Purple Tears

Diary Entry: 1_Timeline: Earth2, Day 1

Everyone’s heard of dark matter, but now the hot topic is strange matter. We caused so much chaos when we discovered that. Geneva shook for 4 days straight. Anyways, today is my first day on Earth2. I got clearance to time step from General Stern. Basically, you round up a lot of strange matter then inject it with the energy of one billion split atoms, and then use that force to fold the matter like a blanket, prior to ripping it a new hole.

Then, you just step through. It’s only open for about 3 seconds.

Anyways, here I am, on Earth2. They warned us we might not be able to make it back in a while. Doesn’t matter anyways. The only thing waiting for me back home is Tom, my cat. Now he’s with my neighbor’s kid—a sweet girl of 10 years, named Nancy. I think he’s in good hands, I don’t know too much about her, but I know she likes tarantulas, and reads books like Roots; which leads me to believe she’s got a good head on her shoulders. 

Still, I miss the furry fella.

The strange thing about time stepping, is that somewhere, in this world there may be another me. But the chances of me coming across…well, me, I guess are slim. Since there are 28 billion people on this planet.

Diary Entry: 2_Timeline: Earth2 Day 10

I met my colleagues today. There’s Paul, this gentle giant who toys around with the collider. He mostly keeps to himself, but he did show me a picture of his kid. He’s not from Earth, but from a planet in the Andromeda Galaxy. He’s been here for one year now. I also met my new supervisor, Shelia: she is quite the woman. Sharp as a whip and mean as one too. Anyways, this place is very much like Earth, but sharper.

Also, the sky is strangely purple.

Diary Entry: 3_Earth2, Day 33

A weird thing happened today. Well, not so much weird but mostly sad. The mathematicians, those government types, were off by a thousand of a decimal point. It turns out that Time on Earth2, is in fact, slower than on Earth. Which means, one day on Earth2 equates to 1 year on Earth. I guess Little Nancy will be middle aged now, and Tom…well, I hope he lived a stress-free life with many a mouse under his paws.

Paul is devastated. He tried to step back, losing a leg in the process. His wife is now 68 years old, and his son is an adult. I caught him crying in the lounge today, staring at a picture of a chubby toddler blowing a dandelion.

I didn't know tears are purple here.

I wonder if Paul has grandchildren now.

Diary Entry: 4_Earth2, Day 36

I try to eat lunch with Paul most days. He never looks up. Just silently chews.

Diary Entry: 5_Earth2, Day 101

I came across a breakthrough during my research. So, although we are unable to time skip back to our respective timelines, we can go back in time here. We haven’t released the data to the government yet.

Anyways, we threw a party in the lounge today to celebrate. I think it was the first time I saw Paul smile. He kept touching the pocket of his shirt.

Diary Entry 6_Earth2, Day 365

One year! Wow, I would say time has flown, but really, I’m about 390 years old now. Imagine I go back to earth and marry a 35-year-old. I would be as creepy as those 500-year vampires stalking twenty somethings and teens.

I wonder how the earth has changed. I know I have.

Diary Entry 6_Earth2, Day 478

A strange thing happened today. Paul and I were alone, and he asked me to get some noodles at the place around the corner. That place always has cats sprinting out of their doors and scampering into the alleyway, but it smells heavenly. Anyways, I said yes—I like noodles.

Maybe I can go find myself on this planet, and then ask me to wish me luck.

HAHA. Anyways, wish me luck.

Diary Entry 7_Earth2, Day 479

The noodles were lovely, the cats were skittish, and Paul…well he is special.

Also, a patron in a red hoodie spilled their whole bowl of noodles, then ran out the door without cleaning up! How rude of them.

Diary Entry 9_Earth2 Day 601

Today I was doing laundry and was about to put Paul’s shirt in the washer. Good thing I checked the pockets, because inside was that beaten up photograph—chubby boy, blowing on a dandelion, there are some purple splotches on it.

I stared at the photo for maybe ten minutes. The boy really did look like Paul, but with dark hair. When I finished the laundry, I placed the photo back in the front pocket.

Also, I have this strange feeling that someone is following me at work.

Diary Entry 10_Earth2 Day 740

It was a small ceremony. I had a sunflower in my hair and a blue dress. Paul cried as I walked up to him. Sheila read our vows, and wouldn’t you know, she had a single purple tear! I should have bottled that puppy up.

After the ceremony, Paul and I held each other under the stars. Did I mention the sky is purple here and the stars are gold? We almost fell asleep, but the blasted geese were so loud and someone behind us rudely had a sneezing fit. The audacity of some people. 😊

Diary Entry 11_Earth2 Day 2,960

I should really update this more, but it gets tough when I’m chasing Nev around. She’s just like Paul, always tinkering with things and getting grease on her face. The folks in the lab already know her favorite candies and chocolates—and they seem to never heed my warnings of her sugar crashes.

Today she asked Paul who that little boy in his pocket picture is. Paul was quiet.

Diary Entry 12_Earth2 Day 2967

A scary thing happened today.

Nev disappeared for about two hours. The whole lab was looking for her. When we finally found her, we grilled her on where she had been! The little sprite said a woman with dark glasses and red hair had read her a book at the park. When I went to said park to look for this woman, no one fit the description.

Diary Entry 12_Earth2 Day 2,991

I just…..I don’t know what to write.

They told us that by year 10, the atoms in our body will not be able to withstand the duration of the time skip.

We fade away.

I can’t do that. I can’t fade away.

Nev just learned to ride her bike.

Diary Entry 12_Earth2 Day 3,050

We can go back.

But Nev can’t. The same principles of time skipping hold true to her little body.

Diary Entry 8_ Earth2, Day 479

The noodles at that place around the corner really are good.

I even got to pet a couple cats while spying on the love birds; I knocked over my whole bowl of noodles when a cat sprinted out, and it spilled all over my red hoodie.

Diary Entry 13_Earth2 Day 800

I’m lucky.

Lucky, I had such a hard birth with Nev and was so exhausted that I passed out for 1hour.

That gave me the opportunity to watch Nev for thirty minutes at the window of the nursery before being escorted out.

She is the perfect baby.

Diary Entry 14_Earth2 Day 1245

Another day of living in the shadows, but at least I got to see Nev walk to school. She doesn’t recognize me because I have red hair and wear dark glasses.

Today she dropped her hair tie. I almost gave it back to her, but instead I put it on my wrist.

Diary Entry 15_ Earth2 Day 740

The sky was so purple tonight. I sat about 20 paces behind us.

Oh, how young we looked. Purple clouds my vision.

A child and his mother walked past me to feed the honking geese. The kid held a fistful of dandelions. Right as he passed me, he blew them with quite some force.

That gave me the worst sneezing fit known to man.

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Earth Day 1

This place has changed.

But so have I.

I tugged the little hair tie at my wrist and looked up at the blue sky.