"The Tree" - A short story
What if you aged faster than everyone else?
Short story:
I felt the cool cover of my book against the palm of my hand as I started to walk down the street. It was a peaceful day, not a cloud in the sky. I was excited to reach the park and read. I had just had breakfast, and had woken up less than an hour ago. I had slept well, and it was the weekend.
I continued down the street, passing people, hoping that I would find the park not too crowded. I was listening to music, which just made me feel happier already. Finally, I reached the park, the sunlight a bright contrast against the shade under the trees.
I sat down under a tree and opened my book to the chapter I was on. The day felt perfect, and I took a moment to observe the reflection of the sun on the city skyscraper windows. I was in a relaxed place.
As I began to read, I felt fully immersed in the book. It was rewarding. 15 minutes went by and I finished a chapter. Another 15 and I had read two. Another and I had read three. Soon, I started to lose track of the time.
It was late morning after I had read five chapters. I set my book down to eat a small snack before continuing my reading, when I realized that something was off about the scenery in front of me. It didn’t look quite right.
When I had arrived, everything looked like a normal day. But now, as I glanced around, I began to notice slight differences in the everyday nature that I thought I was in. I looked ahead, and I could see some kids fooling around on the street. But something was wrong; their feet weren’t planted on the ground. Despite the odd things I observed while sitting down under the tree, I decided to ignore them. It was important to get back to my book.
I kept reading for a while, and finally put my book down again. I decided that I would get some lunch. I stood up, book in hand, and began to walk out of the park. I would come back after I was done eating.
On my walk down the street, I noticed some more odd things similar to the things I had noticed before; how strange. I kept walking, finally reaching a pizzeria. I decided I would get a few slices, eat outside, then go back to the park.
“Ding!” The bell in on the restaurant door notified everyone that I was walking in. Everyone looked at me with friendly expressions. I walked to the counter and asked for my pizza. “Are you sure that won’t be too much for you, sir?”
I responded with a no and waited for my pizza. When it was done, I carried the box in my hand and felt odd; my feet felt weaker than normal. Suddenly, I tripped, and bumped into a kid in the process. “Watch out, old man!” What did he mean? I was only 25 years old.
I stood up, apologized briefly, then began to walk. But as I did, I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. I had white hair on my head and my beard as well. What was going on? I ran outside, and bolted to the park, despite my aching legs. When I reached the park, I looked at the tree I had been sitting at not long ago. Someone else was under it. At first, they appeared to be in their mid-30s, but as I kept watching, I saw that they were growing a beard and wrinkles were appearing. That’s when he disappeared.
