A Timeless Journey

A TIMELESS JOURNEY

BY

ELLIOT SACCHI

CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

ABOUT
A TIMELESS JOURNEY

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 3

CHAPTER 4

CHAPTER 5

CHAPTER 6

CHAPTER 7

CHAPTER 8

CHAPTER 9

CHAPTER 10

CHAPTER 11

CHAPTER 12

CHAPTER 13

CHAPTER 14

CHAPTER 15

CHAPTER 16

CHAPTER 17

CHAPTER 18

CHAPTER 19

CHAPTER 20

CHAPTER 21

CHAPTER 22

CHAPTER 23

CHAPTER 24

CHAPTER 25

CHAPTER 26

CHAPTER 27

CHAPTER 28

CHAPTER 29

CHAPTER 30

CHAPTER 31

CHAPTER 32

CHAPTER 33

CHAPTER 34

CHAPTER 35

CHAPTER 36

CHAPTER 37

CHAPTER 38

CHAPTER 39

CHAPTER 40

For Amanda, my better half

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

We face countless decisions, insignificant in appearance, every day; when we cross the road, when we decide to tell a lie, when we cancel an inconvenient appointment, when we chose what to eat and so on. It often happens that we are not always able to make the right decision, thus leading us to a different path each time. I would therefore, like to dedicate this story to all those missed opportunities that I have never had the chance to live through.

I would like to thank all of you who have put up with me the longest and also to the passers-by throughout my life so far, good ones and bad ones, which had or still have the opportunity to experience my humble existence. Without all of you, I would have never learned what I know and I would have never become the person that I am today.

A special acknowledgement goes to
Janet Bell
for helping me with editing and her husband
Stephen
for the support and encouragement and thank you both for believing in me.

I also want to thank my friends and colleagues at work for putting up with me while writing this story.

ABOUT A TIMELESS JOURNEY

Since my boyhood, there have always been two elusive distinctive questions intriguing my mind. During my brief earthly existence, like many others, I have often wondered what happens after we die. Does the energy we possess get transferred into a new born, somewhere else, or it simply disappears, full stop? This is one of the two questions, I am aware will never learn while I still breathe. In a way, I have resigned to learning the truth about afterlife until death will knock on my door.

As for the second question, it is a matter of hope. Often, on a night’s clear sky, I stare at the millions of stars wondering if out there another planet is thriving with life, just like Earth does. I wonder if we are not alone in this endless dark space. My educated guess is, if life exists in this planet, so must be in some other similar planets millions and millions of miles away. I truly hope to learn if the extra-terrestrial intelligent life exists, before my life ends.

Every night, just by looking up at the dark sky, we witness past events unfolding live in front of our eyes. We might even see the light of a spent star still shining through the sky without knowing that light has already been spent hundreds of years ago. In reality, thanks to the unfathomed distances between our point of origin and the stars in other galaxies, we can see way into the past, but never into the future. It would take the reverse action of what we experience to see into the future and, in theory, instead of long distances, we would need the opposite of it, something similar to the concept of seeing inside out.

What if by some unexplained miracle we could be able to see into the future? What if we found a little window to glance through events that will happen hundreds of years from now? What if we woke up one morning to find this unexplained knowledge inside our heads about a future world that we didn’t know existed the night before?

One morning, I did indeed wake up with this awareness of a future world, an awareness that I didn’t possess the night before.

Every detail you will read in here about a near-Utopian world, the thousand-storey skyscrapers, computer run governments, moving commuter lanes, the advanced technology, bio microchips, the drinking and dining holographic booths, the space holidays on the Moon, Mars and other planets, underwater and floating cities, giant protection shields sheltering entire cities from bad weather, the different kinds of interplanetary species and so on, flashed before my eyes as if they were my childhood memories.

1.

My vision drifts deep into the void, as flashbacks of a recent past take charge of my brain. For a little while, my mind wanders away to a different faraway reality that has inevitably become the most important part of my life. Luna shares a kind smile with me as she holds the new-born baby Sky in her arms. I return the smile and realise how much I have missed them in the last few months. A deep anxiety-filled breath pushes my chest up. A dejected long sigh follows, pushing my ribcage inwards and suffocating my soul in the process.

The compulsion to scream pushes these memories away in frustration and brings me back to this primitive and meaningless reality. My mind slowly regains the grasp of reality and my eyes rediscover the lost images in front of me. Finally, I manage to synchronize my visual ability with the brain functions as I focus my eyes on the depressing view outside.   

The golden-brown crown of the wild cherry tree at the bottom of the back garden, points stubbornly at the dusky cloud-covered skies above. The rattling noise of the heavy rain broadcasts loudly the early and unexpected arrival of autumn. The double glazing, which covers most of the conservatory surface raised between the dining room door and the back garden, is the only surface separating me from this stormy weather.

