There he stood. Frozen. Still. Never aging. He waits. He knew time would wait, be still and silent until he found the missing piece.
He wasn’t an ordinary boy. He was often told time would never stand still. But Anthony had discovered the truth.
Anthony could make it wait. Time was something he could stop like he could stop like anything else. Anthony at first relish this rare gift he had at any chance that jumped on him.
He could make the perfect prank on his little sister. He could relive the perfect for another moment and freeze the memories. Engraved them upon his beating heart for all time.
But then, he started to feel something…..like it was missing. Anthony didn’t dare tell anyone about his gift, not even his best friend or parents. He was….alone.
It hit him. He didn’t have anyone else to share this gift with. No one would even know he could freeze a second in their lives.
That was more then Anthony could imagine. Being alone, being singled out for something only you have. Time could wait for him, but he would never be able to watch time pass with someone else. Now, that’s all he wished for.
He stopped using it. Anthony decided there was no point in enjoying the gift if he couldn’t share it with someone. So…..he just quit. His friends begin to notice something different about him, his mischievous smile and glint in his eyes didn’t appear so much.
It worried them. “I’m fine. Just some stuff at home that’s all.” Anthony would lie to them. He couldn’t share the burden with them. After school, he walked home with his head down and alone. How was he going to explain to his parents and sister? He knew they would ask at some point in time and he needed an answer.
He sighed, wishing he could just go back. That time would stop and then move on without him. He opened his eyes and looked up. He had done it again. Cars were still on the street and the water from the sprinklers and stopped mid air. Anthony looked away and was about to run when he bumped into something.
An Open Window 