Time Heals All Wounds
Author’s Note: … It happened again… three and a half thousand words in and this story just keeps growing! Unfortunately, between discovering that there isn’t a real-life Robin Hood, and just life getting in the way, I wasn’t able to finish the story in time. However, I really love this story and will definitely be finishing it! In the meantime, I’ve posted how much I’ve written so far, along with my epilogue.
Trigger Warnings: Mentions of cancer and eventual main character death.
Story Synopsis:
Ashwind, a 15-year-old girl, is diagnosed with late-stage cancer and only has a few months left to live. In that time, she wants to experience everything that she can, and make the most of the life she has left. Her uncle reveals that he is a time traveller and begins to take her on journeys through time. Through the course of these trips, both Ashwind and her uncle struggle with grief and eventually find peace with their situation.
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Chapter 1:
Cancer. One single word that changed my life – or, I suppose, limited it. Sitting in a doctor’s chair, my uncle at my side, my life suddenly had an expiry date. I went into shock, my entire body numb, only half-listening to what the doctor said. Late-stage cancer… caught too late… months to live.
The car was completely silent on the ride home, both my uncle and I processing the news. Months to live – I mightn’t even reach my 16th birthday. I’d never get the chance to drive a car, go to university, date, fall in love, get married, or get a job. My entire future, snatched away by one single word.
“Uncle Percy?” I asked, my voice small and scratchy. Receiving no reply, I glanced over at him. His slender hands were clenching the steering wheel, his jaw set and body taut. He was only barely holding it together, I realised with a start. He had raised me for most of my life – this would impact him just as much as it would me.
Hot tears welled up in my eyes. This couldn’t be happening. Perhaps I was dreaming? I pinched myself desperately, only to be met with pain shooting through my arm. Not dreaming, then.
When the car stopped, I jumped out and ran into my room, unable to deal with the situation. Kicking off my shoes, I burrowed my way under the covers of my blanket, and finally allowed the tears to fall. I cried until there were no tears left, and sleep started to pull me into its warm, blissful escape.
I awoke sometime later to a light knocking on my door. “Come in.” I called, my voice rough with sleep. Uncle Percy walked into the room, his eyes red-rimmed and puffy. My heart clenched – he had been crying. I hated it, hated that he was suffering, hated myself for causing him pain.
Uncle Percy gave a weak smile as he sat down on the bed next to me. “Hey Ashwind”, he said, his voice soft. “How’re you feeling?”. I gave a strangled laugh. “About as well as you’d expect.” I said, a bitter inflection to my tone. “Why is this happening to me?” I whispered, my face crumpling. “Oh, Ash.” Uncle Percy breathed shakily, pulling me into a warm, grounding embrace. I rested my head heavily on his chest and let myself forget about the world for just a moment.
He pulled back, and gave me a soft, sad smile. “I know that this a big shock. But we’ll get through it together, alright? I’m going to do everything I can for you.” I nodded unsteadily, instinctively trusting him.
After a few beats of silence, Uncle Percy spoke up again, his voice hesitant. “This really isn’t how I imagined it would go, but there is something that I’d like to tell you.” He said, a small spark of life returning to him. I looked at him expectantly, apathy making way for muted curiosity.
He sighed. “I was going to tell you on your 16th birthday, but given… recent events, I thought I’d tell you now.” He paused momentarily, before giving me a small smile. “I’m a time traveller.”
I stopped, blinking for a moment, while my brain caught up. “Sorry, what?” I asked, my brows creased in confusion. Uncle Percy gave a chuckle, although it was still tinged with sadness. “I’m a time traveller.” He repeated, an impossibly fond smile on his face.
“A time traveller?” I said, my eyes widening in disbelief. “Are you serious?”. “Deadly.” He replied, before standing up and offering his hand to me. “Would you like to see?”.
I nodded, my eyes lighting up as I pushed my inner turmoil to the side. As I reached up to grab his hand, I got the sense that I was about to go on the journey of a lifetime.
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Chapter 2:
My uncle guided me into his study, and I looked around the familiar room in confusion. Surely there wasn’t a time machine in here? I watched as he walked around to the bookshelf behind his desk and pulled on H. G. Wells’s ‘Time Machine’. I gasped slightly as the cupboard next to it opened, revealing a small safe. Uncle Percy keyed in a combination before pressing his thumb to a small sensor. The safe opened with a small hiss, and I eagerly peered over my uncle’s shoulder to catch a glimpse of lay within.
