Daylight Saving Time

DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME

Rene Collier

I always get confused every time I have to change the clocks in spring and winter. Let’s see, spring forward, fall backward. I do get used to it eventually, but not Rufus, my dog. He still wants his dinner at his normal time, which isn’t normal anymore. It will be in six months’ time or so before he will be eating again at his normal time. But in the meantime, Rufus will be bothering me at his eight o’clock A.M. which is for now my nine o’clock. But being a creature of sun time, he’s not interested in what the clock says at any time.  

          Reluctantly, I begin moving all my clocks forward. The only saving grace about losing an hour of sleep is tomorrow is Sunday, and I don’t have to work. Instead, I have a great adventure to look forward to. My husband Charlie and I are going hiking in a challenging area of the surrounding mountains where we live in California. We love exploring together. Finally, in bed I fall asleep next to snoring Charlie. 

         Next morning, I’m awakened by my alarm. My night table clock says nine o’clock. Hey, maybe I should have gotten up earlier at eight o’clock, so I wouldn’t have lost the hour that I could be hiking. Charlie’s out of bed. He’s probably making coffee, although I don’t smell anything. I get up, put on my robe and head for the kitchen.

“Charlie,” I call. No answer. Now, that’s strange. He’s always ‘voice at hand’.  But, no answer. And Rufus, where’s Rufus? He always comes right away excited to see me, all waging tail and dancin’ feet, like he hasn’t seen me for a hundred years. Ok, So, I have a few mysteries to solve.

Ours is an old shotgun style house. One must walk from the bedroom down a short hallway then through the living room to get to the kitchen. Once outside my bedroom I hear the murmur of unknown voices conferring quietly. Why would we have company so early in the morning?

Once I reach the living room, I am amazed to find my living room is no longer my living room, but rather some kind of computer command center, manned by an assortment of geeky IT looking people. They don’t acknowledge me. They keep steady as their work alternately typing at the speed of light, or peering at huge monitor screens.

         “Excuse me! Hello!,” I call out into the room. “Who are you and what have you done with my living room?” Rather a cliché thing to say, but a comment truly fitting of this situation.

         “And where is my husband Charlie and Rufus?” I ask, glancing around the crowded room.

         “Charlie is right here,” says the man closest to me, while continuing to focus on the huge monitor screen before him. He motions me over to him. Curiosity wins out over wariness so I join him. 

Directing my attention to the monitor, he says, “This is live feed, Janie.”

Live feed? I’ll watch his ‘so called live feed’. What I see is Charlie and me hiking together. My very helpful husband is helping me climb up a hugely dangerous mountainous rocky incline.  

This can’t be real or true. None of this. It’s way to nutty. No group could invade my living room, set up shop and get me to believe such a strange tale about a future hike together with Charlie. Plus, what’s the point? What I do believe is that I’m 100 percent dreaming. Now is when any sane person who has a weird experience like this would wake themselves up. Well, I’m a sane person, so here goes -

“Wake up!”, I yell loudly to myself, eyes closed. I know that when I open my eyes I will be in my own safe, cozy, warm bed just coming awake. And, as always, my senses will be delighted by the smell of richly brewed coffee wafting through the air. After that, Charlie will yell from the kitchen for me to get up now before I waste the entire day sleeping, like he does every hiking Sunday. And Rufus will come running to me. Yup, that’s what will happen. End of goofy dream.

But, when I do reopen my eyes, I’m not in bed. There is no delicious smell of freshly brewing coffee, and no Charlie calling me from the kitchen. I’m still in my sci-fi living room with these strangers who stare at me like I’m crazy.

The guy who showed me the ‘live feed’ introduces himself as Sam – no last name. He explains that he and his associates are in charge of cosmic ‘saving projects’. Am I one of his saving projects? Whatever does that mean? And since I can’t seem to wake myself up, I better pay attention so as to figure out how to get out of this.

After Sam pulls up a chair for me, I sit and continue to watch the impossible, surreal movie of Charlie and I as we continue our hike in a place I’ve never seen before.

“Why can’t I remember this place or that hiking trip. Did you do something awful to my mind?”

“No Janie, you are fine. You have never been to this place. This time hasn’t come yet. It’s still a few hours away. What you are about to see next may be even harder for you to understand. But we can only help you if you accept that what you see as your future.

Back to the screen. I watch Charlie and I make it to the top of the mountain. We stand along the edge together laughing, his arm about my waist. The view is breathtaking. We always do that – admire the views from the top.

“We made it Janie, and in record time!” He’s excited about that. Charlie loves shaving off time each climb. Saving time is a Charlie thing. Now, why would I think about that stupid thing at a time like this? I should be focused on trying to believe what I’m see. That’s the real ‘time’ concern. 