Thanks to the jet stream, the cold and the rain have returned unusually early this time around. However, it is giving me the excuse to finally sit down and write the most singular experience I’ve had in the beginning of the summer just gone.

As the strong wind outside plays violently with the fallen wet leaves and everything else in its path, my mind drifts again away from the laptop in front of me, as it plays flashbacks from a faraway future world which I have had the good fortune to be part of for a short period.

For everyone else on this planet, it has been a natural rolling of days and weeks from June until now, the last day of September. However, for me it is entirely a different matter. In the early hours of the Monday 18
th
of June 2012, I have been accidentally teleported – there is no other reasonable or scientific way but teleportation to describe what happened – far into the future, where I have managed to spend two years of my life without losing a single day in this reality as we know it.

I am aware what I am claiming might sound unrealistic, delirious and odd, but I can assure you, once you will be introduced to the full account of my adventures; you will have a different opinion upon my unbelievable claim.

I remember this old guy saying to me once that it takes all sorts of people to make the world a colourful and interesting place. The diversity of the human mind, not only has been able to present itself with innovative alternatives which generally have helped to enhance our lives for better during the centuries, but also regularly has fed our fantasies with extraordinary imaginary tales. Sometimes, a person’s imagination defines the limits of what we consider a sane logic and a free, brilliant mind, is able to surprise most of us with its peculiarity.

Our imagination is undoubtedly and undisputedly diverse, deriving mostly from the circumstances that surround us as we grow up. We are forged differently because of the different and unique events which we encounter during each individual life. It is mostly when we are under pressure when our fantasy works better. For example, sometimes we wish for an imaginary place in order to escape a frightful situation, or a contrived and unexpected intervention to solve a seemingly unsolved problem, or even dream for a time machine to travel back and forth, away from a painful reality. No matter the reason, it is mostly the special circumstances which push our fantasies forward.

However, no matter how wild our fantasies are, they are always a product of the limited capacity of our general knowledge. Therefore, when we stumble across a strange, unexplainable occurrence, our inability to understand this occurrence, makes us initially, overwhelmed by the shock and ultimately, drives us to create fictional conspiracy theories as we desperately try to find a logical explanation.

Even though there is no plausible scientific explanation for the anomaly that I came across on the shores of the North Atlantic and for my adventures that followed, conspiracy theories and wild fantasies are not the case. Everything I am going to share with the world in this story is very much real.

My peculiar adventures began on the second night of my Caribbean holiday, during a sleepless stroll on the beach in the early hours of the morning when the darkness of the night was very much in control of the surroundings.

My name is Scott Patterson. I am 26 years old - according to the records in this reality - and this is not the boring story of a random exotic holiday, not at all. The reason I am sitting here in the conservatory of my parents’ house writing about the incredible facts I encountered after going through the anomaly, is simply because these facts are too overwhelming to be kept private and besides, it is my desire to share with you the amazing things that happened to me during my time travel.

Just like it did with me, the facts that I will mention as I continue along with my story, will blow your mind away and these facts you will encounter here are not only exciting, but also bordering on beyond belief.

A few months ago, I went through an unbelievable journey through time, a journey that I still find it hard to fathom, but also it has been equally hard to convince my family and close friends that what happened to me is very much real. There were times during the summer when I even doubted myself if the singular experience which took two years of my life did really happened, but thanks to a brace of items I have carried through to this reality from the future, I am now certain it wasn’t just a strange summer’s dream.

Three and a half months have passed in this old reality of ours since the day of anomaly and, I feel at this point, more than ready to share the most decisive moments of my time in the future.

With regret, due to the impact which some of the facts that I have come across while in the future may have in this reality; I have sworn to myself and to a few good people I met, to keep these facts hidden from the public knowledge. Nevertheless, the concealment of certain facts barely affects the account of events which I am about to share with you.

2.

The rain kept pouring down mercilessly on that grey and damp Saturday, of June 16
th
, 2012. It had been an awful start of the summer in the north of England and escaping such a depressing weather for two weeks felt like a real blessing. These commonly wet summers are the real reason why the Brits tend to relish a little bit more than usual when going somewhere hot on holiday.

As I sat in my narrow plane seat with the seatbelt on, waiting for the take-off, I took some time to observe the raindrops forming tiny streams as they slid down the oval plane window. Suddenly, the plane window looked like a giant glass eye shedding tears of desperation as it faced the bruised sky, a sign that the sunny weather had already lost the battle with the rain. This wet weather outside emphasized strongly in my mind the need to get away to a hot, dry climate where only I can choose when to get wet and not by the rain, but by the salty waters of the turquoise sea.