Two smartwatches were nestled into a small pillow, the face black. As he reached inside for the more feminine of the two, Uncle Percy closed his eyes slightly, taking a deep breath before carefully removing it and handing it to me. Carefully taking it, I inspected the object. The watchface was slightly larger than normal, and there was an extra button on the side, but apart from that I couldn’t see much difference. I flipped it over in my hands, and my breath hitched slightly at the inscription on the back of the watch. “Time waits for no-one”. I gave a quiet, bitter laugh at the painful reminder of my reality, before once more pushing the knowledge aside and locking it down tight within me. I wouldn’t allow it to ruin my discovery of time travel.
I glanced up at Uncle Percy, only to find him staring at me with a look of abject sadness. It was only there for a second – gone the instant he caught me looking – but it was there for long enough to make the harsh reality of my situation claw at its confines deep within me. I bit my lip, hard, and the pain was enough to quiet the beast.
“Can we go on a time trip?” I asked, desperate to escape, even just for a while. Uncle Percy smiled slightly at me. “That was the idea.” He said, before holding his watch so that I could see. “Watch this.” He pressed the extra button, and an input field opened up. “You enter in a string of numbers that corresponds to longitude, latitude and time. I thought we might take a trip to one of my favourite places in history.” he said, keying in a string of numbers. I put it back on, marvelling at the small device.
“Are you ready?” he asked me, his face lit up in excitement. I nodded despite the trepidation that was beginning to curl at the bottom of my stomach. Uncle Percy clicked a button on my watch, and a tendril of light began to wind its way up my arm. Within seconds, we were both engulfed in the light. With a resounding boom, we were gone.
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Chapter 3:
I blinked a few times as I readjusted myself, slightly off-balance. I took a moment to take in my surroundings. Huge fronds – taller than me – greeted me. Their leaves swayed slightly in the wind, almost as if waving to me. I stared at them for a second, before my attention was diverted by a loud shrieking noise. I silently edged closer to Uncle Percy, turning a questioning gaze on him. “That was it?” I asked incredulously. “We just time-travelled?”. He nodded, his lips quirking upwards. “You are now officially a time-traveller.” He said proudly. I smiled broadly before shrinking back slightly as I heard another shriek. “What… what’s that?” I asked, grabbing onto his arm. “Nothing to be alarmed about, just the local wildlife.” He said brightly. My eyes widened in concern. “Where are we? Or perhaps the better question- when are we?” I asked, my brows furrowing. Uncle Percy merely grabbed a hold of my hand, guiding me through thick foliage.
After trekking through what felt like miles of jungle, the scenery abruptly opened up, leaving the two of us on a tall cliff overlooking a valley. “Welcome to Mammoth Valley.” Uncle Percy said, his arm sweeping out theatrically. I stopped, all breath leaving me in a sudden exhale as I stared, spellbound, at the sight in front of me. Hundreds of woolly mammoths moved slowly across the base of the valley, their shaggy coats a vivid contrast to the reddish clay ground. “Is that… are those woolly mammoths?” I breathed, my eyes misting over. Uncle Percy smiled as he nodded. “Every year, hundreds of woolly mammoths migrate through this valley on their journey north.”
Uncle Percy tapped me on the shoulder. “I’ll just pop back to get us our picnic, alright?” he said. “I’ll be right back.” I nodded absently, still spellbound by the scenery. I turned just in time to see a ball of light engulf him. With a bang, he disappeared. I blinked a few times, still unused to the strange phenomenon, before watching as another ball of light appeared, stretching outwards to reveal the figure of Uncle Percy, picnic basket and blanket in hand.
After a light lunch, I lay on the blanket, revelling in the wind’s gentle caress. As I rolled to the side to watch the woolly mammoths way down in the valley below, the truth of my reality hit me, escaping from its cage and wrapping its tendrils around me as it slowly suffocated me. I closed my eyes, a deep, unfathomable sadness filling me. This was happening, I couldn’t deny it any longer. A tear escaped, unbidden, and carved its own path down the side of my face. Uncle Percy smiled sadly from where he was sitting next to me. “You ready to go back?” he asked softly. I tried to respond, but a lump had formed in my throat, rendering me unable to speak. He leant over, gently rubbing a hand up and down my arm. Once… twice… my jaw clenched slightly, unexpectedly finding myself annoyed by the comfort. I shrugged his hand off, moving away slightly as a sudden and powerful desire to be alone surfaced.
