I’m currently in a world of cogs and copper. The Victorian era looks nice but with the modernization of the robotic engineer mixed in, it’s too much construction for my tastes to handle. Its time I go back to my machine but never to go back “home.”
I push past Dr.Nox, the guy who took me as his apprentice two days ago when I got here, making sure to tip over his work bench. Screws, nails, and cogs fell from the droid he had been working on and I took what I needed and ran. I ran into the blimp and heard banging mixed with yelling from the door after I had secured it tightly. I get it up and flying and when I felt like I was safe in the air, I go back to repair my time machine. When I get all the parts in place, I slip off the vest draping it over the giant pirate-like wheel then unclip my bow revealing the pin on the back to be the key for the machine. The next date punched in appears to be June 11, 3022. I set my pocket watch to 12:00, the time that activates departure, and jam it into the circular opening next to the date.
I arrive instantly and look out the window to the left of me. I don’t like this place already. The world is more populated and the air is filled with nothing but smoke.
I take out the watch and jam it in again and again and will continue until I find the peace I want.
June 12, 4000- bigger population
June 16, 5192- more smoke
July 25, 5501- talking animal devices
Sometime, 6001- fall out of humans
Lost time, several years later- apocalypse
Now-





Now?
This time I can’t see past the window. I stepped out and I witness the world collapse, I saw it end. There are no people, they crashed years ago and for some reason I’m able to surpass any damage. Then, I hear it in my head…
“You’ve broken time. You are no longer aloud to be a part of the rest. You now have what you wanted, eternity alone.”
I’m here to wonder aimlessly. My watch has just disappeared. Looking down, all my body just seems to melt but it doesn’t. All I feel is black ash that acts like an endless void and I see specks of gold everywhere. The stars endlessly, slowly, cascade sown the sky and finally, finally, I’m happy with where I am.