There were three other people with me on this holiday, my girlfriend Sophie, my friend Christian and his girlfriend Lauren. I was a slave of an unrestrained childish excitement as I looked forward to my first experience of a Caribbean holiday. I had only been as far as Greece or Spain before this holiday and this was going to be the longest flight I’ve ever had. My friends and I waited impatiently to fly to the Dominican Republic. It was a holiday that had taken some planning and money of course, given we all have different jobs and different financial engagements, but finally my friends and I were now on route to a dreamy landscape of sun, sea and white sandy beaches.

We landed at the Punta Cana International Airport in the early hours of the evening, just after seven to be precise. When the daylight fought hopelessly the last battle with the darkness of the night, my friends and I still had a bit more traveling to endure, the journey from airport to the resort where we were going to stay. After one hour and twenty minutes of riding in a north-westerly direction towards Playa Aserradero on a coach with faulty air conditioning and, struggling to fend off the heat, we finally arrived at our destination.

The resort was adjacent to the beach, but in the middle of nowhere. There was nothing for miles except a vast area of overgrown green vegetation at the back of the resorts and the lonely road that lead us to this place. We were surrounded by an expanse of forest, mile upon mile of shrubbery and woodland; pierced only by a single track road connecting us with the rest of the island. The view of coconut palm trees, aloe Vera bushes, banana trees here and there and some other vegetation not familiar with my limited plant-knowledge, gave the area a jungle-like look. The surroundings seemed dark and eerie at that time of the evening and gave an unfriendly impression if someone decided to go for a walk.

Soon, the lights of the resort appeared on the horizon. The coach dropped us in front of the entrance where the lobby and the reception were. Outside it was humid, sticky and the warm air hard to breathe due to the rain that had fallen earlier. A waiter arrived just in time with some cold drinks on his tray offering a refreshing alternative. While the others waited to be shown to their apartments or rooms accordingly, I went for a wander around the resort.

On the both sides of the resort, there were several two-storey apartment buildings separated in the middle by two spacious bars and three restaurants. A huge butterfly shaped swimming pool located at the front of the bar and restaurant area was interrupted by a bridge which connected the bar lobby with the other side of the swimming pool where there were a few wooden shacks which accommodated some souvenir shops, a couple of small bars, a grill restaurant and an ice cream parlour. The only thing that separated this area from the white sandy beach was a row of palm trees and a stony path that ran all the way around the resort’s perimeter.

Since it was still early in the evening and, we had already managed some sleep during the flight, we decided to have something to eat followed by a few drinks before settling in our apartments for the night. It was a rather warm evening, especially compared to the usual fresh North Yorkshire summer nights, and the humid hot air seemed to gently caress our skin like a warm silky cloth.

After an abundant meal and a few drinks, my muscles gave away and I felt the tiredness dawning on me. I kept yawning continuously and it wasn’t until ten minutes to midnight, when Sophie finally agreed we should make our way to our room. The combination of the journey from Ripon to Manchester airport, the near-ten hour flight and the coach drive to the hotel had worn me out and I was glad to finally have the opportunity to rest.

Our apartment was spacious, with an
en suite
bath and shower room big enough to fit an elephant in - if you managed to get him through the door that is - a comfortable, super king sized bed, a balcony with table and chairs facing the ocean and a dressing room. After a shower, my head felt light and satiated with excitement and anticipation for the days ahead. I turned the air-conditioning on and fell asleep next to Sophie as soon as my head touched the pillow.

The next day after a light breakfast, we decided to spend most of our time recharging and relaxing on the beach, taking only an hour’s ‘break’ for lunch. I lay on the deck chair absorbing the sun rays and, kept turning from time to time on my right to admire Sophie’s perfect and natural brown body which matched faultlessly with her medium length dark blonde hair resting over her round and perfect perky breasts. The red nail varnish on her fingers and toes, gave her an even more irresistible look and I couldn’t stop staring at her insatiably. There is something about red that makes me feel dizzy, almost makes me lose control.

Sophie turned twenty three years’ old a month ago and we have been together by now just over four years. Since we moved into a rented two bedroom town house last year, I had realised that my life felt complete and I was sure by now that she loved me just as much as I loved her.

We all live in a little town called Ripon where almost everyone knows everyone’s business. Technically, due to the Ripon Cathedral, Ripon is considered to be a cathedral city despite being a small town and having something over 15.000 inhabitants. I think it derives from the time when King Henry VIII reigned. He ruled that every town with a cathedral had to be granted the city status despite the number of inhabitants. 

Chris and I have been friends since we first met in elementary school. Sophie and Lauren are also close friends and all four of us have been neighbours with each other since we were little. The fact that we all live near each other has brought us together at a very young age and we have been friends since then. It wasn’t until our teenage years when our relationships upgraded from friendship to something more.

