Momentary Eternity - A Story Of A Moment

Short Story Version

Every moment is different in many aspects and therefore introduces many questions. "What is going on? Why is that moment important? Why is it something to remember?" But I think the most important question is how long do moments really last? They can range from a split-second to entire minutes. But what about one moment, that could last forever?

The early morning was silent. The sunlight pouring through the crimson curtains on my window, casting an orange shadow across my bedroom floor. I didn't think anything of it though, it was still too early and I had just woken up to be fazed by anything. I groggily wrestled on an old, grey high school gym t-shirt along with the red plaid pajama pants I had thrown off in the middle of the night.

I opened my wooden door silently and walked into the living room, the wooden floor cold against the soles of my feet. Still dark, I didn't bother to turn the lights on. I pressed the power button on the coffee maker and grabbed a purple mug from the cabinet. Still not in a state of being fully awake, I didn't realize I had a loose grip on the handle and I dropped the mug. I flinched, closing my eyes and gritting my teeth, expecting a shatter but it never came.

I slowly opened my eyes a few seconds later to find the mug still in the exact place I had it in my hand. Floating, suspended in mid-air! Whatever you want to call it, because I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I tapped on the mug but it only moved as far as I nudged it. I was bewildered. "How could... how is this happening?" I questioned physics.

In an instant, it all came to me. I listened for something, anything, but the world was completely silent. No birds tweeting, no cars rushing by, no coffee maker noises. I rushed to the window, and it was as I feared. The world had frozen in place, except me...

"Why me?" I asked aloud, for some reason expecting an answer from the world. "I'm not important, I'm just... a nobody. And this kinda makes that word work a lot better, since now it seems I'm alone..." I ducked my head, my mind being flooded with thoughts as I thought about what to do and how to respond.

I rushed out onto my front porch, the door staying in place wide open when I swung it back. Outside, people, pets, and cars were stuck in time.

The old woman who lived across the street from me, Mrs. Care, had gone out to get her mail but looks as though she's skeptical if she wants to take it out of her miniature house model mailbox. She had always been too old to live by herself in that large house. I figured maybe by now she would've wanted someone around now that her husband has been gone for 10 years.

The cars passing by have come to an immediate halt. The closest man in a black Sudan was on the phone and obviously not watching the road. He might just be better off being frozen as to not hit anyone that might be crossing the road or children playing in it. At least that's something good that came out of this event, in my eyes at least. The only eyes that are able to see and register what's happening...

I packed a few clothes and food along with water. For the next few months, I searched for anyone that might not have been frozen. I trudged through towns and cities, stopping only for food, water, and rest. I was a boy scout growing up, I think I can figure out how to keep myself alive in a world actually not trying to kill me more than it usually does, that meaning I've come pretty close to death a few times just from bad luck and bad timing. There had been a really bad wreck on a highway intersection a few years back. I was t-boned by a woman in a Nissan who was obviously intoxicated. With that, everyone swerved and one car had hit the traffic light post and it fell on top of the intersection and the cars in it, including mine. I had opened my eyes to a metal pole two inches away from my head, engraved into my headrest and far too close for comfort.

The only thing that kept me going in this time-ridden world was the sweet sensation that maybe, just maybe, there existed another breathing, living person that I could talk to and hold on to. It was a lonely time being the only person left on Earth, knowing they're all there, but unable to move.