Eliska didn’t like to feel rushed. She didn’t mind having to hurry, but being rushed was an entirely different sensation, and not one she particularly cared for. She sat back on her haunches, folded Time into a neat little triangle, and placed it on the horizon, declaring firmly ‟and that’s where you can stay until I’m ready.”

Overwhelmed by the sudden change in space, Time tried to shift sideways, but was caught unawares by newly found angles of gravity and toppled off the edge of the horizon. Eliska sighed. Time was never doing precisely what she wanted.

On any other day, Eliska might have followed Time to see where it landed, but today she couldn’t feel less motivated and offered a half-hearted holler over the edge. “I wasn’t ready for you then, and I’m not ready now. Go and do your own thing.”

Anyone else would have been astonished when a voice called back to them – but not Eliska. Refusing to listen, she merely muttered her previous comment and stuck her heels firmly against the horizon.

‟Why such animosity?” the voice continued.

‟Why so friendly?” Eliska retorted, aware that this voice likely belonged to the form she’d just folded into a neat little triangle.

‟If you were trying to avoid Time” a slight titter rippling out over the words, ‟might I observe that you haven’t been terribly successful in that venture?”

‟That all depends on whether you think what’s happening here is an occurance or an avoidance.” Eliksa retorted.

That stumped the voice. Eliska felt the grinding of gears as Time’s tone changed from pompous amusement to suspicious curiousity. ‟And, what is happening here?” The question rose higher than the horizon, as if trying to get a bird’s-eye-view of the situation.

Suddenly feeling like she had the upper hand again, Eliska moved her heels from the horizon and moved closer, in order to peek over the edge.

‟Cheeky,” she heard a voice snort, though not from the direction she was expecting, ‟think you can just fold me, throw me, and then oggle me? Besides, I thought you weren’t ready for me!”

‟I wasn’t, but, where are you?!”

The space beyond the horizon seemed vast and empty, and she almost felt a prick of remorse for her actions. Where had she thrown Time to? and how was she going to get it back?

‟That’s more like it” she heard the voice reply. ‟Not so proud of your actions now, are you? You know, it’s really not the done thing to go changing Time just to suit your own story. I am my own me, you know!”

Eliska cocked her head to the right. ‟Your own me?”

‟Precisely!”

Silence.

‟Don’t tell me you disapprove of my right to be me!”

‟Oh, I don’t,” Eliska blustered in embarrassment, ‟I just don’t understand what you mean.”

‟Well, you’re you, as well as being an Eliska. I’m me, as well as being a Time.”

Time stopped and waited, aware that Eliska’s mind was busy with thoughts and confusion.

‟I’m not an Eliska, I’m Eliska. And surely you’re not a Time, aren’t you just… well… Time?!”

Time chuckled, ‟If I’m all of Time, how are we experiencing this while Time is still moving?”

‟It isn’t!” Eliska started to say, before realising that the sun, that had been busy meandering along the horizon to her left when they first started chatting, was now loitering over by her right shoulder, whistling a tune to a lazy moon to hurry along the night. ‟Well that’s not right…” her voice drifted off, suddenly drowsy from too much Time in one place.

‟I doubt it’s left either.” Time chuckled as Eliska felt her self drifting from the space she had been occupying. ‟Of course, you could try straight up, or down, or a different kind of sideways. But you won’t be able to avoid it.”

‟No,” murmered Eliska, ‟but I might be able to leave you behind, no?”

And just like that, she was in a completely different place.

Eliska smiled. ‟Well that was easy!”

‟Perhaps a little too easy?” the voice continued, a casual shrug to its’ tone.

‟Wait, what are you still doing here?” Panic rising slightly in Eliska’s voice.

‟I’ll always be here, a sliver of your shadow, whichever direction you turn, wherever you go. Like I said, you can’t avoid Time. Perhaps you should stop battling me, and just embrace the situation. Put it like this, if you can’t escape me, you’ll never be alone.”

‟I’m not sure that’s a comforting as you think it is,” Eliksa muttered. “The whole point of this is I just wanted some Time to myself!”

‟Well, why so glum then? – that’s exactly what you got!” Time declared with confidence. ‟I’m a bit of Time and you’re you. There’s no-one else here but us tick-tocks.”

Eliska laughed, suddenly aware she’d got exactly what she’d been looking for – her own Time and Space.

‟Exactly,” the voice continued, adding ‟but there’s usually no folding required!”

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“Eliska and a moment with Time” © megwaf July 2024 with thanks to Monique @starfish_72 for the #vss365 prompts : #rushed #overwhelmed #motivated #astonished #animosity #successful #suspicious #cheeky #remorse #proud #disapprove #busy #drowsy #doubt #casual #confidence