You were laying down your bed, staring at the ceiling. It was summer and you were young, you should've been out there! Hanging out with friends, going on camping trips, making your way to the beach, but you weren't, you were in too much pain to enjoy your summer vacation.
Your grandfather had passed away,and even though a month has passed since his death, you were still grieving. The whole house seemed to have gone mute since it happened. Grandpa Milo was loved by everyone; your mother saw her father-in-law as more of an uncle or a friend, your father, well he was devastated from losing his dad, your younger sister was in shock, this being her exposure to death and you? You didn't feel as if you'd just lost a grandfather, you felt as if you'd lost a friend, teacher, and role model as well.
So you laid there, thinking about how you'd never hear another one of his history "lectures" again. Grandpa had been an avid historian with a real passion for his career and a gifted story-teller and so he had a special way of telling history that made it come alive, it often sounded as if he'd lived through it himself. Where other kids had been read The Three Little Pigs or Little Red Riding Hood as bedtime stories, your grandfather told you the story of Queen Hatshepsut, the woman who ruled Egypt without a husband, and about Napoleon's campaign to conquer the world.
Your thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the front door opening and closing. You sat up, rubbed the tears out of your eyes and headed downstairs.
Your parents and your sister were in the living room, all still wearing glum expressions. For the past month, your parents had been busy taking care of Grandpa Milo's will and tying up any loose ends he'd left.
"Hey honey," your mother said with a weak smile, "we, um, we have something for you," and handed you a small box wrapped in brown paper and twine and an envelope with the words "To my grandson Michael" written on it. Your little sister, who had been laying on the carpet, coloring, asked, "Is there anything for me?" Your father walked over and picked her up with a smile. "There is actually," he said, pulling a chocolate bar out of his pocket and handing it to her, she giggled and thanked him. He always tried to keep a sunny disposition for you and your sister, but he couldn't hide the sadness in his eyes.
"Grandpa Milo left that for you, we found it today when we were going through the last of his stuff," your mother said, her voice trailing off at the end. You look at the small package, it feels somewhat heavy and the enveloped attached looks a little aged. You thank your parents and head back to your room.
__
Sitting at your desk you fiddle with the box, tugging at the twine string, not quite bringing yourself to open it. Finally, you open the envelope and pull out a letter. On it it, in you grandfather's unmistakable handwriting, it said:
"Dear Michael,
I can imagine how much you must be hurting right now, and believe me I wish you didn't have to go through this. But, we all have to go at one point or another and I lived a full, happy life. Getting to know you and watch you and your sister grow couldn't have made this old man happier. However! Not all is lost, I'm leaving you a special gift to remember me by and to remind you that no matter what, time keeps on truckin'. In the package which as you might be able to tell I so lovingly wrapped," you chuckle at this, taking a look at the haphazardly wrapped box, "you'll find a pocket watch. Now, not to sound cliché or anything, but it's not an ordinary pocket watch. This little doo-hickey has been passed down in our family for generations. Ideally it would've gone to your father, but he never had the zeal for history to really appreciate its abilities. I'm sure you, on the other hand, will make full use of everything it has to offer. You see, this watch will transport you to a random time and place in history. You should know though, you won't be living history as Michael, instead you always end up sort of jumping into someone else's life (makes it a lot easier to blend in I bet)." You pause, you reread what you just read. a magic watch? It's so impossible, but your grandfather would have no reason to lie, especially not now. You keep reading, "All you have to do is press down the button at the top of the watch, and to return back to your own body and time, just press it again! However, you DO have to wait a couple days in-between "trips," but don't worry! You'll always come back to just where you left off.
Love, your Grandpa Milo"
You skim through the letter one more time, making sure you read everything right. "A time traveling watch?" you whisper to yourself, still trying to wrap your head around the idea. You grab the little box, untie the twine and rip off the paper wrapping. Underneath you find a black velvet box with a golden clasp, and inside, a bronze pocket watch with intricate leaf designs carved on it. Opening it, you see that it truly looks like an ordinary watch and its chain. Its hands are running, and you compare the time to your phone's clock and see that it's perfectly synced, not a second too fast or slow. You run a hand through your hair and let out a puff of air. "A magic, time-traveling pocket watch," you say to yourself, as if saying it out loud would make it any more believable. You shrug and press down on the small, round button at the top of the watch, after all you have nothing to lose.
As soon as you push it there's a clicking sound and you feel something like a static spark on your thumb, The hands start spinning backwards, gaining speed every second until they're spinning so fast you can't even see them. A burst of golden light flashes from the center of the watch's face and blinds you.
When you open your eyes you gasp loudly. Grandpa Milo wasn't lying. You stand with your mouth hanging in awe; you're no longer in your room, instead you're in...