of Time

The morning sun was just breaking over Belgrade, casting a pale light that felt too bright for Mina's mood. She walked toward the school gate, her bag hanging loosely from her shoulder, eyes fixed on the ground. Lately, she had found herself doing that a lot—keeping her head down, avoiding people. It was easier than trying to pretend like everything was fine. The truth was, everything felt strange these days, like there was an invisible wall between her and the world.

As she walked, her gaze fell on something half-hidden in the grass near the school fence. At first, she thought it was just some trash. But the shape was unusual, boxy. She took a step closer, curious despite herself. It was a pair of glasses, lying in the dirt, slightly bent but otherwise intact. She frowned, crouching down to get a better look.

The glasses were unlike anything she'd seen before. The frames were a rusty, reddish-brown, thick and squared off, with a faint shimmer that seemed to catch the light. Mina picked them up, brushing off the dirt with her fingers. They were surprisingly heavy, with lenses that looked almost too clear, too perfect.

For a moment, she just held them, feeling the weight of them in her hand. She glanced around, half-expecting someone to be looking for them, but the crowd of students was still bustling around the gates, too absorbed in their conversations to notice.

With a slight shrug, Mina held the glasses up to her face. The lenses were clean, no smudges or scratches, and the frames, though old, felt sturdy. She hesitated, then slipped them on.

Mina blinked as the lenses settled over her eyes, waiting for that usual rush of distortion she got from putting on someone else's prescription. But the world didn't blur. In fact, everything looked sharp, almost too sharp, like a movie scene with the brightness turned up. She could see the glint of dew on the grass, the tiny grooves in the stone path, even the faint scratches on the paint of the school gate.

She turned her head, scanning her surroundings. For a second, it felt like time had slowed, like she was standing outside of it, just watching. Then, at the edge of her vision, she noticed something—someone—who shouldn't be there. A woman, standing near the fence, with clothes that didn't quite fit in with everyone else's. She was dressed in a long, dark coat, her hair pinned back in a style that looked almost antique, like something from a history book.

Mina stared, certain that she'd never seen this woman before. The woman seemed to be looking right at her, eyes sharp and piercing, like she knew Mina was watching. But then, just as quickly as she'd appeared, she was gone. There was no trace of her, just the usual crowd of students milling around.

Mina slid the glasses off, her heart thumping in her chest. Had she imagined that? She turned the glasses over in her hands, studying them like they might give her an answer. Nothing seemed unusual about them, not really. They were just old glasses, probably something someone had tossed out. And yet… what she'd seen had felt real. Too real.

Taking a deep breath, she slipped them on again, half-expecting to see the woman standing there, waiting for her. But this time, the scene was just as ordinary as before. She frowned, feeling a mixture of disappointment and relief. Maybe it was just her imagination.

Mina stood there a moment longer, feeling a strange tug between disbelief and curiosity. She couldn't shake the image of the woman in the dark coat, her gaze so intense, like she'd been staring straight through her. And as much as Mina tried to dismiss it as a trick of the light or her mind playing games, something inside her didn't believe that.

She glanced around again, then turned away from the crowd of students to face the grassy path along the fence. With one last look over her shoulder to make sure no one was watching, she slipped the glasses on a third time.

At first, there was nothing. Just the faint rustling of leaves in the breeze, the murmur of voices from the crowd behind her. But as she took a step forward, something changed. The world around her felt… older, somehow. She couldn't put her finger on it, but everything had a different feel, like it belonged to another time.

Ahead, just a few feet away, she spotted a shadow moving—a man this time, crouched down by the gate, his back to her. He was dressed in faded, old-fashioned clothes, like he'd stepped right out of a black-and-white photograph. She could see the outline of his shoulders, his hands resting on the ground as if he were searching for something. For a second, she forgot to breathe, just watching him, unable to move.

Then, almost as if he sensed her presence, the man turned, looking over his shoulder. He didn't seem surprised to see her. In fact, he looked right at her, his face calm, almost… sad. Mina felt a chill spread through her, like a gust of cold air had swept through her. And just like that, he was gone, vanishing as if he'd never been there at all.

She pulled the glasses off, heart pounding.

Mina took a shaky breath, feeling her pulse racing. She stared down at the glasses, half-expecting them to reveal some hidden clue. But they were just as they had been—a simple pair of old, scratched-up lenses in a heavy, red-brown frame. It made no sense. Yet, twice now, she'd seen… people, images of people who felt out of place, like they'd stepped out of another time.

Questions buzzed through her mind, each one stranger than the last. Why had they looked at her? And how had they just… disappeared? She considered putting the glasses on again but hesitated. Each time, the world had shifted, revealing something that shouldn't be there. It was exciting but also terrifying. She had no idea if she'd see them again—or if something worse might appear.

For now, though, the school bell rang in the distance, pulling her back to the present. Mina glanced around, realizing she was still standing there, staring at an empty spot on the ground. She shoved the glasses into her bag, her mind swirling with everything she'd just seen.

