The Gift

This I wrote a while back, at the moment this worka as the intro to a story I would like to develop but not yet had the chance to...

 

The Time traveller

 

I hold within my hands a secret, a secret that if discovered could save our world and potentially the entire universe! This secret comes from a genuine source – it comes from me, Michael Simpson. A twenty six year old coffee addicted editor, working for a sideline magazine in central London.

 

I walk this world with no direction, I have no family and no friends and to put it quite simply, I am a nobody. So here’s a good question, why me? Well, if I am to tell you why, I’d better start from the day it all began…   

 

When I was a year old my parents died in a car crash, their son, that's me, was the only survivor. I lived with my grandparents and I knew no better, it was a good life and I have no complaints. Still, I longed to know my parents and so my nana would show me photos and tell me stories to keep them alive in my memory.

 

It was on my sixth Birthday, when I blew out my candles something very strange happened to me. Being a child, I made a wish as we all do except, I made a wish to see parents again in a blink of an eye I was taken back in time! One minute I was blowing out the candles, the next I saw my parents holding me as a baby. I watched them cradle me the way I’d always wanted them to, the way I imagined they had in nana's stories. 

 

It only lasted a few minutes and then with a flash I found myself back in my nana’s house with the candles smoking in front of me. I told no one of that day and I’ve kept to my self ever since, thus making it hard for me to interact and make friends.

 

As time went on, I found myself time travelling everyday. It was hard to control at first and I often travelled when someone close by thought about their own past or future. Now, though I can control it, this gift comes with a curse. You see, my latest jump took me into the future, the year 3007 to be exact.

 

This time though, it was not in my control and I had not expected to end up there at the request of someone else. I had not anticipated her or the responsibility that she’d placed in my hands. A secret that will save us all in this life and in the next!

 

 

The shape shifter

 

My name is Susie Castle, and I am a shape shifter. What does that mean? Well, it means I can be anybody I want to be and all it takes is a second. I am not the only human being to have been given this gift, you see, it runs in my family. Every woman of every second generation in my family can shape shift. But to cut a long story short, my sister died morphing and so I am the only one left.

 

It was told that my family were cursed by a history of black magic, witches burnt at the stake! My mother who does not share the gift does not like to talk about it, nor my father who locks me away in my bedroom in fear of anyone finding out.

 

They think they’ve stopped me from developing my skill by locking me away on my own where I can not meet people, so that I won’t adapt into another human being. They are afraid I will lose control like my sister did. But this has had the opposite effect and now I have developed beyond human beings and I can shape shift into objects! Large, small, you name it I can do it… so long as the object is in view.  

 

The day I morphed into a silver spoon was my best shift yet! That’s how I escaped my room, by filling my bed with pillows and setting my silver head in the bowel used for supper that evening. I waited for a good hour, the excitement nearly throwing me out of my morph… but I managed to hold it and sure enough I was taken downstairs and placed next to the sink.   

 

I had searched for people like me, and I was unsuccessful, for months shape shifting my way in and out of people’s lives, to end up lonelier than before. Then I found someone. Her name is Kelly Stevens and she can read peoples minds!

 

 

The mind reader

 

I was often in trouble as a child. I would do things to create attention to myself, such as setting fire to the school exam room or writing graffiti on the school walls on the day of the school inspection. I wasn’t a bad person, I just needed someone to believe me, but no one ever did!

 

“I can read your mind!” I would tell them.

 

“Kelly, you say that again and you will go without tea tonight, you hear me?” my farther was strict with me but it only made me worse. My mother let my father dominate the family, my older brother got the brunt of it though.

 

I tried to run away from home countless times but I didn't move out until I was 22. At which time I could hear them thinking of me in a way parents should think about their children. They were nothing but proud and this put me at ease.

 

Now, I am more secure with my ability and I use it everyday to help people. I approach people and invite them to tell me about themselves and so, I have loads of friends and I’ve had my fair share of lovers too. Of course it does help if you can relate to someone before speaking to them, but love is just as hard even if I hear their thoughts!

 

“Your amazing, your sexy… your a liar!”

 

Yes, you guessed it. Another relationship in the gutter!

 

I get the bad with the good! Sometimes the truth hurts and I find myself falling in and out of love within minutes of meeting people. But there is one who I have grown to listen to more than most. His name is Michael and he lives in the flat in the adjacent building to mine. We’re on the same level and our windows face each other.

 

Michael thinks he is alone, but he is not. I often watch him and listen to his thoughts. I know all his secrets including the one about the Indian woman in red that he dreams about.

