Creative Writing Collection

Hourglass of Blue Blood

Tick tock. Tick tock.

       Jessie looked up at the clock. His leg jittered, finger tapping against the desk. The other students were doing their work, from what he could see, and the teacher was grading papers at her desk.

       One minute left. Just 60 seconds more.

       Tick tock. Tick tock. Tick tock.

       He looked down at his paper, busying himself with classwork, though not patting all his attention and focus onto it. His blue eyes kept glancing at the clock. Damn clock. Why hasn’t the bell rung already? It was past 3 o’clock now, the bell should have rung! Jessie was anxious, his leg intensifying while he stressed over mere seconds.

       Five minutes passed.

       Ten.

       Fifteen…

       He stood with his backpack on, some students looking at him, though did nothing else, and returned to their work.

Tick tock. Tick tock. Tick tock. Tick tock.

“Mrs. Bernse?” he tentatively asked, the middle aged blonde woman looking up and over her glassed to the student before her desk. “Yes, Jessie? How may I help you?”

“Um, well, I know that you dismiss us, not the bell, but it’s already, like fifteen past the bell time…”

She looked down at her watch, then back at him with a small frown. “It’s only 2:17, Jessie. That clock is one hour behind.”

His cheeks flushed as he checked the time on his phone. 3:18. “M-my phone says 3:18…,” he said as he showed it to her.

Tick tock. Tick tock. Tick tock.

She gave him an odd look of disbelief. “It says 2:19, Jessie,” she said with a light sigh, muttering to herself a she returned to her work.

He looked back at the phone, and sure enough 2:20 was on the screen. Hadn’t it just been 3 something just a few moments ago? Hesitantly, he went back to his seat, looking at the clock. 3:21. No, his mind thought, 2:22. Jessie tried to push the odd timing out of his head as he returned to his work. He could feel Mrs. Bernse looking at him intensely once in a while, as if she were trying to understand him.

Tick tock. Tick tock.

3:41. No, 2:42.

If the time was really an hour back, then school was almost over. Almost the weekend.

3:57. No, 2:58.

He could have sworn on his mother’s grave he had seen the 3rd hour, not the 2nd…

4:01. No, 2:01.

Jessie frowned. “Is something wrong?”

Tick tock.

He jumped as Mrs. Bernse was by his desk, a small look of concern on her face. “U-Uh, s-shouldn’t the bell, um have rung already…? I think your clock is way off…”

She looked at it, then back at him, eyes twinkling oddly as she smiled. “Oh Jessie, you’re silly, this isn’t real.”

“W-What?”

 “Wake up, Jessie.” Her face contorted into anger, her mouth filled with sharp teeth as her skin became an ashy grey. “Wake up!” she screamed as she lunged forth, clawed hands aimed at his throat.

Tick…