The Watch

I sighed, blowing my breath upwards to shoo my bangs from my eyes. It was about time for a haircut but I would most likely take care of it myself, in front of the dingy mirror in my bathroom. 

    My hands swiped over rows of coats while Stylette, my best friend, rambled on behind me. 

    “Aren’t you listening?” she asked impatiently. 

    “Mmmm,” I mumbled, realizing I’d been lost in thought again. “Sorry, what?” I asked.            

“I said this one would look amazing on you,” she repeated herself, holding up a great faux fur coat. It wasn’t my usual style, it was bold and bright with different colored fur in patches all around, but something about it made me stop and stare. I admit my style is plain, anything that won’t draw attention to myself, but something about this coat…

“Try it on!” Stylette laughed, watching the admiration dance across my face. She helped me into it and I studied my reflection in the mirror to our right. It was perfect. Browns and oranges blended together with bright patches of yellow. I looked down at the tag, twelve dollars? Even at thrift store prices, that was an amazing find. I smiled over at Stylette and we headed to the cash register to pay for my treasure. 

I didn’t have to wait long to wear my new find. The next morning the temperature had already dropped to below freezing just like the weatherman said it would. I’d gotten a coat just in time. I hadn’t been prepared for such a brutal winter. Living in southern Georgia, it came as quite a shock to even need a real winter coat. I pulled it on, fastened the buttons, and headed out into the brutal cold to my bike. Some days the ride to work was downright pleasant, but days like this made me wish I could afford a car. I’d been saving up for one since last year when Rhonda, my Honda I’d had since high school finally kicked the can. Try as I may, however, I never quite reached the goal I’d set. every time I got close, something new seemed to break in my shoddy apartment. At least work wasn’t too far away, just past the bridge. I pedaled the familiar route with my new coat keeping me warm. Still, I was ready for a nice cup of hot coffee, one of the perks of being a barista.  

I squinted my eyes as I pedaled over the Flint River. Snowflakes were falling softly through the morning air. I hadn’t seen snow in years, it was a beautiful sight that put me in an immediate happy mood. I stopped my bike to look gaze at the snowfall across the beautiful river and slipped my cold hands into my pockets. 

“What’s that?” I mumbled, feeling something cold touch my fingertips. I grasped it object and pulled it from the coat pocket. It was a dainty, golden watch. Perplexed, I slipped it onto my wrist. 

“Welcome traveler,” a voice sounded loudly. I jerked around but there was nobody there. I knew I’d heard a voice though, I wasn’t crazy. 

“Um, hello?” I mumbled, looking over the bridge just to make sure the voice hadn’t come from below me. 

“Welcome traveler, please state your name,” the voice repeated. I looked down at the watch, nothing about it seemed off. 

“Molly,” I finally replied faintly, “Molly Webbs.” 

“Greetings Molly Webbs, initiating travel mode.” Suddenly the watch clenched tighter onto my wrist. I screamed but the only people around were speeding by in their cars and couldn’t hear me. I felt something that was covering my body but I couldn’t see anything at all. Frantic, I clawed at my arm, trying to get the watch off but it held on firmly. 

“3, 2, 1,” the voice sounded and just like that, the world around me started swirling. 

As soon as it began, the swirling had ended and the world came back into view. I gasped and tried to catch my breath. I knew I was too young for a heart attack but that’s what the pain in my chest felt like. I wrenched the watch off and stuffed it back into my pocket. Looking around, I realized the watch hadn’t taken me anywhere. I was still on the bridge over Flint River, though the snowfall had stopped. The watch must have been someone’s idea of a prank. I felt anger bubbling up and muttered to myself as I hopped back on my bike and raced to work. I was going to be late now, fantastic.  

I burst into the Good Bean five minutes late and angrily grabbed an apron from the rack, stepping into the back room to deposit my coat and backpack. 

“Hey Carl,” I muttered to the owner as I passed him on the way in.

“Um, hel- what do you think you’re doing?!” Carl exclaimed, sounding shocked. I looked up in surprise. Funny, he’d shaved off his moustache, he’d been growing that thing for as long as I’d known him. 

“I know!” I exclaimed. “I had something weird happen on my way, but I’m barely late…” I trailed off because Carl was looking at me like a crazy person. Just then a pretty blonde girl walked by, tying her apron on and heading behind the counter. 

“Oh did we hire a new girl?” I asked. “Did you want me to train her?” 

“I’m sorry…” Carl paused for a long moment, “do I know you?” I stared at him blankly, trying to process what was happening. 

“Are… are you kidding?” I asked. “It’s me, Molly. I’ve worked here for five years. Are you feeling okay?” 

“Listen Molly,” Carl replied gently, “I can get you help, but I need you to come out of the back room okay? Only employees are allowed back here.” He placed a hand on my shoulder and started guiding me back into the shop, pushing me to sit down at a table. 

“What are you talking about?!” I exclaimed. “I work here Carl, jeez is this some kind of a joke?” It was then that I noticed the things I hadn’t noticed in my hurry to clock in. The tables were all different, the decorations were different, even the register that the new blonde girl was working was different. 

“What…?” I mumbled to myself but Carl had seated himself across from me with a look of concern on his face. 

“Is there somebody I can call for you? Did you have an accident? Do you remember anything?” he asked softly. 

“I… something weird happened on the bridge. Why is everything different? Who is that girl?” I asked, my chest feeling possibly tighter than it did when the watch almost gave me a heart attack fifteen minutes earlier. 

“That’s Brenda, she’s worked here since, oh, ‘99 I believe,” Carl replied. I jerked my head up, sure I’d heard wrong. 

“Nineteen ninety-nine?!” He nodded in agreement and I studied his face, realizing now how much younger he looked. “Carl… what year is it?” 

“2005,” he replied matter of factly. “Sweetie, you don’t look so good, let me call you an ambulance.” 

“No!” I replied, jumping to my feet. “No, this is a joke. This is a weird, mean joke!” I raced to the door, past Carl’s grip and snatched my bike from its rack, pedaling away before he could catch up to me. I sped down the sidewalk of my familiar city, finally seeing the differences that I hadn’t noticed before. I pedaled past old stores that had been gone for years, electronic stores with outdated electronics, the old movie theater that had closed down, the small museum that burned when I was still a kid. 

I stopped my bike and looked around, trying to steady my thoughts. I wasn’t sure what had happened but it was clear now that this was no joke. I was back in 2005, fourteen years ago. I couldn’t go back to my apartment now, someone else would be living there, I would be a twelve year old. My breath caught in a gasp. I would be a twelve year old… I could stop my dad from being killed.