Forgiveness

It was all my fault. People always say to stop looking at the past and focus on the present, but if you were me you would spend every waking hour thinking what you could have done. About eight years ago my older sister, Scarlet, built something revolutionary. Scarlet had been studying for years and years about time and how time is relative. She had also heard on the news that scientists had discovered time particles, making it theoretically possible to travel in time. Scarlet had so many plans for if she ever figured out to build a time machine. She would’ve gone back in time to learn and document about dinosaurs and how people used to live. But that wasn’t the only reason. When Scarlet and I were kids our dad had died of lung cancer. So Scarlet wants to go back in time to save our dad. When Scarlet and I were young it was hard for our mom to raise us all by herself. Scarlet had never told anyone about going back in time to save dad, but sometimes at night I can hear her talking to him. Telling him that she wished he was still alive and that she was determined to save him. 

After four years of studying, Scarlet had built a prototype with her team of scientists. I remember the day Scarlet had tested out the prototype like it was yesterday. It was a cloudy day. I was eating breakfast with mom when Scarlet told us to put on our shoes and get in the car. I remember that Scarlet had sounded really excited, so mom and I had hurried to the car. I remember looking out of the window and seeing some kids playing catch. When our car came by, the kids had started at me solemnly like they knew what I was going to do. The kids were starting to creep me out so I turned around and asked Scarlet

“Are we there yet?”

“We’re almost there!” Scarlet excitedly replied. It was exactly five minutes till we arrived. I counted because I had nothing better to do. When we finally got to Scarlet’s workplace, Tomorrow Tech, I noticed that I could hear snoring in the back seat. I shook mom up and she woke with a start. I helped mom get out of the car, and Scarlet led the way to her lab.

I had only been to Tomorrow Tech twice and both of those times I never really got to see the inside. As soon as we walked in I saw a huge hall with white marbled floors. There was also a waiting place, which I knew. I usually sat there while waiting for Scarlet to be done with her work. It had six chairs and it looked like the place a mom would go to wait to pick-up their kid. Next to the waiting place there was a water fountain that automatically filled water into your cup. Scarlet pulled me to her lab before I got to see anything else. “Woah.” I said as we walked into Scarlet’s lab. I’d never thought that Scarlet’s lab was so big. I looked around and saw everyone’s desk was so clean, an invisible person could see their own reflection. Except for Scarlet’s desk. The top was littered with papers and snacks. But her trash can had the worst of it. The trash can was so full that an adult fox was smaller than all the trash in the trash can. Scarlet sighed.

“I know it’s very messy but I can’t think about that when i’m building a time machine!”

I heard someone around me snicker

“Yeah and maybe you could go back in time to clean up the mess you made.” I gave them the evil eye and they suddenly backed off. I smiled to myself then looked behind Scarlet and saw a gigantic shuttle.

“Is that the time machine?” I asked Scarlet.

“Good eye. Yes this is my soon to be world famous time machine.” Awesome, I thought. The shuttle was a deep ocean blue color. Probably because that was Scarlet’s favorite color.

“Did you test it out yet?” I asked.

“No, actually. That’s why I brought you here. I want you to test it out.” 

“Really? Cool, I always wanted to test out a time machine!” 

I hopped into the seat in the time machine and Scarlet and her scientist helped to latch me in. Then it took about five minutes to check all the safety precautions. I overheard that there was a technical difficulty and Scarlet told a scientist named Jackson to fix it but he just shrugged it off.

“Okay Lola, we're starting the takeoff to the age of dinosaurs. In five, four, three, two, one!” Suddenly I felt a surge around me but not the good kind. I looked behind me and saw that my shuttle, and everything else was getting pulled into a portal! I looked for Scarlet and saw her horrified face staring at the portal, then at me. Red sirens were blaring now and I had detached myself from the safety harnesses and started to climb out of the shuttle. I walked toward Scarlet but it was so hard because of the portal trying to suck me in. Then a beaker flew and bonked me on the head, my feet lost their grip on the floor and I was being sucked in the portal. But right when I thought I was going to die a hand grabbed mine. I looked at Scarlet’s bruised face and even though under all that courage, I could still see the lost little girl I saw when dad had died. Then my hand started slipping away from hers. Scarlet’s face changed and morphed into a look of sadness and grief masked with determination.

“Lola, always remember I love you no matter what.”

“No, please don’t go!” Scarlet used the last of her strength and threw me across the room. I saw Scarlet get sucked into the closing portal. And then she was gone. Everything after that was a blur. The police came and asked what had happened. I told them all the details and they gave me a cup of hot chocolate and a warm blanket. I called a taxi and I drove home promising myself that I would never let anything like this happen ever again. 

8 years later

I stared at the news as I always did and suddenly saw an interesting column. It said time machines are now on sale. I felt a tug in my stomach, like the memory was trying to claw its way back into my mind. No. I thought. I shoved the memory down as far as I could. Then I put on my coat, boots, and scarf and headed to Tomorrow Tech. I told the security guard who I was and he let me in. Probably because he felt sorry for me. I headed to Scarlet’s lab and confronted Jackson, the one who messed it all up in the first place.

“Well think about it.” He had said 

“You can go back in time and save Scarlet. And since your sister helped create the time machine, you get a free one. Met me at the front desk tomorrow at 8:00 A.M if you’d still like one.”

Suddenly a wave of regret,remorse, and hope washed over me. I stood there paralyzed for seconds, but then I finally snapped out of it. I headed home and sat on my couch comforting myself from the thoughts of hope stirring inside. The next day I drove once more to Tomorrow Tech and stood waiting at the front desk. Jackson had handed me a portable time machine. I stared at the little device, it shaked in my trembling hand.

“Thank you.” I said.

I walked to my car and put the time machine in the back seat. When I got home I set the time machine on the table and just stared at it. The time machine was now a pearl white color, which Jackson had said had given more of a science fiction color. I turned the time machine on, set to the date of the age of dinosaurs. Unlike last time I could feel being pulled back in time. Then Scarlet’s voice popped into my head I heard the only three words which I could never say.

“I forgive you.”