 

 

The healer

 

I am a painter, a writer and a musician, I sow I mould and I touch. My hands are my best feature; my touch a gift from god and I use it wisely.

 

My name is Nadia Naseen and I am originally from India. I had trouble in my home town, particularly with the religion in my country. When I was a child, I was taken from my family, stolen from a busy market! They used me and my ability in trade of money, my gift was put on show. I escaped my country and moved to England where I have an uncle and a second cousin.

 

I have much to be grateful for, and much to be sorry for. The great is that I get to save lives and heal those in pain. The sad is that I can not save myself or those I love. My son Jacob included. He died of cancer three years ago at the tender age of 6 years old.

 

I now work full time in an Indian spice shop in North London. I know the meaning and the healing effect of each and every spice and those in need naturally come to me. A dose of Red Chillies for passion, Cumin for health, or Turmeric for a little sanity in life. No matter the spice, you’d be amazed to know that my Indian spices can cure life’s curses, just as good as my hands do.

 

I do not flash my gift around like some party trick. I will only use it if someone is in need and so when I was approached recently by a young woman with an extraordinary ability, dare I say greater than mine, I couldn’t say no.

 

Together we meet a few times a week to discuss our plans. These plans are not to be spoken of but let me tell you, she has an amazing sense of empathy and it didn’t surprise me when she introduced me to her friend who also has a few tricks up her sleeve.

 

Trusting one another, each with a secret to hide, we quickly became good friends.  

 

 

The prophecy

 

 

I, the writer have a gift. I do not speak of it, I do not show it and I do not wish to write of it. I know of a prophecy that will change the future, I know of a man who is destined to change the world and of three women who together will stand by him.

 

In 3007 the world will change but my secret will save you all.

 

 

 

Author's Note

Written March 2008.

Reviews

[Creepy Swine Guy]

Definitely a good intro. It makes me curious to see how these people interact and exactly what this prophecy might be. In this line ...

"Kelly, you say that again and you will go without tea tonight, you hear me?" my farther was strict with me but it only made me worse. My mother let my father dominate the family, my older brother got the brunt of it though.

... you typed "farther" where I suspect that you wanted "father". Otherwise it is technically razor sharp. I think that it is a project that would pique the curiosity of most anyone who read it.

[Emily B]

wow! you have a wonderful beginning . . . would love to see where it goes!

[Shadow Writer]

i liked the story line. Looks like something I could really get into. Enjoyed. Phantom.......

[Sammy]

This was absolutely riddled with errors. Taken from the first section alone:

I have no family and no friends and to put is quite simply, I am a nobody. [put "it"]

my nana would show me photo's [no apostrophe]

It was on my sixth Birthday, when I blow out my candles something very strange happened to me. ["blew"]

Being a child I made a wish, as we all do except I made a wish to see parents again I was taken back in time! [lacks punctuation]

One minute I blowing out my candles, the next I saw my parents holding me as a baby. [I "was" blowing]

Now, though I can control it, but this gift comes with a curse. [remove "but"]

... Reading further into the piece, it seems you have no real grasp of grammar. You say "your" instead of "you're" and much of your punctuation is misplaced. To get people interested in your writing at the next level, you have to master the basics or your writing will suffer. It isn't merely an appearances thing: it affects your flow and weakens the power of your language.

This was very imaginative, but seemed incomplete. Because it lacked a plot, these seemed more like back-stories than the beginning to a novel. I think you should figure out how it is all going to come together and then you can weave their stories together in a more convincing fashion. I am very interested to see where you will take it.

Peace, Sammy

[Erotic Jem]

Gripping writing, I really do hope that this develops into a story soon, I cant wait to read it! The way that you have introduced the main characters is really clever and they layout helps in keeping the reader wanting to read more. This is just great :)

[Abraham]

Just wanted to say that this intro you have here has inspired me in a way so, thank you for that.

[Honeypot]

I love, love, love this one! It is one of the stories that I remember the most. You could just go on with this and make a really fabulous novel. This is almost like a movie trailer almost. Its like a little tease to get our mouths watering so we eat up the whole thing when it comes out. This was a really good story idea and if I ran across this in a book store I'd buy it in an instant.

[Gary H]

Nice idea and well done. I would think about the second/third sentence as to me I wasn't sure if they read right. There are some parts of the time traveller that do need work but then once the story takes off in different directions everything is fine. Watch out for spelling - I appreciate this is written to expand on so that whole concept may turn out to be completely different, so that's not so relevant.

I like the idea of each section introducing the next one. That definately should be kept going. Yes, I certainly think this has potential. Wow, your mind has many ideas, you must have difficulty knowing what to do next!