I am in the middle of reading Niffenegger's The Time Traveler's Wife..borrowed from a dear friend of mine.. so far the book hasn't put me into sleep..so I am guessing it is going to have a nice ending...the book is about a guy who has a genetic disorder which causes him to unvoluntarily travel through time..
I have always been fascinated by time travelling..probably the reason why I saw Back to the Future Triology a thousand times.. being obessessed with the TV series, Heroes... and reading this international best seller now...
I used to (still) get these visions of my 'self' travelling through time..I just wanted to share this with somebody..so here goes..
Vision No: 1
Time - (Begiinning of the year 2007)..
I was working at a college in Kerala at that time.. so hooked up (still am) on Heroes and the Japanese time traveller Hiro Nakamora... after getting down from the bus, I had to walk for almost 10 mins through a field in order to get to the college.. as I am always early..nobody else will be there on these roads.. so there I was walking with my bag and umbrella..as usual talking to myself..suddenly I find myself somewhere else..wearing the same clothes.. I couldn't make out the place or the time..it seemed like a corridor..but is it?? not sure..so I stand there bewildered..looking around..having no idea what to do.. suddenly I see somebody coming towards me.. I couldn't make out who it was at first..then the image got closer..
IT WAS ME !!
I had short hair..(like I have right now).. I was a little fatter..but good fat.. I was wearing a suit.. kind of a business woman..I liked that look.. immediately I realised I AM IN THE FUTURE..my future.. I spared the introduction to my future 'self'.. and asked,
"What year is it?"
"Itz 2012"...(she had this English accent, which is like, she has been living in an English speaking country for sometime now)..
"5 years.. 5 years in the future..so how are you?"..
"I am great..How are you doing?"..
"OK..lets make it short.. what happened?"..
"What do you mean?"..
"Something bad must have happened.so you wanted to change it..isn't that why you called me here?"..
"I didn't call anybody.. you came by your own"..
"Oh..Ok.. by the way.. you look good"..
"Thanks"..
"Why did you cut your hair short?"..
"coz..I like it this way"..
"Oh..that's new..so.. where are you?? what are you doing now"?
"I am sorry..I can't tell you anything"..
"Oh come on.. tell me something so that I can work on it"..
"No..Sorry"..
"Wait a minute.. you are not... you are not 'married'.. are you?? please tell me .. you are not married"..
" I told you.. I can't tell you anything"..
Oh..nooooooo... you are married.. how could you do that to me !!! "... I started whining and she ( I mean 'me') didn't say anything until I stopped.. when I stopped, she looked at me and asked..
"Are you done?".. she seemed so calm, peaceful, confident and successful..which was so unlike me.. there was something comforting about her.. I felt safe.. I felt like a girl being stubborn with her mother for not buying her favourite toy.. I didn't know what to say..
"Listen... I didn't tell you that I was married"..
"So.. you're not married"..
"I didn't say that either"..
"So you are neither 'single' nor 'married'.. oh my god!! divorced..thats even worse.. if you are widowed..then I would say.."wow"..if that's the case..you got rid of the guy..and its not your fault.. plus you get all the sympathy"...
"Wilya just shut up for one minute?".. (there was that English accent again)..
"Where are you?? I mean which country?"..
"I can't tellya"..
"Ok.. you don't want to say anything..fine.. I will just guess that you are married"..
"Why are so obessessed with this whole idea of 'marriage'...itz not an entirely bad thing"..
"Ok..don't try to brain wash me"...
"I am not trying to do anything... listen..even if I am married..which I am not saying I am..or I am not.. don't you think that it would have happened bcoz it was the right time to happen"..
"Yeah..right"..
"Listen..things happen..whether you do something or don't do anything..but remember whatever happens it will only happen when you are absolutely ready for it.. even if it is cutting your hair short"..
For sometime, we didn't talk to each other..then she broke the silence...
"I think itz time forya to go back to your time?".. ( I wasn't sure how though..) but I said..
"OK"..
I turned around ( I didn't know how that's gonna help).. and turned back to her.. she was kindly waiting for me to leave..I asked her..
"Hey..are you....are you happy?"...
She smiled.. I know that smile.. its the one I usually give out when I am all by myself.. when nobody is watching me.. the sincere one.. and she replied..
"More than you could ever imagine"..
Thats all I wanted to hear.. before I knew I was back to my time and on my way to college again..wondering whether it all actually happened or was it a blackout or just a fantasy ride..
And guess what.. after 8 months..I was actually on my way to an English speaking country with my hair cut short..
May be I was just seeing the way I wanted to see my'self' in the future...
