Friday 18 January 2013

SFFSat - Jan 19



Science Fiction Fantasy Saturday (SFFSat) is a place where a bunch of us post snippets from our written works and also shoot the breeze a little. And before I get ahead of myself, thanks and appreciation as always to those who stop by and leave fantastic comments.

Today, I'm revisiting another WIP called Time Fracture, a sort of paranormal sci-fi short story where the culprit is Time itself. We have our hero (a nameless man with a family) trying desperately to escape from Time's wicked clutches...

In this scene, our hero stands poised before an old pocket watch, debating a few things.


            I purchased an old pocket watch from an antique shop, amazed that it still worked considering the manufacturing date of 1897 stamped on its back. At first, I was afraid to wind it up, activate it, fearing Time would find me and make me pay for destroying its Markers. My hands trembled terribly as my fingers hovered over the winding mechanism.
Despite our resolve to be free of Time, we still needed a Marker. I could not tell the passing of the day by looking out at the sun, since having depended on a Time Marker all my life it had rendered me ignorant and blind to the workings of nature. Nor could I accurately read a sundial. By keeping one Time Marker, we would not draw attention to ourselves and Time would not notice that we had disappeared from its watchful eyes. If I were to wind up the old pocket watch twice a day, at the same hour each time, Time would still catch a small glimpse of us. Slowly, gradually, we would abandon this device as well, and learn like the pioneers to read the passage of the sun and shadows to determine the time of day. It was not just resetting Time itself, but our lives.


If you are interested in participating in next weeks SFFSat, just click HERE, and follow the rules. Sign up is open every Wednesday - and if you're on Twitter, use the #SFFSat hashtag.

Cheers!

19 comments:

  1. An interesting snippet...though it makes me think too hard this early in the morning. ;-)

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  2. Ooh, this is eerie and kind of sad.

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  3. Slip out of time's notice - such a cool concept. And that their fate is tied into that antique pocket watch is just a great visual. Very entertaining.

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  4. Again, I love that Time is the bad guy. I wonder, though, what the protagonist means by destroying Time's Markers? What exactly are those? Are those other time telling devices or something even more epic? Either way, fantastic concept and lovely tone.

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    1. Thanks JM. And yes, Time Markers are those annoying little things that tell and keep time, like your wrist watch, your iPod, you computer, the tv, the stove, the microwave.....OMG, they're everywhere!! Ack! :D

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  5. I really like the concept of this story. Knowing your twisted way of looking at things, I cannot wait to see where you're taking it.

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    1. Thanks JC. Yeh, Time needed a little twisting up by spending a spell in my brain. Hee hee.

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  6. Ooo... Nothing good ever comes from buying a pocket watch from an antiques dealer. Trust me. Terrific snippet. Lots of interesting things going on here.

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    1. Oh, now you've got me thinking there. A sinister pocket watch as well...hmm... Thanks Cary!

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  7. Intriguing snippet. Makes me think of Sapphire and Steel (which probably shows that Time is hot on my tail, too). I like the idea of this, and I'm fascinated to know where it's going...

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    1. Really? I gotta read Sapphire and Steel then!! Thanks, glad you liked!!

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  8. So true that we are out of touch with our own natural world, and being able to read its signs as some peoples do. very nice reminder.

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  9. I like a good time travel story :). Sounds like the MC has a lot of learning to do.

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  10. Interesting concept! And I love the tension surrounding such a simple act as winding a watch.

    Apropos, I just wound up an old pocket watch, though it was merely from the 1940s...

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  11. Oh this is great! Hope you keep going with it!

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  12. This reminds me of Sapphire and Steel, a scifi/paranormal series from the 80's where they took on the agents of Time and fought its attempts to escape.

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