Observing

The boy woke up as lights glowed into his bedroom. Vivid rays like bullets piercing from the cold night sky. He rubbed his eyes and left his room in search of what may be outside. His parents were asleep —their puffy eyes resting.

In the backyard, the boy’s bare feet felt fallen leaves on wet grass. He stared up at something spectacular. A pulsing spaceship, its shimmering brilliance beaming at the boy.

He gazed as the spaceship descended in front of him. The boy felt no fear at this sight. No feeling at all. His one reaction was an instinct to drift to the alluring iridescence. He was a kid scared of spiders, the dark, of scary movies and more, but he was brave with bliss on this night.

He ambled to the disc-shaped wonder when its glow intensified, then all the noise around him disappeared. The howl of the wind went mute and the vibrant humming from the flying saucer numbed. It was a silence the boy had never experienced. 

The bottom of the spaceship opened and a pod lowered to the ground. The pod’s shell disintegrated into fading fragments. A dust of light waned and withered, then a stark figure stepped out from where the pod once was. An alien, the boy thought. However, he was shocked at what appeared instead.

It was a man. 

The man wore a coat over a white shirt and white pants. The boy stared at him, dumbfounded.

“James. It’s nice to meet you,” the man said with a smile. The boy’s name was indeed James. He was confused, but it was joined with an unexpected feeling of comfort from hearing the stranger’s voice. James was speechless.

The man raised his arm at the spacecraft as his palm opened and gestured for a new pod to assemble. “Follow me, James. I have to show you something.” The boy approached the man as a large pod encapsulated the both of them. They ascended, then vanished from the backyard.

The inside of the spacecraft had an opalescent aura; a pristine but warm vibe. The man knew James had many questions he was struggling to ask. “Almost there,” the man said. They walked down a hall and the man led James to a room which had a large screen on a wall.

“Why did you come and get me?” James asked. He stared at the screen which turned on like a tv. A video began playing and its setting was a place James was familiar with: an old-fashioned district lined with vintage stores and other historic spots. Rain was pouring on the antiquated buildings and street.

“Do you recognize this area?” The man asked. The video focused closer on the stores and zoomed in on a coffeeshop. It was the same coffeeshop James’ mother would take him on the weekends; she would always get a mocha and James would get hot chocolate.

“Yes. Mom takes me there to get my favorite drink,” James said.

“Ahh, yes. Your hot cocoa. That was my favorite drink when I was your age, too,” the man said. The video continued playing as it showed a family outside the coffeeshop. The family members were distracted by each other’s animated conversation. 

The man turned off the screen before the footage ended.

“I don’t get it.” James asked. “How do you know me and why do you have that video?” 

The man’s face gave an empathic expression and he put his hand on the boy’s shoulder. “That wasn’t a video,” he said. “We watched it happen live just now.” 

“Live? But that happened days ago.” James remembered a storm in his town which recently took place. He was at that coffee shop with his mom during the time. He hazily remembered the family outside, but his head was aching and he couldn’t remember all the details.

“Yes, but you see, James, this ship we are in is used to travel through time,” the man replied. “It’s a machine and a vehicle created far in the future. I can use it to go back in time or forward in time, and even different universes.” 

“We’re in a time travel machine? I thought this was like a UFO.” James said as he tried to comprehend. 

The man laughed.

“James, when outsiders see UFOs, what they see are actually time machines. These machines aren’t meant to be witnessed by outsiders. It's supposed to be invisible, but these machines aren’t always perfect… they sometimes malfunction and get seen for a few seconds.” The man slowed his speech to allow James some time to grasp the concept. “That’s why UFOs never make contact. We’re not allowed to interact with people when we time travel. It would alter timelines.” 

He spoke to James with a lucid look. “We are not aliens. We are human beings from the future and from different universes.”

James had so many questions, yet didn’t know where to start. He felt like he was in some crazy comic book story. He was too confused and wondered how he even allowed himself to enter this machine with this man and with no caution of following such a stranger.

“You see, James, I’m an Observer.” The man continued. “A lot of us are out there. Observers have done honorable things during our time on Earth and we’re tasked to help find others who do good.” The man pointed at the big screen and scanned through different images from history as if flipping through channels of a TV. The boy rubbed his eyes in disbelief.

“Have you ever went so far in the future that you reached the end of time?” James asked. It was the only question he could utter even though he had hundreds to ask.

“Yes, James. The end of time is a place. It’s like being in clouds. The person who selects people to be Observers can be found there. All the universes eventually connect down the line and end their timelines at that one single place. People like me get chosen and spend a lot of time there before beginning our journeys back on these machines.” 

James was perplexed. He was not sure if he was now dreaming or in reality. 

“You said you aren’t allowed to interact with outsiders. So why did you come to me and show me all of this?” James questioned. As astonishing as this all was, he was beginning to get homesick knowing his mom and dad were without him. He wanted to go back.

“James,” the man said. “Observers like me only speak to those who have passed away and are ready to be Observers themselves.”

The boy felt panic and disorientation brewing inside of him. “Passed away?” James asked.

The Observer activated the screen and went back in time to view the coffeeshop again. They both watched closely from above the shop. From here, the boy and the man saw the door opening as two people walked out with their umbrellas. 

“Hey, that’s me and Mom!” James said. 

“Yes, do you remember what happened here?” The man asked. James thought for a second, but his memory was still hazy. He did not answer the question as he was too focused on the scene. He watched with fixation. 

James exited the coffeeshop with his mom as he noticed a little girl from the nearby family—she was walking toward the middle of the street, the kid’s family did not notice her straying away.

“I ran there!” James said as he watched the scene. His memory began recollecting the moment. James rushed to the girl and pushed her away from oncoming traffic. 

The screen abruptly turned off. A long silence occurred before tears ran down James’ eyes. He finally understood and recalled what happened.

“Now you’re here,” the man said. He paused. “That was a courageous thing you did, James. You’re brave. More brave than I ever was.”

The man’s eyes seemed to reflect in his thoughts and he looked like he was in the verge of crying as well.

“I had a chance to do what you did in my own universe when I was a kid, but I didn’t. I was scared. I felt guilty, but throughout the rest of my life I did much good before I eventually reached the end of my time.” 

The Observer looked at the boy, then checked on a device from the machine as if spotting a notification.

James was struck with a calming clarity, as if something took over him with enlightenment. He had no words and no questions as his mind absorbed endless answers. He felt his body illuminating inside. A powerful peace, the boy now aware of his situation.

“Welcome, James,” the Observer said.

The boy looked at the man a bit deeper, a feeling of familiarity struck him. As if the boy knew the man from somewhere.

“I never got to ask you your name,” James said.

The man smiled. “You can call me Jim.”

The two left the room and entered the main control area. The Observer set the course for a new destination, then he and the boy sat down as they began their journey to the End of Time.