The Humble Gift

Having the power to change the future, well everyone has that power. Having the power to change the past, well that’s a little different. Especially when the world is becoming a complete disaster. You see, in order to change the future by changing the past, you must know what went wrong in the past to alter the future. It’s quite complicated for anyone to understand, let alone control.

In the streets of New York city, chaos was at its peak. People stole what they wanted, killed who they pleased and it had become so bad, that the military had gone underground. Ben felt safe as long as he had the ring on his finger. He could travel to any specific date at any specific time, but the best part about the ring was the fact that you could also travel to any place without time moving an inch. Ben’s thoughts were interrupted by weapon fire. He ducked and ran under a fallen piece of rubble. He took a heart shaped locket from his pocket, the only thing to remember his family by.

No place was safe. No place was home and the pressure of owning such a powerful ring caused stress to become Ben’s worst enemy. As Ben watched a bus full of gangsters fly past yelling crude remarks, he realized the whole world was leaning on his power to bring justice back. Where would he begin? Who could he talk to? The only few buildings that had held up over the past month were the library, the mall and the police main office. Except the main office had become a sniper bunker. Going near that place was like playing king of the hill with giants.

The library was closest, and maybe they had some books that could help. In a few minutes, Ben had reached the library steps and he ran in through the smashed glass doors as fast as he could. The library was remarkably in good condition, besides the fact that none of the books were on their shelves and a big hole in the roof was the only source of light. Ben approached the counter and rummaged through the drawers. He reached into every drawer, but his hand grasped nothing but thin air, and occasionally dust. Finally in the last drawer, Ben’s fingers rammed into something hard. He pulled out a large red and frayed book. It said “BOOK OF HISTORY” across the front in large black letters.

Ben flipped it open and rapidly read the table of contents. Before long his finger came across “Things that left our world in conflict” page 56-60. Ben quickly flipped to page 56 and began to read. Before long, he came upon his first problem he had to solve. Ben red aloud to himself, “In 2050 a group of highly trained Japanese men caught the Americans off guard. They entered a place in Nevada called Area 51 and stole one of America’s most prized possessions. This took place May 14, just after sunset. Although the Japanese escaped, America declared war and in the following year, the Americans won. Some Japanese forces are still divided, some believe they should have kept fighting, some believe they should have surrendered much earlier.”

Ben sighed. He closed his eyes and whispered slowly, “May 14th,2050, Area 51, Nevada at dusk.” The room began to spin and Ben fell, but there was no library floor to stop him. He fell and fell until, sand slid between his fingers. He opened his eyes and saw nothing but a vast desert of silence. The sunset was beautiful, and for a moment, Ben forgot all about his troubles until a low rumble filled his ears. As it got louder and louder, Ben got up. He was surrounded by a thick wall of dense fencing. Men’s yells and cries split the air. Ben ducked, gunfire sounded all around and swarms of tanks covered the horizon. Ben ran to the nearest building and barged through the door. “They’re here! Get ready, you’re not going to lose this time!”

Men and women in military gear at desks all around stood up and a chatter broke out in the building. “Everyone listen!” Ben yelled, ”The Japanese are here! You will die if you don’t listen! We need to protect this place, it’s under attack!” A woman stood up.

“How do you know? What is a teenager doing here?” Another yelled,

“This place is to strong, there’s no way any force could possibly get through!” They were interrupted by an explosive rumble outside. Ben could see the colour draining from some of the soldiers’ faces.

“I say we go outside before we’re blown to bits!” Yelled a man. Several people grabbed weapons and pushed past Ben to the battlefield outside.

“I don’t know you kid, but thanks for warning us,” said another man as he rushed outside with a pack of soldiers.”

“Well,” Ben said, “looks like my job here is done.” He closed his eyes and whispered, “NYC June 24th library west side 2080.” Once again, the room spun around and around and soon Ben was back in the library, his feet resting on the hardwood floor. After reading for quite some time, Ben realized there were only two more things to do. After traveling to Canada to solve a problem between Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland, Ben had returned to the library to complete the final task. He read aloud to himself, “Over history, all people in power have craved one mysterious and powerful thing. Although no one really knows for sure, there are legends and stories all over the world about a mysterious ring that gives one the power to go back in time. There have been many battles and wars over who owns the ring, but every time someone desires its power, it disappears and is gifted to someone truly humble and random.”

Ben stood transfixed. What would he do? Should he destroy the ring? Ben looked around. The library was looking better than it had before. The books were back on their shelves and the doors were restored to their former glory. Even the streets outside were looking almost back to normal. “I have to finish the job before my time with the ring is over,” Ben exclaimed. He walked through the library doors and paced down the steps into the street. People bustled around, in stores and out.

“Hey you! What were you doing in the library? It’s closed! Didn’t you see the sign?”

“Sorry,” Ben said, “I really didn’t know!”

“Back talk!” Yelled the man, “We’re going on a little trip to the police station!” Then man grabbed Ben by the arm and began to pull him down the sidewalk.

“Think you’re funny? Vandilizing, eh? It’s time one of you pay.”

“You don’t understand!” Ben yelled, pulling away. The man reached for Ben and grabbed his hand before he could get far. Ben could feel the ring slipping from his finger. He pulled back and the ring fell to the ground.

“Oh, what’s this? Stealing are you?” The man bent down and picked up the ring.

“No!” Ben exclaimed, he lunged at the man and knocked him off his feet. The ring flew through the air and landed hard on the sidewalk, then slowly rolled on to a drain cover. Then with a PING! The ring fell into the sewer pipes below. Ben stood up. He had attracted a crowd. People stared at him all around. Police cars screeched to a halt in front of the library. Four men got out of the cars and approached Ben.

“Come on, in the car.” Ben obeyed, he didn’t know what to do. As he sat in the back of the police car watching people pass, he felt happier than he had for years. He looked at his parents smiling faces staring at him from inside the heart locket. He’d done the right thing and no matter what happened the ring was safe in the hands of another person right now. Even if the person didn’t know it yet, they would be the last person in the world to own the ring because from now on, everyone would have the power to change the future…