I stood up and took one final look at the majestic creatures below, before silently packing up the picnic while avoiding Uncle Percy’s gaze. I glanced over at Uncle Percy’s wrist, ensuring that he had a time watch, before tapping the home button on my own time machine. Still refusing to meet Uncle Percy’s eye, I watched as a tendril of light curled up my wrist before. Uncle Percy reached forward, grabbing desperately at my hand. With a flash, I disappeared, leaving him clutching at nothing with a stricken look on his face.
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Chapter 4:
I arrived back at Uncle Percy’s study within moments. I immediately dropped the picnic basket on his desk before quickly retreating to my room, locking the door behind me. I heard a distant bang, alerting me to the fact that Uncle Percy had returned. A bitter anger had begun to make itself known, rearing its ugly head and playing on my already frayed nerves. I was furious at the universe for letting this happen to me, at the doctors for not being able to do anything, at Uncle Percy for having kept time travel from me for so long… but most of all, I was furious at myself. I was furious that I hadn’t picked up on the signs earlier, furious at myself for all those times I had missed out on something because I thought I’d have the time to ‘do it later’. My hands curled into fists as a tidal wave of anger and resentment rose within me, threatening to overwhelm me. I glanced around for something to aim my anger at. My gaze landed on my diary lying open on my desk, taunting me with my plans for the future. I scoffed. What future? I’d be dead, my life snuffed out, within months. I grabbed the diary, ripping it into pieces and hurling the pieces into the trash can before kicking the trash can with as much force as I could muster. Still enraged, I picked up the cup next to me, hurling it against the wall. I watched as it shattered into a million sharp, uneven pieces, gaining some measure of satisfaction from the destruction.
A sharp knock on the door only increased my irritation. “Go away.” I said mutinously. I heard a sigh, and I could almost imagine the pained look on Uncle Percy’s face. “Please open the door, Ashwind.” He replied, an unusual firmness in his tone. My annoyance only rose. “I said, go away.” I repeated, anger now colouring my tone. “Just leave me alone.” The doorknob turned, as if Uncle Percy was trying to open to door. “Unlock this door, Ashwind.” He repeated, his voice rising slightly. I ignored him. I didn’t think I could withstand the silent pity in his eyes – I would shatter. I chuckled darkly at the similarity to the broken cup that now lay in shards across my room. It was just as broken as I felt.
Uncle Percy growled slightly. “Are you just planning to hole yourself up in your room forever?” he snapped, clearly at the end of his tether. I stalked over to the door, flinging it open. “Happy now?” I snarled sarcastically, throwing my hands up into the air. He took a deep breath. “You can’t hide in here forever.” He said calmly, although there was an undercurrent of anger still present. “Really?” I snarked in return. “Seems to be working pretty well so far.” Uncle Percy’s jaw muscle twitched slightly. “I understand that this is difficult for you.” He said evenly, his tone measured. “However, that is no excuse for shutting people out.” I laughed, a bitter broken sound that reflected my current mental state. “What difference does it make?” I spat out, clutching desperately onto my anger, if only to keep away the sharp, penetrating pain. “I’ll be gone in a few months anyway – what difference does it make?”. Uncle Percy flinched as though slapped, and I glanced away to push down the guilt I felt at the gesture. “Don’t you dare say things like that, young lady.” He replied through gritted teeth, true anger finally making itself known. “You might be happy to go down this path of self-destruction, but I refuse to let you wallow in self-pity.” I stepped towards him, a dark smile on my face. “I haven’t said anything that isn’t true.” I said purposefully. Uncle Percy took a deep breath, before turning and striding quickly towards the door, his entire body taut with unspent anger. He stopped at the door, turning around. “I’m going to leave you alone for the time being, since it is clearly impossible to logically reason with you in your current state. I suggest you get some rest, because we’re going on a time trip tomorrow.” He said firmly, before shutting my door with more force than strictly necessary.
I sat heavily on my bed, guilt beginning to creep in as my anger deflated, the beast settling itself for the time being. I knew that I shouldn’t have talked to Uncle Percy in that way, yet I couldn’t find it within myself to go and apologise. After sitting on my bed for a while, I finally roused myself enough to get changed and go to sleep, deciding to leave my uncle alone for the rest of the day.
