Time is an Illusion

Time is an illusion

Strolling the beach with his metal detector Marcus ignores the looks of the evening joggers passing by and shaking their heads at him. The earphones connected to the detector have been unusually quiet this morning not even a small murmur indicating the possibility of loose change or lost trinkets left behind by long forgotten beachcombers.

He is lost in thought as he absent-mindedly swings the machine back and forth. In his mind’s eye he is not alone but with this wife Nadine they met on this very beach 70 years ago. She was searching for seashells, and he wasn’t paying attention that day as he and his buddies were playing football. Running to catch a pass he knocked her right into the oncoming tide causing her to drop the seashells she had just gathered, and the fiery red of her hair did not compare to her temper. Nadine had just found her first sand dollar and watching it float way on the tide was more than she could take.

It took a lot to get her to forgive him, but she was worth the effort. Tomorrow is his wedding anniversary, which is why he is back at the beach, a final goodbye to all the memories. He is out of time, cancer, and it aggressive.

Tears begin to swell in his eyes, and he is about to give up for the day until he hears the very faintest sound buzzing in his ear alerting Marcus to the possibility of a treasure. He slows to a crawl, focusing his attention as he locates the exact area of interest. Falling on his knee he begins to dig into the sand. This one is buried deep further and further he scoops out grains of sand until he sees the object.

Well, what have we here? A round heavy piece of metal is his reward for the days endeavors. Turning it over in his hands he can feel it is engraved and has an image. It is an hourglass etched on a covering of metal the latch is unmovable crusted closed by sand and time. He tries to force it open with his fingers, but it won’t budge. Dusk is settling over the beach and the chill is more than his old bones can handle he places the treasure in his pocket and returns to his camper. He is warming up a bowl of chowder as he begins to search for a screwdriver to wedge open the lock.

Ever since Nadines death he has lived a nomadic life too many memories in their old house, so he sold it and bought the Winnebago he now calls home. Some day they said, someday we will buy a motorhome and travel the world but there was never time. What happen to all that time that they never had time to do anything they said they would do?

They swore they wouldn’t become their parents but one day you wake, and you hear the past in your conversation. Obligations and complications quench the fire of the future and drown the passion of possibilities.

The first of the possibilities was Jenny, but life is fleeting and not always the fairy tale promised; then came Jasmine but that wasn’t to be either. A part of Nadine died each time and try as he did, he could not comfort her.

Time drifts or runs depending upon the situation at hand, and for Marcus once Nadine was gone it came to a screeching halt.

All Marcus has left in this world is this rolling version of stability and for posterity he has left a handwritten will in the glove department of the vehicle whoever finds it gets it if they want it.

As he fumbles with the lock using some choice words to try and encourage or belittle the item into revealing its treasure, he hears the ding of the microwave and with a final slam of frustration against the table he releases the object. Just as he does the lock pops open, it is midnight and a doorway into the mystery of time opens. As he opens the outer covering, he is greeted by a time piece that is in both vintage and modern. There is a date listed on the face, it is todays date … but yesterday’s year. The year is 1970, the year he and Nadine married.

‘That’s strange’ he thinks; he searches the watch but can’t find any type of knob or option available to change the year so he turns the watch over to see if he can get into the inner workings, as he does, he notices an inscription on the back of the time piece.

“Time is an Illusion.”

As he says this phrase aloud a moment lost to time unravels before his eyes, a day so vibrate with hope and joy it beckons him and he is transported to a living memory.

He is with his best friend Brad; and he is waiting for his bride and her family. Everyone is there just like the first time. The music, the food, the clothes! He is caught up in the vibrance of the moment, and then he sees her.

“Close your eyes.” She squeals, “you’re not supposed to see me yet.”  

But all he can do is run to her and embrace her crying.

“Mark, are you ok?”

“You’re here!”

“Of course, I’m here did you think I would miss our wedding day? Now shoo before my mom sees you.”   

With a kiss on the cheek, she is off, and he stands mesmerized as she disappears behind a makeshift tent. With a slap on the back from Brad he is jolted back to the day’s festivities. Brad is beaming in his white Henley top with his peace sign necklace and marriage manual. Brad just received his ordination from the Universal Church of Life and will be performing the ceremony much to Nadines mothers dismay. Being catholic she expected a church wedding for her only daughter, but Nadine is her own person and wasn’t even going to “make things official” that is until a bundle of unexpected joy was discovered so to make her mother happy, she agreed to a formal yet informal affair.

It’s the end of summer and a slight chill is in the air the beach is mostly empty just a few brave souls saying goodbye to another summer. He sees the arbor that he decorated with sand dollars and remembers the teary look of surprise from Nadine.  

She is stunning in her little white sundress and the flowers adoring her sun-streaked hair. He is excited and confused all at once. How can this be happening? But he is far too euphoric to try and understand why.

The day unwinds quickly for Marcus as he relives the happiest day of his life and as the day draws to a close and he and Nadine sit watching the sunset the scene fades as he is met at the portals of time by a beautiful Nadine; with her are two adorable girls there to welcome him into eternity.

The echoes of a soul departing this earth evaporate into infinity and the earth seems to sigh a final goodbye. The hourglass of time is empty for this part of the journey and with his passing the watch fades away as it resettles in the sands of time.