Time | Teen Ink

Time MAG

November 7, 2007
By Anonymous

Every morning I wake up to the normal sun shooting through the left window, blinding me as I try to open my eyes. My dog, Donald, barks up a storm. He insists that every morning at exactly 7:04, he has to go outside. It really is starting to push my buttons. Can’t that damn dog just take a rest?

After I go outside for exactly 2.5 minutes, I realize I have to deal with my boss in exactly 48.6 minutes. I sit and moan for two minutes. Any more I would be late and any less I would be early: it has to be exactly two minutes. Afterward, I do my normal six-minute shower, three-minute shave, two-minute brush of my teeth – just like the dentist told me – and five minutes to figure out what I am going to wear ­today. That leaves me 4.5 minutes to sit and read The New York Times and moan about having to drive 20 minutes to a job that I can’t stand. Once I arrive, it takes 2.1 minutes to hear the lame story about what Ron, the guy two cubicles down, did last night and four minutes ’til I get to hear my boss complain that I never do anything right.

Spending 9.34 hours at my job, driving 26 minutes home (I hate traffic), taking two minutes to take Donald out and only getting 24.7 minutes to myself before lying down in my hard, cold bed and not falling asleep for another 12.5 minutes can really drive someone crazy. At least that is what my therapist tells me. But in fact it does not make you crazy; it makes everyone else crazy for not wanting to know how much time they actually have.

The thing that will make you crazy is if something goes wrong. Something that has been happening the same way for exactly 12.56 years. When that one thing goes wrong, all hell breaks loose. For instance, if you wake 45.8 minutes late because there is no damn dog barking for you to take him out. Which causes you to be late to work, because you have a 20-minute drive and only 2.4 minutes to get there. Then you ­decide in exactly 24 seconds that you have to call in to work saying you came down with something. But after the phone rings for eight seconds, the secretary tells you that something bad has happened and there will be no work today. You wonder for only one minute what could have happened, but then go and take a shower.

The shower is much longer than the normal six minutes. It takes two more minutes to wonder what is the red goop dripping from your body. Then it takes you two more minutes to realize that you probably just cut yourself shaving.

After 45.8 minutes of watching TV, you wonder where Donald is and what really happened today to call off work. You ponder this for 12 minutes, scratching your chin, noticing the red goop is also under your nails. You find that disgusting, so you walk steps, which takes you three seconds, to go wash your hands, for two minutes, in the bathroom that you never use. You look around for four minutes, noticing there is also red goop all over the walls. You quickly – so fast you can’t count the time – open the shower curtain.

In about seven minutes you realize you have to clean up. But suddenly there is a knock on the front door lasting for about four seconds. But you have to ignore it, you don’t have time, you have to clean up in six minutes. But wait, six minutes is too long. You need 4.5 minutes, but that’s too short. The knocking is getting louder and faster, every three seconds, it just won’t stop. You can’t stop either; you have to clean up, but the knocking ….



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This article has 332 comments.


on Jan. 31 2023 at 7:04 am
lottieis_dumb GOLD, Hereford, Other
10 articles 3 photos 176 comments
omg i love how you can openly tell that there is something wrong withthem mentally all the way through

on Feb. 20 2022 at 7:50 am
kali73304 SILVER, Long Lane, Missouri
6 articles 2 photos 35 comments
I love this. Definitely hooked me in and made it even better with the cliff hanger at the end.

on Aug. 15 2021 at 3:00 pm
Crazywolfiegirl2 PLATINUM, Kington, Other
26 articles 3 photos 284 comments

Favorite Quote:
There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature—the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after winter. —Rachel Carson

I really love how this was written

Dre_2021 said...
on Oct. 16 2020 at 8:24 am
Dre_2021, Ewing, New Jersey
0 articles 0 photos 16 comments
This story was really good in having suspense and keeping me engaged. I especially like the cliff hanger because that is what really added mystery to this story.

on Jul. 12 2020 at 10:51 am
taylor-winstead, Raleigh, North Carolina
0 articles 0 photos 1 comment
Draws you in-very creative, and an excellent cliffhanger.

on Sep. 9 2018 at 7:50 pm
hashslingingslasher BRONZE, Los Angeles, California
4 articles 0 photos 7 comments

Favorite Quote:
"From each according to his abilities, to each according to his needs."

-Karl Marx

This and another short story on here called Futureman are my two favorites. I love the sudden panicky vibe you get as soon as the red goop is mentioned. Creepy but cool!

astrosack GOLD said...
on May. 11 2018 at 11:05 am
astrosack GOLD, Ashburn, Virginia
16 articles 0 photos 17 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Nobody's here for a reason. Make one."

Good job! This is a really nice story, and you found a way to pack so much meaning into a short story....

elleo4 BRONZE said...
on Apr. 27 2018 at 1:29 pm
elleo4 BRONZE, Wyoming, Michigan
1 article 0 photos 2 comments
VERY DESCRIPTIVE!!! LOVE ITTTTTTT!!!

on Apr. 27 2018 at 11:51 am
Joey.DeYoung BRONZE, Grand Rapids, Michigan
1 article 0 photos 2 comments
Unlike other writing that I have seen

on Apr. 27 2018 at 11:50 am
nevinhooper BRONZE, Grandville, Michigan
1 article 0 photos 2 comments
This was such an engrossing piece and throws you so incredibly into the world of the main character with a rather interesting way to explain the constant repetitiveness of the character. Fantastic piece.

BlomWillie said...
on Mar. 5 2018 at 1:22 pm
BlomWillie,
0 articles 0 photos 1 comment
This is absolutely clever and incredible! Great work!

This is great. Excellent. I love it.

This really could be the prologue to a novel... Great Job!!!

Lilly04 said...
on Oct. 31 2017 at 4:30 pm
Lilly04,
0 articles 0 photos 1 comment
are you going to make another part?

AmaraDaoud said...
on Oct. 11 2017 at 12:41 pm
AmaraDaoud,
0 articles 0 photos 1 comment
I love all the details you wrote in the story.

on Apr. 18 2017 at 9:35 am
xX-Nicotin-Rose-xX,
0 articles 0 photos 1 comment
Can you do a follow up story to this piece i just need to know more

on Dec. 29 2016 at 10:34 am
Travelergirl DIAMOND, Central, Utah
64 articles 5 photos 20 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Do not judge my story by the chapter you walked in on"- Unknown

The story definitely pulls you in the moment you start reading it. The way you described the time was probably the best part of the whole story.

on Dec. 7 2016 at 12:49 pm
Dandelion14 GOLD, Houston, Texas
11 articles 1 photo 4 comments

Favorite Quote:
“People are screwed up in this world. I'd rather be with someone screwed up and open about it than somebody perfect and ready to explode.”
― Ned Vizzini, It's Kind of a Funny Story

The story has me hooked. It pulled me in and I love how descriptive it is.

on Oct. 24 2016 at 9:56 am
elifseda BRONZE, Beverly, New Jersey
3 articles 0 photos 3 comments
I love the description and detail in this story, it really makes you want to continue reading. Great Job!

Backoff said...
on Sep. 25 2016 at 9:48 pm
Backoff, Beijing, New York
0 articles 0 photos 2 comments
wow, the description of time was interesting. Nice story here