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It was a warm, autumn day and Delilah the Tulip stared at the soil. The same soil she stared at for the last month of her life. She remembered how she grew from just a seed to sprout. She wanted to go back and feel the way her body stretched and pulled from the soil into the fresh air. She longed to be near the pond where she could stare at her reflection. She wanted to see her reflection for the first time in forever. Daisy and Rosie got to feel like water in their roots. Delilah looked around, hoping that someone could offer words of comfort. She cried and dew poured from her skin. She began to feel very still. She drifted in and out. The wind on her petals no longer had that cooling effect that she loves. She wanted to feel alive again. It felt endless and pointless and numb She had no purpose.
She opened her eyes to a beautiful breeze rushing over her delicate body. The sensation didn't last long though. She watched as a petal fell from her body, down to dry soil. She stretched her roots towards the pond, but it was no use. She was stranded. Completely stuck. Winter was coming. Oh, how she wanted there to be snow on her petals.
Day by day, she watched as her petals fell. One after the other. Until, one day, a butterfly came by. Her name was Dandy and she wanted to help Delilah. She called for Olivia, her bee friend. Olivia came and sprinkled little drops of yellow fluff all over Delilah's thin body. Delilah felt alive like never before. She felt so fresh. She thanked Olivia and Dandy as they flew away into the afternoon breeze. She wanted them to come back and give her company and comfort.
Winter soon began and Delilah began to feel bitterly cold. The pond was all frozen stiff and the water was no longer refreshing. The soft dew made her stem shake and freeze. She no longer could feel the sun on her petals or watch the clouds roll up above her head There was no refreshing breeze, only a sharp, bitter wind that cut at her soft skin. She was a young flower, with no experience of hibernating in the winter. She just assumed that the other flowers had died and she was the last one. She shivered and quaked and cried and moaned. She couldn't wait for spring, the warm spring that her friends had told her about. Her eyes closed as she wished to live till spring.
She opened her eyes to a wonderland. A bright and beautiful place of warm weather and sunny skies. All the other flowers were flowing in the wind and dancing with the bees. The birds were so happy. The noise was so loud, but it was magical. Like a fair in the summertime, everyone had their favorite place to be! She had to be dreaming or in heaven. She had no idea where she was. Oh! There's the pond! She saw Olivia and Dandy and Daisy and Rosie! She wasn't dreaming at all! This is spring! She had made it to her destination! She had lived to see warm weather with beautiful skies and deep blue water. She saw fish dart around in the pond. How she longed to be a fish or a bird. Maybe even a butterfly. She loved to see all her friends so happy and alive!
She spent her days singing with the birds and chirping with the bugs at night. She listened to little children playing and parents sipping cold lemonade with ice that hit the side of the cups with satisfying sounds. And soon, spring turned to summer. School ended and the little children had more time to run and play. Summer turned to autumn. Autumn turned to winter. The cycle continued. Delilah grew up. Delilah grew old. Never once was she by the water. She never could stand by Daisy and Rosie. She could never sing like the birds or fly like a butterfly, but she was happy. Happy to be her. She no longer feared cold weather. She learned that she was built to survive all weather. She was confident that she would live forever. Deep down, she knew this was false confidence, but she didn't care what type of confidence it was. It was confidence and that is all that matters. She took it day by day. Finding happiness in each day was much easier now.
One day, a little boy came and picked Delilah. Plucked her right out of the ground. It stung as she was ripped from the soil that she had loved so dearly. She longed to be back in her home, but just like always, she was not in control of her destiny. The little boy handed her to a little girl. "Here you go, Amanda!", he said. "Thank you, Thomas!!", she replied. Delilah loved the feeling of the little girl's hand around her. She felt like she finally had a purpose. Joy was her purpose. She gave Amanda joy. Amanda placed Delilah in a glass jar with some water in it. Delilah was happy here. She felt the water in her roots. She closed her eyes and imagined that this was the pond that she had always wanted to be near. Day by day, she sat there. Catching an occasional glance from one of Amanda's family members. One day, she lost strength The water no longer supported her roots. The water was dirty and mucky. She felt fatigued and sick. She began to wither. Faster than ever before, she withered. Her petals were laying on the floor, lonely and without a home. She longed for someone to watch her. Watch her as she took her final breaths. She had always thought that it was better for someone to watch her wither than leave her alone to wither. She wanted to know that someone understood that her life, as small as it may be, is valuable. She wants someone to know that she is important. She has a story and she wants to be seen as her story ends. So yes. Watch me wither.
? Rory, did you hear that?? I ask, hearing glass shatter. She nods and we both rush to the kitchen hoping to see what happened. All we find is a broken plate shattered in pieces on the ground..
?It was the wind,? Rory said, sounding kind of disappointed. I feel like she's always looking to save the world sometimes she just has to accept that she can't.
?Rory, do you ever think that?? I hesitate because I can't find a way to phrase what I'm trying to say.
?Think what?? she says slightly annoyed in my hesitation. She always wants everything perfect. Even the way that I talk.
?Well, you know that feeling that you are being watched when you know no one is there??
