Trapped in Time

Keith sitting on the sofa in the living room, gazing at the television’s empty screen. Holding his tears as his memories comes rushing to his mind. He sees the fire burning the building. He focuses on the fire and sees Lara his wife in one of the rooms inside the burning building and a part of the burning wooden cupboard falls on her body trapping her in the fire. He rushes towards her and finds she is already dead. Returning back to reality and his tears falls.

Keith gets up, and walks slowly to the bed room. Avoiding her picture on his bedside table. He gets into the bed, his eyes are wide open unable to sleep. He rolls in bed and fixes his eyes on his bedside table. He opens the top drawer and grabs a medicine bottle, and stares at it. He opens the bottle and takes all the pills.

“What's the worse that could happen?!" He thinks to himself.

He rolls over and falls asleep.

The alarm rings, he sleepily looks at his bedside table to find it empty, he rolls over to see Lara sleeping next to him, and the alarm on her bedside table is ringing. She wakes up, closes the alarm and yawns.

“ Keith wake up it’s eight thirty honey.”

He shivers as he hears her voice.

“Lara?” He asks uncertain!

“Yes, honey wake up you have got an important meeting to get to.” She says as she walks to bathroom.

“What meeting?!” He asks in denial.

“The meeting with Steve about the new supplies for the lab.” She smiles, “what you forgot already, you asked to wake up early for this meeting?”

“But this was two years ago!” Keith thinks to himself, as he gets out of bed.

Still sleepy he walks to the bathroom, to see her brushing her teeth. He kisses her on the shoulder.

“Honey, I missed you" and hugs her from behind. She moves away.

“Not now, Keith we don’t have time I have to rush to the lab, and you have to attend your meeting" she winks and leaves him alone. he looks at his reflection in the mirror, he washes his face, as she gets dressed.

She goes to the kitchen and prepares two cheese sandwiches, He finishes dressing and walks to the kitchen, she gives him his cheese sandwich, they both grab their bags and leave the house.

In the street he looks around, taking in all his surroundings.

“Come on, Keith we are late already.” She grabs him, and they both ride a car that was waiting for them.

“Sorry, for being late.” She apologizes to the driver.

“No, problem ma'am" the driver answers.

“Oh! Keith I am so excited for this Alzheimer’s medicine experiment, I can’t wait to get the lab.”

“Alzheimer, so my meeting is for your experiment supplies?” Keith asks.

“Keith honey, stop playing around I know those supplies are expensive but I am sure once you and Steve realize the importance of this medicine you will sign the papers without second thoughts.” she touches his shoulder.

“I would do anything for you.” He takes her hand from his shoulder and kisses it.

The car stops and they get out of it, and walk to a tall modern building.

“Don’t you need the supplies first before you start your experiment?” he asks confused.

“It’s the first day to work on this experiment what we have in the lab will do but the new supplies have to arrive next week otherwise we won’t be able to continue.”

They enter the building and they go to opposite directions heading to two different elevators. As they both enter the elevators they face each other.

She gives him a kiss in the air and whispers “good luck.”

He smiles and waves.

The elevator door closes and takes Keith to the top floor. He steps out of the elevator and looks around.

“Nothing changed, everything looks the same. How is that possible?” Keith thinks to himself.

Keith walks to the meeting room to find Steve and Katherine sitting in their chairs waiting for him.

“Good morning Keith.” Katherine says.

“Good morning, hope I am not too late.” He says shyly as he takes a seat next to Katherine.

Steve sitting at the end of the table, “ not at all Keith.”

Katherine clasps her hands excitedly, “great let's start.”

Steve looks at the papers in front of him, “so you want all these chemicals for Alzheimer’s to start working on an Alzheimer’s remedy?”

Katherine, “no, we already started, today. We need these chemicals to continue the experiment.”

Keith thinks to himself, “ All this happened before and we already approved those chemicals, it’s my chance to change the past.”

Keith turns to Katherine and asks her, “How does this medicine works?”

“The medicine should trigger the memories of the patient and connecting him with the present, and his surroundings.”

“What happens if we refuse?” Keith asks.

Steve interrupts, “come on, Keith they already started and Alzheimer’s is very serious one as the human protectors it’s our duty to find meds for these kinds of diseases.”

"Exactly, Steve." Katherine exclaims.

Keith speechless, nods as he looks again at the papers.

Steve tabs on his shoulder and says confidently, "yes we agree, Katherine."

Keith gazes at Steve puzzled. Steve smiles

"That's great, thank you guys. Now it's my time to go work on the experiment with Lara and the rest." Katherine gets up and leaves the room.

" Keith are you ok?" Steve asks.

"Yeah, yea fine. " Keith answers unfocused.

"You seem distracted."

