chasing infinity | janiel

four

Soft blue blankets enveloped my legs. Eyes shut, I inhaled deeply and held my breath.

Turn back time, turn back time

Little shapes and faint green squiggles appeared in the blackness. They danced and squirmed, few squiggles purple. Everything seemed psychedelic. My chest grew unbearably tight and my cheeks were boiling hot. I felt Daniel scoot closer, his body radiating heat.

Turn back time, turn back time

Just like yesterday, my arms and legs began to shake wildly. Unable to handle my tightening chest, I exhaled and wheezed. Did it work?

"Joey, look!"

I opened my eyes. Daniel and I were floating in the air, everything blindingly white. Swirls of pastel colours and silver dust spun around us.

Daniel gazed with fascination, reaching out to grab a handful of dust. It shimmered all over his skin and sparkled on his thick lashes.

"This is actually gorgeous. I feel like an angel."

"What do I do now?"

Suddenly, three large, transparent, blank slots emerged. A soft ticking sound filled the air. Daniel awkwardly floated to it, waving his arms out and kicking his feet. On the first slot, his finger traced a number until it appeared in light blue ink.

25

On the middle slot, he wrote:

December

And on the final slot, he wrote:

2008

Daniel stepped back. I shook the sparkles out of my long, golden brown hair. We watched as the slots flashed blue three times. The ticking came to a stop, the long pastel swirls wrapping around our bodies. We were blasted in the white air, soaring higher and higher to infinity.

Eventually the colourful ribbons unravelled off my body and slipped away. The white world was melting until I landed on a sidewalk. I looked around for Daniel. I frowned up at the sky and he appeared out of thin air, his shoes clunking against the concrete once he landed. We stood in a pleasant, sunny neighbourhood.

A red car drove past. Daniel's green eyes widened and he covered his mouth with glee.

"Holy shit, it actually worked!"

The twenty-three-year-old ran down the sidewalk. As I followed him, I stared at snowy white trees, driveways, a passing bus. A small newspaper stand stood near a mailbox and I lifted the glass hatch. Flipping through pages, my finger stopped on the headlines.

Christmas in Boston is the place to be; Santa Clause has already come to town!

I stared at the date, holding my breath. Indeed it was December 25th, 2008. What a weird date to revisit. Surely his mother didn't die on Christmas? Newspaper in my hand, I ran after Daniel, who stood on someone's porch. He rung the bell, excitement written on his face.

I could tell this meant a lot to him. After a moment, the door opened and we were greeted by a tan, brunette woman with a few golden streaks. Her green eyes stared at us.