The Time Teller by childofbeyonce

She stared at the pill.


It seemed to mock her from the table that it laid on. The young girl tore her eyes away from the pill and glanced at the time teller that rested against the wall. It had been thirty seven minutes since the pill was brought out before her. The child did not want to take the pill. Just looking at it made her uneasy, as one would feel if they had eaten right before riding a rollercoaster.


"Magda."


The little girl did not dare look up at the man who spoke her name. Her heartbeat quickened, and her skin paled.


"Pick up the pill."


Magda heard the man's voice once more. He had a deep and authoritative voice, making Magda shiver with fear. She still did not want to look at the man who spoke; instead her eyes darted around the strange room that she had woken up in earlier that day. The room was clean and orderly, with bright white walls. She sat on the edge of a small white bed with tidy white bed sheets. In front of the bed was a table, with nothing on it but a single pill.


The man spoke again. "Pick up the pill, Magda," he repeated. This time, however, the man's voice was slightly louder and more commanding.


Magda's eyes landed on the pill once again. Although it was tiny, the young child was intimidated by it. "No," she whimpered quietly.


"Take the pill," the man ordered. Magda heard footsteps, and the girl's eyes widened in horror as she realized that he was coming closer to her. He stopped right in front of the child, looking down at her. "Pick it up, and put it in your mouth."


Magda's eyes squeezed shut. "I can't," she whispered, learning from her past mistake. "I won't."


"Open your eyes, Magda. Look at me." Magda unwillingly opened her eyes, but still refused to look at the frightening man. Instead, she glanced at the time teller on the white wall again. 7:27, it read. It had been twenty seven minutes since the pill was brought out before her.


Her eyes settled on the pill again, but she zoned out while staring at it. Magda tried to think of pleasant things. She tried to think of her older sister. Magda did not remember much of her. The only recollection she had of her older sister was from years ago, when she too was taken the same way Magda was.


What was her sister's name again?


"Magda. Pick up the pill."


Magda blinked. Why couldn't she remember her sister's name? Why couldn't she remember what happened to her sister? Or to her? Where was her mom? Her dad? Magda missed her family. What happened to them? Where were they? Were they coming to rescue her from the awful and scary man?


"Pick up the pill, Magda."


"No," Magda said.


She looked back at the time teller. 7:17. It had been seventeen minutes since the pill was brought out before her. She peered at her simple white gown, smoothing out the wrinkles.


"Take the pill," the man demanded slowly, walking over to the child. "Pick it up, and put it in your mouth."


Magda took the small pill, placing in onto the palm of her little hand. She looked at it unsurely, before closing her eyes and popping it into her mouth. Immediately, her mouth felt as if it were on fire. It burned her mouth painfully, and the young girl felt tears spring from her eyes.


"Swallow it."


Magda couldn't take the pain anymore. She clenched her fists as the pain increased. The burning sensation traveled from her mouth throughout her entire body, and she felt her nails digging into her palms. She let out an excruciating scream.


"Swallow it, Magda," the man repeated. "I know it hurts, but you have to swallow it."


Instead of obeying the man's orders, she spit out the pill onto the table. Almost immediately, the pain subsided. She took deep breaths, her body aching. The man looked at her coldly, making the child freeze with fear, squeezing her eyes shut.


"I can't. I won't."


"Open your eyes, Magda. Look at me."


However, Magda watched the time teller instead of the man. It had been seven minutes since the pill was brought out before her.


She thought of her family as she stared at the time teller. She thought of her mom, who sang her bedtime lullabies every night. She thought of her dad, who was the last person she saw before waking up in this strange room. She thought of her older sister, Cora, who was taken just like she was. The last time she saw her sister, Cora had no memory of Magda. It had been too long since Cora had taken the pill, and every memory before waking up in the strange room had vanished from her mind.


Magda was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't realize that the door of her room had been opened. "Finally, you're awake," a man said.


Her father.


"Daddy, I-"


"Don't say anything," he said. "Before we do this, I just want to tell you that I love you. I love you so much, Princess. But this has to be done. This could be a great achievement for the world, being able to go back in time just by consuming a pill."


"That's what you said to Cora. I remember," Magda said shyly.


Her father looked away. "What happened to Cora won't happen to you. We'll make sure of it. You'll remember everything, I promise, Princess."


A lady walked into the room. "Mommy!" Magda exclaimed. The woman placed a candy bar into Magda's small hands, and smiled sadly at her daughter.


"You survived the first pill, Sweetheart. Do you remember that? Do you remember taking it, falling asleep, and waking up here?"


"Kind of, Mommy."


"Good," she said. "Keep remembering that. Don't forget us, okay?"


"I hope she's able to keep her memories as time goes on," Magda's father whispered lowly. "Cora lost hers just by taking the first pill. That can't happen with Magda." Her mother ignored his comment.


Instead, the woman gazed at her daughter lovingly. "I love you, Magda." She hummed softly to the child as she held her in her arms. After a few minutes, the woman kissed her daughter and left the room.


Magda's father stayed, however. He adjusted his lab coat.


"Daddy? What's that for?" Magda asked, referring to a single pill that her father had just placed on the table in front of the bed.


"I brought you something that you have to eat. Don't chew it, just swallow. It might hurt a little at first, but after you swallow it, you'll be fine, but you have to take it. If you don't, you'll continue to lose your mem-" her father seemed to remember just then that he was talking to a scared child, and stopped talking mid sentence. "Can you just promise me that you'll take it?" Although Magda was intimidated by the strange white room, her father's presence calmed her. She nodded, not understanding what she was getting herself into.


"I already took it."


"No. You already took the first one, but the second one is more powerful. You'll need both if you want to have this superpower forever." Magda was pleased at the thought of having superpowers, even if it was a scary process.


Magda glanced at the wall, at a time teller. It was exactly seven o'clock. 


The End


~~~


At the age of fourteen, Ashley aka childofbeyonce is already showering us with her talent for writing.  Check out her account for more of her awesome stories.

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