My name is Noah Parker, a 25-year-old college dropout stuck in the humdrum of a small town just outside Albany, New York. The monotony of my life had settled in like the grey clouds that perpetually loomed over our little community. I found myself working for an estate liquidation company, a job that paid the bills but did little to quench the thirst for something more meaningful.
As I navigated through the cluttered houses of the deceased, cataloguing their belongings, and removing frames which documented the ideal life of the people who hung them, I couldn't help but reflect on how I ended up here. College dreams had fizzled out, ambitions had dimmed, and here I was, surrounded by the remnants of other people's lives.
One day, my boss sent me on an assignment to Germantown, New York. It seemed like just another routine job, preparing a property for an estate sale. Little did I know, this would be the day my life took an unexpected turn.
The air in Germantown carried a certain stillness, a quietness that added an eerie touch to the already sombre atmosphere of estate liquidation. I made my way to the garage, expecting the usual assortment of forgotten treasures and dusty relics. What I found, however, was far from ordinary.
In the corner of the dimly lit garage sat a peculiar machine. Its metallic surface coated with dust displayed an array of buttons and dials upon its front panel. I approached it cautiously, my curiosity piqued.
As I examined the strange contraption, a realization dawned on me – I might have stumbled upon a time machine. Call it intuition or sheer fantasy, but something about this machine screamed the impossible. My skepticism wavered as I entertained the idea that this bizarre apparatus could transport me through time; to a time where my life was full of colour.
With a mix of trepidation and excitement, I decided to put the machine to the test. I hesitated for a moment, weighing the consequences of tampering with the fabric of time. But then, with a resigned shrug, I figured I had nothing to lose – my present wasn't exactly a pinnacle of happiness.
The dial on the machine, however, presented a peculiar limitation. It refused to accept any future date; instead, it only allowed me to set a date in the past. A time-travelling relic with a backward gaze.
After contemplating the potential ramifications, I settled on a date that seemed both safe and intriguing – May 1, 1996, five days before my own birth. The irony of witnessing the world right before I entered it wasn't lost on me.
With a deep breath, I adjusted the dials, set the date, and prepared for whatever awaited me on the other side. The hum of the machine intensified, and as the world around me blurred, I braced myself for a leap into the unknown.
YOU ARE READING
Altered Reality - A Body-Swapping Journey Through Time
FantasyNoah Parker, a 25-year-old stuck in the monotony of his life, stumbles upon an usual time machine. Little does he know, time travel doesn't work as he thinks as it catapults him into an unexpected journey, not only through time but into a life entir...