The Pausing[]
Honorable Mention | Infinity Labs Community Short Fiction Writing Track (Solana Scribes Hackathon)
In the year 2024 every human being on earth becomes "Inactive" for 10 minutes. In an event called "The Pausing." The only way people knew this event happened was because clocks seemed to have skipped 10 minutes into the future…….
Claudia to John: Do you think we can make it?
John: This changes everything.
Claudia: I hope we're not too late.
John: smokes his cigarette, blows it out with a loud sigh "I guess we..."
A very bright light suddenly appears, like an explosion, accompanied by loud static noise.
EARLIER...
It's March 2124, a hundred years after The Pausing and an exploration team was sent to explore the new secret passageway discovered under The Colosseum in Rome some weeks prior.
The exploration team stumbles upon an ancient tomb with ancient unknown texts scribbled on the walls of the tomb. Gatsby quickly brought out his equipment and in seconds, he started clicking off on his computer. You see, Gatsby is an interpreter, specialized in ancient and alien languages –a genius at that.
While he did what he knew how to do best, Claudia exclaimed in awe, “what's that?”.
“Fascinating!” said Prof. Langstorm, I believe these are only seen in ancient Preservers temples.
“I thought there was only one Peserver temple on Earth” said John….
”That's what they want you to think" answered Gatsby. “The texts are as ancient as they come but this discovery changes everything, if my memory does not fail me, I think that reads”…..
”For they are all made unique and beautiful” Prof. Langstorm cuts in, “The Preservers Motto” he said.
The team realized they had stumbled upon a goldmine and eagerly began taking notes on the tomb. Suddenly, a bright light illuminated the room, and John found himself in a long, brilliantly lit hall, surrounded by distorted alien voices conversing. The language gradually became understandable and clear.
“I think he’s compatible," said one of the voices.
“We haven’t got much time, start the procedure” said another voice.
Voices fade, “only two of them made it, I hope it's not too late”……”the answer to that is beyond even us… .we can only……”
A loud humming sound filled the space, and John woke up, lying on a rock in a desert.
Slowly getting up, John asked, "Where am I?" As he tried to make sense of his surroundings, a loud machine whirring and the cranking of a spaceship engine reached his ears. Reacting swiftly, he ducked and hid behind a rock.
The sudden urge to vomit overcame him, and with a loud and painful growl, he expelled the cereal he had eaten in the morning. "Wait, is that my...?" He noticed another bright light a few paces away and heard a very low voice in his head, "Whatever you do, do not be seen."
In the glow of the light, Claudia appeared. John rushed to her and dragged her to his safe spot; she was still passed out.
Claudia woke up to find John gazing intently ahead. When she tried to call his name, he silenced her and pointed to a peculiar sight beyond the rock. He then gestured towards a hole he had dug while she was asleep.
As she vomited into the hole, John remarked, "Is that an eyeball?" Claudia retorted, "None of your f***ing concern. How did you know I was going to throw up?"
"Instincts," he replied wryly. He proceeded to explain his findings, and as they shared their stories, Claudia confirmed seeing the same things he had observed before finding themselves in that mysterious place.
"I think we should follow them," John suggested, referring to the strange creatures busy unloading a gadget into a cave in front of them.
They snuck into the cave and Claudia asked, “what are they?”
John said “judging from that distinctive luminescent aura, I’d say Novais”,
“And that” asked Claudia…..”a Merger” they both heard in their minds.
Then the Merger said, “it’s almost time, let’s round up soon”.
John and Claudia, both still confused, asked each other “what's going on”.
Then it hit John, are you with your flops(flops are what we refer to as mobile phones),
“Yes” she said….
“Where are we?" John asked, looking at his wristwatch in shock,
She said “are we not on some strange plane…. oh my God…..we are in Egypt, but…..this can't be right…I think this thing is broken…..the year is reading….”
“2024” John cuts in “and your time is not moving right?”.......
”Yes,” Claudia said. “How did you know?”
“I think this is The Pausing”......”is that a bomb?” siad Claudia.
John lifted his head and witnessed the Novias revealing the device they were transporting into the cave. They activated the timer on it and began retreating toward their ship after the Merger said, "It's time."
John and Claudia moved closer to view the mighty device placed in front of them, the timer counting down in strange digits that they couldn't seem to read. A voice in their heads said, "You're almost out of time." Panicking, they rushed towards the device, attempting everything to turn it off. However, they were overwhelmed in a matter of seconds.
With a dejected and devastating look on their faces, Claudia asked with a worrisome voice, "Where do we start?" John answered, "Note our coordinates."
They began hearing distorted voices, reminiscent of the ones they heard at the beginning, echoing in their minds from a distance. As the voices grew clearer, they could discern a desperate shout, "Pull them out! Pull them out now!"
John: Brings out his cigarette pack, removes one
Claudia to John: Do you think we can make it?
John: This changes everything.
Claudia: I hope we're not too late.
John: smokes his cigarette, blows it out with a loud sigh "I guess we..."
A very bright light suddenly appears, like an explosion, accompanied by loud static noise…
The End.
Writing prompt:
"In the year 2024, every human being on earth becomes 'Inactive' for 10 minutes. In an event called 'The Pausing.' The only way people knew this event happened was because clocks seemed to have skipped 10 minutes into the future."