Assorted School Assignments

we b traveling through time

freewrite: write the process of someone going through time

unpolished and messy, i probably won't do anything else to this bc im lazy

Watching them set up the machine, I feel as if I can hardly breathe. My breath is unsteady and shallow, and I can't stop running my fingers through the black lanyard that held my access card- the small yellow object that would allow me access into the machine. Although it is a feat that has already been practiced and tested several times, dark thoughts roam the edges of my mind. What if I don't make it? What if I get stuck? Would I die of hunger, lack of water, or both? None of these questions I had the answer to... yet. But I couldn't back out, I couldn't lose my nerve. I was about to make history! I was to be the first minor to travel through time.

"Ms. Park, it's ready." It was so weird to be addressed like that, people before have only called me by my first name. I was shaking as they led me into the time traveling machine, desperately catching glimpses of the world behind me. It could be the last time I ever saw it.

More than ever, I just wanted my mother with me. I had already said my goodbyes to her in the room before, a long, tearful ordeal that I never wanted to end. My mother holding me in her arms... I felt so weak and scared, just like a child on her first day at a new school. I didn't feel at all ready, even though I had been training for this for the last year and a half.

One of the workers that had led me inside the device had to shake me back to my senses after noticing me tear up again. He informed me that I had to stay focused, my life truly depended on it. I nodded, glancing around my surroundings to help distract myself. The time travel machine interior was shaped like a tall, fancy elevator with some sort of advanced keypad where the floor buttons should be, the little screen above the metal buttons reading 13 July, 1985. Other than that, the seats were cushioned with red material, it was very comfortable.

"The time travelling will take approximately five minutes. During this time, you will feel lightheaded, dizzy, ..." I wasn't fully paying attention, my focus was fixated on the "Safety Rules" written in large yellow letters on the side of the machine. I was determined to memorize them all, I had to be ready if something were to happen.

"That is all. If you need to look over again what I said, it will be found in the manual. Good luck, Ms. Park. And make sure to be back to the machine on time to guarantee a safe journey home." The worker gave a respectful dip of his head and backed away, closing the doors of the machine and leaving me trapped in there. I was shaking nonstop, tears already beading up at my eyes. Was I really ready? If not, was it too late to go back? I hugged my legs to my chest and murmured a prayer for protection. Perhaps God would be able to watch me, even in the past.

The machine whirred on, and a music playlist that I had chosen for the trip started playing softly. I dug my fingernails into the fabric of the seats and took deep breaths in a desperate attempt to prepare myself mentally. I was midway through a breath when it suddenly felt as if the device had been shoved down a hole, I felt as if I was falling. My stomach lurched and I felt sick, I had to hold on to one of the bars nearby to keep myself from collapsing over. Sudden dizziness came over me, and my vision began to blur around the edges. I clenched onto the metal bar as if my life depended on it. The music sounded distant and unreal with everything that was going on. Things were happening too fast for me to process everything that was happening.

Another wave of dizziness washed over me, causing me to lose balance and collapse onto the cold metal floor of the machine. I felt around the coolness of the ground, making sure what was happening was actually real. It seemed to go on forever, and with every moment I was noticing more. The walls of the machine were creaking and shaking, sending panic up my spine. I climbed onto my knees to examine the safety rules only to discover that my head was pounding too hard to focus on anything like that. Unknowing of what to do, I slammed my head into the seat cushion and threw my hands up to my head. I let out a scream of many emotions, but it couldn't be heard very well over the deafening roar of the machine.

Then it was over, the time travelling had stopped. I stumbled around the cabin, extremely grateful for life. I reached into my pouch and stabbed the needles stored in there into my skin. They were supposedly supposed to cure all of the symptoms so I could enjoy my time.

They worked like a charm, and I made my way over to the control panel, still shaking like crazy. I opened the door and stepped out into the most important place of July 13, 1985.