Consequences of the Past
Once upon a time, there was a 15-year old girl called Mina. She was adventurous, curious, and brave. But she had a little secret.
Every night, when her parents closed the door, she time-traveled! You may not know it, but she was a hero. One time she saved Abraham Lincon, the ex-president of the US!
Every time she had to time-travel, she took her pink magic wand, spun three times, and said the word "Prushka!". But there was a disadvantage to time-traveling. She never knew where she was going to land.
I`ll tell you about one of the unlucky days where she landed in the middle of a mysterious forest but ended up finding a new friend.
Gasping, Mina took a look around. There were no jaguars nor snakes, but she still felt unsafe. Mina had some rules about time traveling:
If you land in a forest, or the middle of the ocean, time travel again.
Don't take anything with you. You may change the future.
Don't put yourself in danger.
She didn't make these rules by herself. When she was born, she was chosen to have a superpower, and a fairy was selected to take care of her. The fairy told her these rules, and she couldn't forget them.
Mina was about to leave the forest when she saw something. A strange boy that had a long dress, and a weird hairstyle.
_ Who are you?- Said Mina
_你是谁?- Said the strange boy.
Mina realized that that boy was talking in Chinese. With her magic wand, she created a little headphone-like object that traduced what he was saying.
_who are you? Why are you here? There is no way a foreign could ever enter this forest. This is a sacred forest!_ Exclaimed the boy -Leave! You cannot be here. It is an order from the prince-
-You are a prince? Wow! That is so cool! I wish I were a princess. And yes, I am leaving right now. I am not supposed to be here. Let me take my wand an-
-Be careful!-
Suddenly, an arrow passed behind Mina. In a hurry to save her from the unknown criminal, the prince hugged her. Unfortunately, at that very moment, Mina started to travel in time.
Mina and the prince ended up in 1986 New York. There were cars everywhere, and the street was full of busy people.
-Where are we? There is so much noise! What just happened?-desperately screamed the prince-
-New York 1986. Look at the newspapers. I am in big trouble right now! You are not supposed to be here! What am going to do!? Where were we? Where are you from? In what year were we?- uttered Mina
- I am the marvelous Prince of the Qing Dynasty. Zhang Ming- proudly exclaimed Zhang
- Wait. Zhang Ming? I know you. Your father is emperor Ming Er, and you are the dead prince. You died because of an arrow, which means I interrupted your death day. I changed the past-
Both Mina and Zhang were astonished. Mina didn't know the consequences of what she did. She changed the line of time.
.- I was going to die!? Why?- cried Zhang.
-Your younger brother kills you to be the next emperor.
-What!? -
Zhang Ming was crying inconsolably, he couldn't believe his little brother could ever do that. But Mina was thinking about the big problem she had.
-Can you stop crying!? You were supposed to die, and that is all.
-How can you be so cold-hearted? Do you even care about others? You are so greedy!
Zhang started to run with tears on his cheeks. Mina realized what she did.
-Zhang Ming! Wait! I didn't mean it that way! Zhang Ming!
Mina passed all day long searching for Zhang. In the middle of the night, she found him in the core of the street.
-Zhang, I am sorry. I was thinking about the big problem I have. I can travel in time, but I cannot change the past. The fact that you are here with me changed the Chinese history line. I have to take you back. But I will not let anyone hurt you.
- Thank you...but what is your name? And how can you travel in time?
- I am Mina. I can travel in time because when I was born, a fairy gave me this gift. But now we have to figure this out.
Due to this interruption in the world timeline, the present had stopped.
Mina and Zhang's days in New York were all about trying to solve the problem. With each day that passed, they became friendlier, but they were losing hopes. Until one day, they meet an Imugi. A magic creature who helped them.
"Wait until the dawn,
You need to take hands and raise them in the sky,
Spin three times and think about time,
The place you need to find will be right behind your eyes"
-Do you think we can trust him?- Asked Zhang
-I don't know. But at least we can try.
They climbed a mountain, and at the top, they waited.
-When you arrive home, remember to tell your dad what your brother did. He will help you. He wants you to be the next emperor. I don't know if this is going to change abruptly the timeline, but I don't want you to die- said Mina-
-I will do it. You became a special person in my life. Thank you for helping me. I know we will never see each other again, but I promise you, I will reincarnate and see you in my next life- affirmed Zhang
-I will wait for you. Look! The dawn! Take my hands! - exclaimed Mina
The very moment they took hands, they started to levitate in the middle of the galaxy. The moment was so magical and moving that the universe did not only grant their desire to go back home, also granted the promise Zhang did.
Mina opened her eyes. She was in her room, no sign of Zhang. Mina looked at the clock, and it was midnight. She realized that time had stopped.
She ran towards her computer and searched for Zhang Ming. He indeed became the emperor and died at 89 years old. He was one of the most humble and generous emperors in China. She felt so happy that started to cry.
Her parents heard her crying and arrived at her room
-Are you okay? What happened?-said her mother, worried.
-Nothing Mom, I just..remembered that I have to do the social studies homework-
-Silly girl! It is okay, do it. We will not interrupt you- said her father
-Thanks, dad. Mom, Dad, I love you.
-We love you too-said her mom and closed the door.
Years passed, and Mina lost her superpower. She missed traveling, but she missed more Zhang. Until one day, a boy approached her.
-Excuse me?-
-Yes?- At the moment Mina looked at the face of that boy, she started to cry
-Mina?-
-Zhang?-
-I came back-.
The end!
By Manuela Orozco E., Step 10