?Yeah everyone knows that feeling and everyone knows just to ignore it because no one is really there. Why??
?Just hear me out?? I say trying to explain what I'm feeling to her. ?What if whenever people have that feeling they really are being watched. What if there are people in the future or even our future selves watching us.?
?You're making no sense,? she says, seeming even more annoyed.
I decide to continue even though she's not paying much attention. ?What if every time you hear a random creek on the floorboards or every time a glass breaks but no one is there, what if that is someone in the future. What if that is you in the future??
?Well that's not possible. How would we not see the person from the future? It just makes no sense at all,? she says kind of condescendingly.
?Trust me, if we invent time machines in the future, I'm sure we can find a way to be invisible. Just wait, you will see,? I say trying to sound convincing even though I am not quite sure myself.
?Well I can't wait until I do,? she says as she walks to the living room of our tiny dorm. She's obviously annoyed with me. Although she might not be the most fun roommate we get along and it's only for two more years then I can go to college far away from here.
I sit down on the couch feeling slightly defeated as I flip through the channels on the T.V. There is nothing good on so I slowly allow myself to doze off.
20 years later
?Hey Rory! This is Ava I know we haven't talked in a while but I'm having a party with all of our high school friends kind of like a reunion.?
?Cool! When is it??
?I'm hoping to hold it on January 19. Does that date work for you??
?Yeah! I can fly in the day before and I can stay with my inlaws. Thank you so much for including me. I can't wait!?
?Of course, I'm excited to see you there!?
I hang up the phone and exhale a breath that I didn't even know that I was holding. I had finally called all of our friends from high school, which feels like it was so long ago, and most of them can come!
I finish making a list of all of the party supplies that I will need and then I head to bed.
The day of the party approached faster than I thought it would and it came before I knew it.
My house is all set up and everyone is super excited. I had recently got a new time machine as a birthday present and am super excited to go back to our high school days with some of my friends and look back on some of the stupid things that we did as teenagers.
People started arriving and migrated to the couch area and were happily chatting among themselves. Once a good amount of my guests came in, I brought some snacks over to the couch and sat down and decided to join the conversation.
They were talking about time machines (the newest invention). ?I never thought that our society would get this advanced!? Rory said with some excitement in her voice.
?Yeah, I really want one but I heard that only a few select people were chosen to try and test them out,? said Josh who was in my freshmen homeroom and senior Spanish class.
?Well actually,? I said, unable to contain the smile on my face. ?I am close friends with the person who made the time machines sister and I don't even know how but I got one.? Everyone's jaws dropped and they started getting excited. ?I was thinking that we could go back and look at some of the funny things that we did as teenagers?. If you guys wanted to.?
?YESSS,? one girl said who was the bully of the grade but now owned an expensive chain of restaurants.
?Where should we go first?? was the question that seemed to echo the room.
?When I got this they said that only two or three people should go at a time,? I said not wanting to break any rules. ?I was actually hoping that Rory and I could go back quickly if you guys don't mind.?
They nodded their heads and Rory stood up and walked over to me. ?Where are we going to go??
?I have a day in mind,? I responded with a smile.
?Okay,? she said, ?but how does it work??
?It's surprisingly super simple,? I said as I pulled it out of my pocket, ?you just put the date in here and then you shake it, but everyone who is going needs to be touching it.? I put the date in and then told Rory to hold the other handle. Once her hand was on I started shaking it and in a matter of seconds we had disappeared from the room and we were in our old dorm room.
?Woah,? Rory said as she put her hand on the counter. "This is the same place and the same time that we were in. How does this work?" Still flustered she didn't realize where she had put her hand and a plate flipped over and broke on the ground. ?Oh no,? she said under her breath and looked at me with big concerned eyes.
I pulled her over to the wall and hoped that our past selves wouldn't notice. Our old selves rushed into the kitchen one after another. Both Rory and I's jaws dropped. ?My hair was disgusting!? she whispered, sounding taken back, ?how did you put up with me??
I laughed under my breath and then put my finger up to my mouth and told her to be quiet. She nodded and we watched what we were doing.
?It was the wind,? the young Rory said
?Rory, do you ever think that?? little me said looking off into space.
?Think what??
?Well, you know that feeling that you are being watched when you know no one is there??
?Yeah everyone knows that feeling and everyone knows just to ignore it because no one is really there. Why??
?Just hear me out?? ?What if whenever people have that feeling they really are being watched. What if there are people in the future or even our future selves watching us.?
The real Rory turned to me looking more shocked than ever.
?You're making no sense,? the old Rory said, seeming annoyed.
?What if every time you hear a random creek on the floorboards or every time a glass breaks but no one is there, what if that is someone in the future. What if that is you in the future??
?Well that's not possible. How would we not see the person from the future? It just makes no sense at all,?
?Trust me, if we invent time machines in the future, I'm sure we can find a way to be invisible. Just wait, you will see,? the little me says sounding super confident.
?Well I can't wait until I do,? the high school Rory said as we started rushing back into normal time.
?You knew it,? Rory said as we appeared back in the living room. ?How did you know.?
I shrugged my shoulders and laughed, happy that I finally proved her wrong.
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