I was always fascinated by the occult and the unknown. So, when I stumbled upon an old, hidden-away antique book shop, I couldn’t resist going in. The shop was dusty and dim, with books piled high on every surface. I spent hours browsing through the stacks, picking up old leather-bound volumes and flipping through the yellowed pages.
One book in particular caught my eye. It looked particularly old, with a tattered, dark leather cover, and strange symbols etched into the spine. I didn’t know what it meant, but something about it called to me. I couldn’t resist. I bought the book and took it home, eager to delve into its secrets.
It was only when I started reading the book that I began to realize the true nature of what I had stumbled upon. The book was a collection of movements, some of which looked too dangerous to even think about doing, as they seemed to require a bladed weapon. But one of the movements in particular caught my eye. It was a simple dance, one that anyone could perform. I didn’t know what it did, but I couldn’t resist. I began to perform the dance, following the steps outlined in the book.
It was only after I had finished the dance that I realized something was wrong. I realized during the last step I knocked over my glass, but hadn’t heard it fall yet. I looked back, and saw it, mid-air. I couldn’t believe it. Did the dance stop the glass from falling?
I went outside. Because it was early in the morning, it was quiet, but more so than normal, it was eerie. It took me a while before I found any other people. But when I did, I saw they were frozen in place, like statues.
Time had come to a halt.
As I walked through the frozen world, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of unease. I saw people in the middle of a conversation, their mouths open mid-sentence. I saw children in the middle of playing, their toys scattered around them. I saw cars mid-collision, their drivers and passengers trapped inside, unable to stop the catastrophy that was about to occur to them.
I spent years trying to undo the halt. I tried every ritual and incantation in the book, but nothing worked. I was trapped in a world where time had stopped, and I was the only one that knew. I was the only one that could see the world as it truly was.
It wasn’t until years later, perhaps even decades, that I finally translated the ritual I had performed. It was meant to be used in times of war, as a defensive measure, a way to stop the enemy in their tracks. It was meant to be used only until the enemy was surrounded, for days at most, but I had used it without knowing what it truly meant.
The book explained that to undo the halt, you’d simply have to do the movements in the reverse order, and ending it by clapping your hands, I assume in victory of the battle this was supposed to win.
I immediately went to stop the halt, but the damage had been done. I’ve aged. Enough for it to be noticeable to anyone that knows me. Enough that I can’t simply explain it away as stress.
I was the only one that knew the truth. I was the only one that knew what had truly happened.