" Nah just a Déjà vu I guess, I have to go." Keith rushes to get out of the meeting room. He goes to the elevator but realizes it will take a lot of time so he decides to take the stairs next to the elevator, quickly descending the stairs, till he goes to the lab floor, and crosses to the other side and enters the lab. Seeing Lara and smiling at her, as she is so busy working.

Katherine recognizes him, " Keith what are you doing here, shouldn't you still be in the meeting?"

Keith so focused on Lara that everything else to him seems like it doesn't exist. Lara acknowledges him and smiles. She finishes pouring the chemical in her hand in the test tube and puts it aside, and moves towards him.

"Keith, is everything ok?"

Avoiding the question, "why don't we just leave now and have lunch together?"

"Okay." Lara says with a worried voice.

She takes off her lab coat and looks at Katherine. Katherine nods, and they both go out for lunch. Keith holds Lara's hands tightly as if a toddler holding his mother's hand scared to get lost.

"Honey, you ok?" She asks worried.

"Yes, it's just I feel happy being with you and can't stand to stay away."

"Oh, honey, I love you." She pulls him closer to her.

"I love you too, Lara more than you can imagine and, I'll never let you go." He holds her waist tightly and kisses her.

She Smiles, "I would never want you to."

He Freezes and he remembers that day when she asked him to let go of her. The world spins around him and he find himself in front of a burning building, wearing different clothes and Lara not next to him. He looks around trying to find her, he rushes towards the burning building pushing away anyone who tells him to stay away. Looking for her inside the burning building, he sees her helping an old lady on a wheel chair. He runs towards them.

"Oh, Keith glad you came, there are two toddlers in the other apartment, the fire men are busy with the upper floors." Lara says as she leaves the wheel chair to him and she moves towards the other apartment.

"No, Lara we have to get out of here now and fast." He grabs her wrist tightly

"It's our job and duty as human protectors to protect and help these people, Keith."

"Not when your life is the price, not again." He says angrily.

" Keith, it's ok I'm a trained protector so are you, we can help those people, without losing our lives."

A part of the ceiling falls next to the wheel chair, surprising both of them, he let go of her wrist, and he pushes the wheel chair outside, and rushes back to her.

One of the toddlers is terrified of the fire, he is unable to move while the other is crying hysterically next to his dead mother, Lara is trying to calm down the crying toddler, taking him in her arms hiding his mother from him, causing him to cry louder, Keith enters and Lara gives him the crying toddler while she moves towards the terrified one.

"No, Lara that's enough. I'm not leaving without you, not this time!"

"Keith?! They are young how could you even think of leaving them. If you don't want to help, you can let me go. And I'll help them." She says angrily.

He holds the crying one moves quickly and grabs the scared one, holding them both tightly. " Now, happy? Can we go?"

Lara shakes her head in disbelieve as Keith moves right behind her carrying the two toddlers.

A part of the burning ceiling falls on Lara's head killing her. Keith is shocked, he falls to his knees letting the two toddlers go, and they run outside the building.

"No, No, No, not again. Now I failed to save you twice, even when I finally got the chance to change the past I lost you again." Keith thinks to himself crying.

The world spins around Keith again, and he materializes in the meeting room in front of Katherine and Steve.

"Oh! Keith, I wish you could stop scaring us like that!" Steve says.

"Hey Keith, Nice to see you again." Katherine greets.

Keith confused, " guys, what's going on?"

"Usually we are the ones who ask you that question!" Steve smirks.

" What is the last thing you remember?" Katherine asks.

"Lara's Death!" Keith answers. " She is not dead, is she? I mean I was with her after the fire, then the fire happened again differently but I failed to save her again." He says uncertain.

"Oh! Boy, we get to explain this whole thing to him." Katherine looks at Steve.

"Explain what?" Keith yells.

"Calm down, please Keith, everything will be fine, trust me." Katherine reassures him.

" My friend you are trapped in time, you can jump to different times, any time you want past, present or future." Steve informs.

"How did this happen?" Keith asks.

"We don't know. What's the other last thing you remember?" Steve asks.

"Nothing I was depressed and went to bed and took all of Lara's pills in the medicine bottle." Keith answers.

"Ah! That explains it, it seems that you took the Alzheimer's medicine that was still under some experiments and not fully developed." Katherine says.

"Lara was working on that experiment with you, right?" Steve asks.

"Yes, I completed the experiment after her death five years later." Katherine answers.

"Wait, What? Five years?! Why what year is it?" Keith asks surprised.

"2023!" Steve answers.

"You mean that I was trapped in time for five years now and none of you got me out yet?!" Keith yells angrily.

"We tried but you refused. To you it was an opportunity to be able to see Lara, and be with her again." Katherine stats.

"You mean I can control where to be and when to be?" Keith asks

"In the last five years you seemed to be very capable of doing so, you even helped us few times to help people." Katherine replies.

Not concentrating on the rest of the conversation, Keith focuses on Lara and he disappears.



Word count: 1978