The Moment Time Stopped

   “I’m sorry, but this is goodbye.”

   Some say the flow of time has a drawling beat, like the heartbeat of some giant fantastical beast. A beast that once encompassed the whole universe in one hand, and is now fading into black. Stuck in the dreary medium of inevitable death, but yet life, slow and fading. Memories, forgotten by the mind to have room for what needs to be remembered are as fleeting as the life this creature, as the beat of its heart grows farther and farther between. However, time is not as simple as the set tempo in a piece of music. It can be warped by the mind and heart, making years feel like an instant, and one moment last an eternity. 

   People and their memories are proof that time is not linear. Maybe the years spent earning a degree for a career that can last the rest of one’s life are caught up only in a vague blur that seems to last just a couple seconds. Or, a moment one would like to forget is as vivid as sight itself, and is constantly cast in the mind. These memories are always there, whether the person who has remembered them wants them to be or not.  

   “This journey ends here.” Time slowed to a stop as I heard those words leave their owner’s lips. My heart dropped to the pit of my stomach.

   “This journey is just the beginning! All of the places we have yet to explore on this wondrous planet! Think of all-“

   “We are on a sinking ship, don’t you understand?”

   “It can be fixed, I mean the harbor’s so close, I can even see it with my telescope! We are so close...”

   “We are not close to anything. What have we really accomplished that we couldn’t have done by ourselves, on our own? If you think of something, let me know, because I am at a loss.” I probed my mind for even one instance of something we would never have discovered, explored, made, without one another. There has to be something...

   “I’m guessing you couldn’t think of a single example, could you? Now do you see why parting ways is a better option? I think we should move on with our lives, and make our own way in the world!”

   “I CAN’T BRING MYSLEF TO BELIEVE THAT THIS IS WHAT YOU WANT!” 

   “HOW COULD THIS POSSIBLY BE WHAT I WANT? THIS IS JUST THE BEST OPTION AS I SEE IT RIGHT N-“ We were both standing on the deck now, and we heard it crack beneath our feet. Before we could scramble to the other side, the wooden boards supporting us gave way and we fell into the cargo hold. We landed in the water that had flooded it up to this point. 

   We waded around looking for the stairs in the dark, murky parts of the ship we couldn’t see in passive silence. Only a hint of light was shining through where we had fallen, and it illuminated the dents that slowly ruined the ship we had built, what made it start to sink. I dove down under the water and looked closely at the damage made. I moved my fingers to where these dents had weakened the hull. I swam back up to the surface for air. 

   “These dents were so minor, I didn’t think they would lead to this whole ship sinking like it did.”

   “Yeah, to be honest, I kind of forgot about them.” I turned around and saw my shipmate looking wistfully at the scars of our endeavors in the light. 

   “We should have tried to sail to a port sooner, fixed this ship before it got this bad. I really thought it would last longer.” We both sighed, and looked at the dents in silence as the water lapped up against the hull.

   “Hey, I think I found the stairs, are you ready to go back up?”

The hatch opened and sunlight poured into the cargo hold. We walked up the rest of the stairs, and sat down on the intact part of the deck. I laid down and looked up at the sky. It was a bright beautiful blue, that faded into a lighter shade as it reached the edge of the horizon. A couple of white, fluffy clouds were slowly floating past in an otherwise empty atmosphere.

   “We are closer to the harbor now, someone is bound to see us, then they will pull us in, just like last time.”

   “Haha, that was hilarious, do you remember how we got into that situation?”

   “Don’t get me started on that one now! What an explanation we had to give for not eating that ‘poisoned bread’! We both laughed at how ridiculous the situation was for awhile, but eventually fell back into our previous state of silence. The gentle rocking of what was left of the boat and the sound of the waves filled the quiet void we left.

   “Are you sure you want to go? We can do this all over again, you know. We still have plenty of the world to discover, people to meet, places to go, memories to make...” My crew mate smiled sadly, and I knew what the answer was.

   “You know I can’t do that. I couldn’t stay before, and now it’s impossible. I can’t come back now, even if I wanted to. I’m sorry.”

   “What do you mean? Aren’t you here, right now?” We both looked up at the sky-

   I wake up. Oh. I open my eyes, and look up at the sun searing my skin. I blink, and the desolation that left me in the dream came back again. I couldn’t cry, there were no tears left for me. I licked my blistering lips, but my mouth was parched. The heat had dried what water I had left, and there was no below deck to get away from the sun’s piercing rays. The cargo hold had broken off ages ago. Days, weeks, months, years; how long had it been? I can’t remember. 

   I look at the navy waves, then turn away. I didn’t want to think of the ill fate that had taken my shipmate, that would probably take me if heatstroke or starvation or dehydration didn’t set in first. I felt sick to my stomach. The world is blurry, I don’t want to think anymore...it all happened so fast...

   Does anyone know how long time will last? What end will come to the beast in the stars, that slowly counts down to its last breath with the fading drum of its heart? Moments in time that feel stuck like ancient insects in the amber of old trees, memories that are forever gone in the blink of an eye like water through a sieve. The seconds ticking away and taking those we love, making way for the new in an instant, seem almost unpredictable in their speed. Time is still going.