As she walked to class, she couldn't shake the thought of the two figures. Both of them had looked right at her, like they'd known she was watching. But why? The questions followed her down the halls, through her classes, and even as she sat at her desk, the usual chatter around her fading into the background.

By lunchtime, Mina had made up her mind. She would try the glasses again, this time more prepared. If they really did show her glimpses of the past, she had to know why. And what it meant for her.

When the lunch bell finally rang, Mina was the first out of the classroom. She made her way to the far side of the school grounds, a quiet area under a cluster of old trees, away from the crowds. She felt an odd sense of urgency, like there was something waiting to be uncovered, and she was afraid it might vanish if she hesitated.

Once she was out of sight, she reached into her bag, her fingers brushing the cool metal of the frames. She hesitated, heart thudding as she pulled them out, holding them up to the light. They looked so ordinary here, in the daylight—a little dusty, scratched around the edges, just a pair of forgotten glasses. But she knew now they were something else entirely.

With a steadying breath, she slipped them on.

The world didn't change right away. She could still see the trees, the worn bench nearby, the patches of sunlight spilling onto the grass. Everything was quiet, almost too quiet. But as she adjusted to the lenses, shadows began to gather in the corners of her vision. She blinked, and suddenly there were people there—more than before.

Figures moved around her, some standing in groups, others walking along paths that didn't quite line up with the present layout of the school. Their clothes were strange, older styles from decades past. She even caught sight of a girl in a long skirt, her hair tied up in a way that looked like something out of an old movie.

Mina's heart raced as she took it all in, feeling like she'd stepped into another world, layered just beneath her own. She moved forward slowly, watching the scenes unfold around her. These people were so close she could almost reach out and touch them. But as she extended a hand, her fingers brushed nothing but air.

A shiver ran down her spine. She was seeing ghosts—not in the way she'd imagined ghosts would be, haunting and scary, but fragments of lives, moments frozen in time, like echoes of the past lingering in this place.

Mina moved deeper into the crowd of phantoms, her breath quickening with every step. She could hear snippets of laughter, distant conversations, and the rustling of skirts brushing against the ground. It felt so surreal, being surrounded by people who couldn't see her, living out their days as if nothing had changed.

She focused on a group of girls nearby, giggling and whispering secrets. They were dressed in vibrant colors, their hair styled in a way that seemed almost foreign. One of them turned her head, and for a split second, Mina felt a flicker of recognition, like she'd seen that face before. But before she could grasp the thought, the girl looked away, lost in her laughter.

Mina caught herself smiling, captivated by their joy, but then she remembered the reality of her own life—filled with loneliness and disconnection. She wondered what had happened to these girls, where they had gone, and why their laughter echoed here, in a place that felt so ordinary now. It was as if the glasses had opened a door to a different time, a time when things felt simpler, perhaps even happier.

But just as quickly as the thought came, a wave of unease washed over her. What did it mean to see these people? Was she meant to learn something from them, or was it all just a trick of the mind? She hesitated, unsure of what to do next. Her heart raced with a mix of fear and excitement, but she knew she couldn't stay lost in this world forever.

Taking a deep breath, she stepped back, pushing the glasses down to her neck. Instantly, the laughter faded, the figures around her evaporated, and she was left standing alone under the trees, feeling the cool breeze against her skin. It was a jarring shift, the quiet of the present crashing down on her like a wave.

Mina ran a hand through her hair, trying to catch her breath. The experience had felt so real, yet so distant. She needed to understand it, to figure out what these glasses truly meant for her and how they worked. She couldn't ignore the pull she felt toward them, nor the undeniable connection she sensed with the past.

Mina stood there for a moment, her mind racing. She thought about going back to the others, pretending like everything was fine, like nothing strange had happened. But she couldn't. Not after what she'd just seen. The images of the people from the past—people who seemed so real, yet so distant—kept swirling in her mind, refusing to be ignored.

She pulled the glasses up again, determined to understand what was happening. This time, however, she wasn't going to simply observe. She needed answers. She needed to know if this was some kind of hallucination, or if there was something deeper at play.

But as the lenses came into focus, something unexpected happened. The world didn't just shift. It folded. The lines between the past and present blurred, and for the briefest moment, Mina felt as though she were standing in two places at once. She was still under the tree, but now the air felt heavier, more oppressive. And the figures around her weren't just echoes of the past—they were looking at her, reacting to her.

A man in a faded suit stepped closer, his gaze fixed on her as if he could see through the glasses, as if he could see her. Mina froze, her breath caught in her throat. Was this it? Was this what the glasses were showing her—more than just glimpses of a forgotten time? Had she somehow crossed into that time, or was it crossing into hers?

The man's lips parted, and he took a step forward. Mina stumbled back, pulling the glasses off in panic, her heart racing. She was back under the tree again, alone, the normal schoolyard in full view. No man. No figures. Just the present.

But she couldn't shake the feeling that something had changed. Something deep inside her had shifted, like she had uncovered a secret she wasn't sure she was ready to understand.