Chloe’s latest short story masterpiece is based on the pointillism painting “Un Dimanche Apres-Midi sur l’Ile de la Grande Jatte” by Georges Seurat.

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The Time Traveler’s Tale by Chloe

I woke up in bed. Having woken up from another dream. It is always the same dream. I’m in bed but suddenly the bed starts to tilt forward inch by inch. But then I wake up and I never get to see what is ahead. Whether it be a pit full of snakes or a pile of mud. But I was soon going to find out for better or for worse.

When I looked at my alarm clock it was only 2 o’clock in the morning. So I went back to sleep. I woke up at 6 AM. I went back to sleep. It was 7 o’clock. Yeah, Yeah, Yeah. I’m going to get up, just give me ten more minutes. Oh my god. Oh my god. Oh-my-god. OH MY GOD! I was freaking out .I had to be ready for school. And I’m supposed to be ready by 8:05. Oh, my god! Oh, my god!

Since the words “Oh, my god” really weren’t working over my frustration, I cursed under my breath. That definitely did the trick. I got ready as fast as I could and since I didn’t have time to take a shower I used the deodorant stick triple the amount of times I usually do. It masked the smell pretty well.

I reached the bus stop just as the bus came to a screeching halt. I’m the luckiest person on the planet I thought thankfully. I ate the two pieces of bread that I had managed to take when I left the house. Not the most sufficient breakfast but it was better than nothing. School was the same as usual and it passed by quickly. While I was walking home, I heard the twittering of the birds, which made me relax.

When I got home, I went to the garden shed, which was about as big as four closets. I used it as a clubhouse. The only difference is that I was the only one who used it. In fact, I put a beanbag chair in there, a mini-refrigerator that contained a few sodas and snacks, and a small (very small, actually) table.

I was reading in the beanbag chair when I heard a squeaking sound. It was coming from the wall. I turned around and for the first time in my life I noticed a small mouse hole near the corner of the shed. The mouse poked his nose out of the hole and sniffed the air. Eventually, the mouse seemed to decide it was okay to come out. It must have sensed my presence and it darted back into its hole. I wanted to coax it out, but I did not want to go into the house because my mom just realized that I had broken her mirror (long story).

Then I had an idea! My mom made me promise to keep something healthy inside the mini-fridge before she let me buy it, so I decided on carrots. I thought at least they were crunchy when I got them. So I coaxed the mouse out of the hole with the tiniest piece of carrot you could imagine. I made the mouse get onto my hand before letting it eat the carrot. It ate the carrot hungrily. But when the mouse finished, it bit me. I was shocked, but not from pain. It was the fact that I couldn’t feel any pain. What was even weirder, though, was that there wasn’t any blood either! And then I felt it about five seconds later (luckily, the mouse was able to scamper into my pocket by that time). It was an odd sensation. It was as if I was being pulled through air.

I doubt anyone has felt it, unless: (1) a mouse bit him/her; (2) they were thrown through the air a long distance or (3) although (for reason #2) it would be faster. It then came to a halt. And the first thing I noticed was the area. It looked like a park, or rather, a park on an island. But then I noticed the people and they were dressed as though they were in the 1800s. After that I noticed the island wasn’t even polluted. Wow, I thought. And then I put two and two together, 1800s outfits and NO pollution, either. I was IN the 1800s.

“Okay.” I was thinking everything is okay. No need to worry. I slid my hand in my pocket and patted the mouse for comfort. At first it squeaked in fright, but then it purred and curled up back to sleep. When I looked around some more, I noticed the island’s beauty, surrounded by crystal clear water, with boats sailing upon it. Everything was so peaceful! Even the trees seemed to be relaxing with the warm breeze that ruffled their leaves. I knew this place would be etched in my memory.

But right now, I had more pressing matters to worry about. A thought occurred to me:perhaps the mouse could take me back home. So I took it out and the closest bystander shrieked and everybody’s attention was on me and the mouse. I had the instinct to run. The mouse stayed in my pocket. A smart choice. After a minute of running the mouse bit me. But someone managed to grab me and he was pulled along into my century.

When we landed we were back in the shed. “Oh no!” was my first thought when I saw the man. And that was before I had an idea. The mouse will bite him but stay with me! So while the man was looking around, I put the mouse on my hand with my fingertips touching his shoulder. The mouse bit him and stayed on my hand. After the man wasn’t here anymore I lowered the mouse down to his hole and said thank you. I brought out a tiny piece of carrot and ate it. Then I went back to my house, knowing my mom hadn’t forgotten the mirror incident, and I went inside to face her wrath.