Lauren and Chris were the first to express their feelings to each other and a couple of months later, Sophie and I followed their example. I’m not sure if it was love for me at first. I guess mine and Sophie’s relationship was more due to the domino effect which their relationship had on us. At the time, I was convinced this is what love felt like, but now, as I am writing these thoughts, I have a completely different idea what love feels like every time I think of Luna.

Our first day of holiday came to an end nicely over a few drinks. Due to the heat and the relaxing day I had by the pool, I found it hard to go to sleep on our second night, even though I had consumed more alcohol than the night before. After the first night’s recovery sleep and the lazy day I’d had, I just didn’t feel tired anymore.

I twisted and turned in bed for almost two hours annoyed and frustrated that I couldn’t find any sleep. Eventually, I gave up trying and, being the curious type, decided to go for a nightly walk on the beach with the intention of exploring the sandy strip beyond the holiday resort’s imaginary line. I was curious to see how the beach and the ocean would look at night under the moonlight.

I climbed slowly out of the bed, trying not to disturb Sophie’s sleep and pulled on my khaki shorts and an unbuttoned Hawaii style shirt. With the help of the moonlight piercing through the balcony curtains, I looked at the peaceful face of Sophie sleeping and whispered more inside my head rather than through the mouth. “Lucky you, I can’t even keep my eyes shut, never mind sleeping”.

I made my way out of the apartment with extreme caution, trying not to make any noise. Once outside, I looked at the time on my mobile phone, frowning in frustration. It was already a ten past two in the morning.

It was a clear summer’s night and the sky lit up by the millions of stars which seemed to be so many more in that part of the world, unlike back home in Ripon where, even if there is a clear sky, you don’t see quite as many stars.

The faint light of the stars and the crescent moon was unable to reveal the true colours of the palm trees and the vegetation which ran along the sandy beach. Given the ocean’s dark waters on one side and the black shadows of the trees on the other side, the curved narrow sandy strip in the between, appeared like a never-ending stairwell to darkness.

As I walked along the shore, the quietness of the night was disturbed only by the sound of the ocean’s waves rolling gently over the wet compressed sand. The darkness reigned over the North Atlantic waters without a single beam of light on the horizon, but the natural brightness of the moon. As for the surrounding grounds, the resort’s lights beamed out of the darkness like a spaceship in the middle of nowhere when looked upon from far away.

The soft sound of the ocean waves rolling gently over the wet sand, the quietness that the darkness applies to the land with its overpowering blackness and the solitude surrounding my being, filled me with a strange sensation, mostly mysterious, unexplained. Little intimate moments like this, surrounded by the miraculous landscapes that our planet has in abundance, have always had an inspiring effect over me. 

The freedom to roam alone on the beach and the intermittence of being away from everyone else, made me lose track of the time and by the time I was able to look around again, I had managed to walk for a good hour to the east. The hotel lights appeared small and far away in the distance.

Despite the long walk, I still felt wide awake. My sleeplessness had been stimulated by the various disconnected thoughts running through my mind. I was lost between my random thoughts and the magic of the quietness surrounding me and didn’t realise how far I had walked. I stopped to take some time deciding whether to carry on strolling east or turn back to the apartment where Sophie was still asleep and unaware of my absence.

I felt the urge to walk, walk until my legs would give up. However, I was so far out already and the best thing to do was to return to the apartment. I decided to sit on the sand for a while and rest. I faced the ocean with the resort lights far away to my left reminding me I had ventured far enough. I fixed my eyes over the dark ocean waters and allowed random thoughts to take my mind away from the stress of not being able to sleep. Eventually, my river of thoughts brought me to one particular conspiracy theory associated with the area.

It occurred to me somewhere, a few miles ahead in the darkness, was the supposed line of the Bermuda Triangle; the space where ships, boats and aircrafts had gone missing without a trace. I had read the stories of dread associated with this area and it had always fascinated me as to how it was possible for scientists with today’s advanced technology, to not be able to offer an accurate explanation what really went on over there. Perhaps there was nothing to find out, or whatever occurred wasn’t a permanent occurrence, but just some unexplained electromagnetic field or phase shift that turned on and off without a reasonable explanation. Whatever it was, most definitely took everything from this reality to a different reality or dimension, since no one was able to find any debris or human remains in the ocean waters where the tragedy had supposedly occurred.

After this last thought, I decided it was time to make my way back to the apartment. I breathed in a lungful of that warm ocean-humid air and placed my hands firmly on the sand to lift my body up. Before I had the chance to lift myself off the ground my whole being froze as I saw a spiral blue light – a vortex of illumination – appearing some thirty yards to my right.