“Wait – but where’s Rufus?” I ask Sam. He always comes with us every time.”

 “He’s not with you this time. Charlie created a false reason to leave him home.”

“Why would he do that? Charlie knows he loves to be with us.”

“Charlie needs seclusion for what comes next. A happy loud barking dog will ruin his plan.”

What I see next terrifies me. While Charlie and I are enjoying the view, suddenly without warning, he forcefully pushes me forward until I lose my balance and fall over the side. I hear myself screaming his name! He does not heed my cries for help as I continue to fall to my certain death. Instead, I see him just stand there watching me fall, smiling like the cat who ate the canary. Then I watch myself keep falling hundreds of feet below, I land with a bone-breaking, skull crushing thud deep within a dark cavernous ravine hidden from sight - possibly forever.

In a very small voice I squeak out, “So, I’m dead?”

The others gather around me. Looks of concern on everyone’s face. No one speaks but Sam. “No, you’re not dead. You’re simply having a dream.

I relax visibly greatly relieved. “Oh, Thank God! What a relief. So, because it’s a dream, it won’t happen.” 

“Dreams are where truths are revealed, Janie.”

“Who are you people? Why are you in my dream?”  

“We are deployed by the Daylight Savings Project.” It’s hard to explain but we occupy the open cosmic time lost when the clocks are moved forward one hour. It’s within that time that we show chosen people their future. Exactly like we’ve shown you yours, Janie. It’s our hope that you will believe us and let us save you from that fate.”  

“So, what do you do to save me?”

“Don’t go hiking tomorrow and you will be saved,” Sam assures me.

I stare at him. Should I believe him? After all, he said I was really in bed sleeping. That must mean this is only a dream. Not some ‘cosmic time truth’. Why would Charlie kill me? We have a great life together. “Shake it off Janie,” I tell myself internally. Everything will be OK as soon as I wake up because I know my Charlie loves me and would never harm me, says all women killed by their husbands. Good grief I watch too many ‘husband murders wife’ TV stories. I’m going to have to lay off the ID channel. 

“We’re leaving now, Janie. You will wake at what was eight o’clock, but now is nine o’clock tomorrow morning. And Janie, above all be wise,” cautioned Sam. “There will be a sign that all you’ve seen and heard is true. Don’t miss it. Don’t ignore it.”

…

Nine o’clock – Sunday morning. My alarm rings. I wake with a jolt and sit straight up frantically looking around. No, I’m not in a ‘somewhere in time far, far away’ living room. I am where I know I’d be. Indeed, in my cozy warm bed, in my tastefully decorated bedroom. I lay back down with a sigh of relief. That was a surreal horrible nightmare, I decide. I’m up and looking forward to hiking.

My day start out normally. I smell the coffee and Charlie calls from the kitchen for me to get up. I dress quickly. Once in the kitchen, I drink the delicious cup of coffee Charlie made me, then hug Charlie tightly in thanks. He hugs me back, as affectionate as always.

         “Grab your gear, Janie. The mountain calls”, he declares cheerfully.

It’s at the back door when I’m gathering up my stuff, that I notice I haven’t seen Rufus? Where’s Rufus? He usually greets me way before now. Why haven’t I noticed before now?

“Rufus! Come here boy,” I call loudly, while clapping my hand softly.

From the living room, Rufus slowly staggers over to me, like a drunken sailor; looking every bit of hung over.

         “Where were you boy? Were you sleeping?” I ask Rufus. His response is to look up at me with such sad eyes.

What’s wrong with Rufus?” I ask Charlie, as I bend down to pet our poor pitiful dog.

         “You mean you slept through that thunder and lightning storm we had last night?”

         “We had a storm?”

         “We sure did! And Rufus was a basket case, as usual. I was up most of the night trying to calm him down. He finally went to sleep after I gave him some of my melatonin pills. I guess I gave him too many. He’s still super groggy and out of it.”

         “I see that, poor guy,” I say lovingly while softly scratching his head between his ears. Rufus lays down at my feet with a great big sigh and closes his eyes.

 And it’s at that moment I remember the warning in my dream to be wise, and not ignore the sign. Is Rufus that sign? He wasn’t there on the hiking trip. Is it at all possible my hellish dream could be true? What was it that Sam said? ‘Dreams are where truths are revealed’.

Suddenly intense fear over takes me. Frantically I look up at Charlie not sure I won’t see some tell-tale sinister facial expression, but no, his face reveals nothing but a concerned look for our dog. Still, I am I so uneasy; so afraid of him.

I realize I have to face the truth to save my life. Did I just have a bad dream, or did I see my future death? I take a last hopeful look at Charlie praying that dream wins out.

         “So, Rufus is not coming, is he?” I ask with great trepidation.

“No, he’s not coming,” Charlie replies evenly.

The End