The Black-Sand Hourglass

Chapter 1

It was a typical day at school, Jason has been waiting for the clock to strike at twelve. The class was starting to get boring, as usual. Lesson was about computation that Jason does not know what it was for.

Finally, it's breaktime, time to go to the ever crowded school cafeteria. He decided to look for his girlfriend, Tina, but instead, he saw his best friend Paul on a table near the east entrance writing something on a piece of paper.

"Hey Paul. Whatcha doing dude?" Jason lightly punched Paul on his shoulder as a greeting.

"This!" Paul showed Jason the paper where the words "KICK ME" were written. "I just saw Bob outside this door talking to this beautiful girl from the ninth grade, so you should already know what this paper means." Paul pointed at the door behind him where Bob is standing outside with a short, blond haired girl. Paul stood up and the two went behind Bob.

"Hey dude!" Paul slapped Bob hardly on his back, sticking the paper with a tape on it.

"Wha-what is it this time Paul? Ju-just leave me alone." Bob stammered. He no longer wants to do anything with Jason and Paul as they always have a trick or two to upset him.

"Hey Bob!" Jason kicked Bob on his hips.

"Ouch! That hurts Jason! P-Please just le-leave me alone." Bob pleadingly said. The short-haired girl he was talking to just walked away from them.

"Oh, but it says here on your back, so..." Jason kicked him again. "I'm kicking you." Suddenly, other bullies swarmed and tried to kick Bob too but he was lucky that a pretty, brown-haired girl came.

"Don't tell me you're bullying Bob again. Grow up Jase...and you bullies...scram." Tina said, putting her hands on her hips.

"I'm sorry babe. There's a note on his back telling us to kick him." Jason explained as he snaked his arms around her girlfriend's waist then pecked her on her lips.

"Oh come on Jason! Paul and you have been bullying him since the eighth grade. Give him a break. By the way, have you eaten?"

"Not yet, the line a while ago was too long. Let's order and eat. I'm starving."

After eating, some friends of Tina returned a box which they ended playing.

"Hey, babe and Paul, join us, we are about to play Boggle" Tina invited them.

"Boggle? What's that?" Paul asked.

"It's a word game dude, you know it as Word Factory."  Jason answered.

"Oh! Yeah! I know that!" Paul exclaimed as he joined the others.

"Where's the egg-timer babe?" Jason asked Tina.

"I really don't know where I put it, so we just time it using a phone." Tina answered.

"Don't worry, I'll buy you a new one." Jason said kissing Tina on her cheek and they started to play.

The next day, classes were still boring that he fell asleep on the fourth period which is History. Good thing, his teacher Mr. Hamilton did not notice him sleeping, and Tina, who was just beside him during class woke him up after the class ended.

It's already dark when Jason walks home from Tina's house. Along the way, he saw a newly opened, old-looking antique shop. He got curious and decided to stop by.  Lots of antique items were on display, from mirrors, cabinets to chess pieces; then somewhere near the window, he saw an old-looking hourglass with black sand and beside it is a small, black booklet with white text that says "The Black-Sand Hourglass". He was about to open and read the black booklet when he was greeted by an 'antique-sounding' woman's voice.

"Good evening, young lad. It seems that you are looking at that hourglass." An old lady greeted him. Jason thought that even the owner was 'antique', though he answered her politely.

"Yes, I think it's a nice looking, old hourglass. I'm thinking to buy it for my girlfriend. Is the time equal to three-minutes?" He asked.

"Yes it is, young lad." The old lady answered.

"I'll take it then, how much is it?"

"Keep it. You can have it. Please also take that little black booklet, it comes along with it."

"Why are you giving it to me? Are you sure?" Jason asked, raising one of his eyebrows. He's also confused that the hourglass comes with a booklet...an hourglass with an 'instruction' manual...how odd?

"Do I have to answer that? But if you..." The old lady was not able to finish her sentence as Jason immediately grabbed the hourglass and the booklet.

"Yes, I'll take it." He immediately said, no need for any reason as long as it's free. It looked like an antique hourglass so it can probably somehow cost more. "Thank you very much, Madam.....?"

"Lucinda, Lucinda Rowan. You are welcome, young lad. Enjoy and use the hourglass properly."

"Uh, yeah, I'll take care of it." Jason confused by what the old lady said. Enjoy it? You just tip it upside down and that's it.

After eating dinner at home together with his mom, Sarah, he went directly to his room to check and try the hourglass. He tipped it upside down and the sand started to go down. He timed it and it was exactly three minutes. Remembering the very tiny black booklet that comes along with it, he grabbed it and quickly scanned over it. There were five pages including the cover but there was nothing written on the opposite side of each page. Each was written in black pages in white text.

The cover says: 

The Black-Sand Hourglass

He turned the page and the following was written:

This will be an ordinary hourglass if this instruction will not be read.

However, if you read beyond this page, the effect shall commence.

Be warned. This is not an ordinary Hourglass.

'What the heck is this? Is this a joke?' Jason said to himself, not taking the warning seriously, he flipped the page and continued to read.

You have been warned. Reading the entire instruction now is a must.

The following shall commence if the hourglass is use

READ ME:

Tip the hourglass upside down; the time shall go back three-minutes.

The one who has read this and will tip the hourglass upside down

   -is the only one who can remember what happened to that three-minute that happened in the 'future'

   -will be the only one who can alter it. Otherwise, everything will happen just the same.

Jason literally laughed and thought that it was ridiculous. He was about to continue reading the next page when his mom called him.

"Jason, will you come down here. Need some help." His mother called.

Irritated, he threw the little black booklet on the bed side table and went downstairs.

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Chapter dedicated to faithrockstar. she's totally awesome wattpader.

To the right is one of the covers created for me by brokenpencil21. Thanks again!