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Chapter 5:
I awoke the next morning bleary-eyed and exhausted. Even as I painstakingly dragged myself out of bed, my sleep-addled brain could register that something was out of the ordinary. However, it was only once I spotted the shattered cup that still lay on the floor that my situation truly dawned on me. I groaned, a fresh wave of guilt and exhaustion washing over me. I briefly considered ignoring everything and going back to sleep but paused when I spotted the outfit that hung on the back of my door. Walking over to hesitantly inspect it, my nose wrinkled in distaste. A stiff, multi-layered dress greeted me; a long, black coat layered on top of a patterned inner dress. A belt held the clothing together, and frills adorned the cuffs of the sleeves and the neck. I shook my head. Did Uncle Percy honestly expect me to wear this monstrosity? Noticing a small corner of paper poking up, I took the neatly folded note slipped inside the pocket of the dress.
‘Ashwind,
If you are to travel in time, you must blend into the surroundings – hence the outfit. Yes, you have to wear it. Get ready, we’re leaving after breakfast.’
I rolled my eyes, slightly annoyed, before deciding that I wanted to go on a time trip more than I valued my comfort, and so began donning the… questionable outfit. Half an hour later, I had managed to successfully wrangle the costume into a semi-decent state.
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A.N: This is how far I got up to. I'll be skipping ahead to the Epilogue now =D
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Epilogue:
Uncle Percy stared bleakly at the hospital. It had been a week since Ashwind’s death, and the pain was still sharp and fresh, everything becoming a reminder of the daughter he’d lost.
Walking into the clinically white building, he was surprised by a nurse rushing up to him. “Mr. Halixal!” she called out; an envelope clenched tightly within her hands. He paused to allow her to catch up, slight annoyance showing on his face. Every second spent within this building was painful, and he was eager to leave as soon as humanly possible.
“Mr. Halixal! I’m so glad I caught you.” she said, and Uncle Percy recalled seeing her taking care of Ashwind during the final few- he cut off the thought before finishing, the grief too potent to face. “Is something the matter?” he asked, and if it was slightly curt, neither said anything.
“I just wanted to say that I’m really sorry about Ashwind. She was a lovely girl.” The nurse said, her eyes misting over slightly. Uncle Percy gave a tight smile, his jaw clenching slightly. He was barely holding it together as it was – one more condolence and he would splinter.
The nurse held out the envelope to him, her smile comforting and empathetic. “Ashwind asked me to give this to you once she…” the nurse trailed off, lowering her head slightly in respect. “I hope that whatever’s in there brings you some measure of peace.”.
Uncle Percy stared at the familiar neat cursive, his heart squeezing painfully and a lump appearing in his throat. Feeling his mask begin to crumble, he took the envelope with a nod of thanks before retreating to the relative safety of his car.
With shaking hands, he traced the ink on the front of the envelope before sliding the note open and beginning to read.
“Dear Uncle Percy,
If you’re reading this, then that means that I am no longer on this Earth. I’m writing this letter to say everything that I want to say to you but know that I’ll never get the chance to. I know that it won’t take away the hurt or the pain, but I’m hoping that it’ll help the healing process.
I’m so sorry, for leaving like this, for putting you through this pain. I never wanted to hurt you in this way, and I’m so sorry that it turned out like this. You know, it’s funny – I’ve always been terrified of being left alone, that you’d leave me. I guess it ended up being the other way around.
When my dad passed away, I felt like I was drifting alone in a world that no longer felt right. It was you who tethered me back to reality, who helped me through the overwhelming and suffocating grief and taught me how to continue surviving in a world that no longer had my dad in it. Over the years, you became my paternal figure. You became my safe port in a storm, someone who I could rely on and who would love me unconditionally. Thank you so much, for everything that you’ve done for me. You saved me, and I’ll never be able to thank you enough.
These past few months have been the best of my life. I’ve experienced things that others could only dream of, been to places beyond my wildest imagination. You filled my last few months with wonder and beauty. Thank you so very much.
I’ve come to terms with my impending death, and my only regret is those that I’ll be leaving behind. I hope that you’ll find peace and continue to live and make the most of the precious time that you’re given.
Eternal love,
Ashwind”
Uncle Percy’s frame shook slightly, tears sliding down his face and splashing down onto his coat. Feeling something else within the envelope, he tipped it upside down and let the contents fall onto his lap. A gold watch fell out and he picked it up, tears blurring his vision. A small smile appeared on his face at the reminder of the adventures they had shared before he flipped it over and gave a weak, watery laugh at the inscription. Feeling the lightest he had since Ashwind’s death, he smiled genuinely as he stared out his car window at the glittering sunset. “Thank you, Ashwind.” He whispered as he rubbed his thumb over the inscription.
'Time waits for no-one - so make the most of every moment.'
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