The Girl Who Was Afraid of the Future by Teodora Leon

“Dad, I don’t want to grow up.”
James Wilson was startled by the silvery voice. He stopped reading the newspaper and looked carefully at his 9-year-old daughter, who was standing in front of him. “Why are you saying this, Natty, dear?” he asked, patting her on the shoulder.
“I’m scared of the future… What if it’s going to be absolutely horrible? I won’t have time to play all day long. I want to be a child forever…” the girl answered as a tear rolled down her cheek.
Mr. Wilson sighed, pulled her towards him and hugged her tightly. “My darling, you don’t have to worry about this now, you can still enjoy your childhood. And trust me, you’ll have a beautiful life… A bright future!” he said, gently stroking Natalie’s hair.
“How can you be so sure?” came the brittle whisper.
“I just know… And one day I will prove it to you.”

Natalie Wilson’s father was a brilliant inventor with a successful life. The girl would always help him with the inventions and be the first one to test them. Mr. Wilson’s last creation, though, was built in total secrecy. When Natalie’s 14th birthday came, the inventor was ready to reveal the surprise. The girl didn’t have the slightest idea that her new present would change her life forever…
“Natty, are you enjoying your birthday?” James asked, standing at the bedroom door and looking around him. Natalie was sitting at her desk, working on one of her stories. Her room was full of smiling stuffed toys, colorful fairies with sparkling wings and intriguing books. Natalie would read them all over again and eventually get bored of them. That’s why she loved to write her own stories and come up with new exciting plots. She dreamed to become a writer some day. There were not many girls like her…
“Yes, I am, but... I’m growing too fast. I’m already 14… Time passes by so quickly and, to be honest, it’s quite scary. I don’t want my childhood to end. If only I could stop the time and stay like this forever…” the girl answered.
“Cheer up, sweetheart! You’re still my little girl. And I guess I could need my partner in the lab for a while. There’s something waiting for you there.” Mr. Wilson said and winked.
“Another surprise? Dad, it’s too much…”
“Anything for you, darling. What are you waiting for? Let’s go and see what this is about.”
Natalie didn’t wait to be told twice. She quickly ran downstairs, put on her coat and waited for her father to join her. Half an hour later she was standing in the middle of the lab, next to the invention, which was covered by a big thick blanket. “Why didn’t you tell me anything about it? I could have helped you once in a while, given you some ideas…”
“It needed to be a secret. I’ve made it just for you. So, my dear Natty, I’m pleased to show you my one and only spectacular time machine!”
As James pulled the blanket and revealed the invention, Natalie let out a faint gasp. She had traveled in time before… Only in stories, of course. She couldn’t believe that an actual time machine stood in front of her, waiting to be used wisely. It looked like a modern car, but the inside reminded her of a rocket because of the flashing green and red lights.
“I want to take you to the future...” Mr. Wilson said, but he stopped when he saw Natalie’s frightened look. Her eyes started to twitch nervously and her hands were trembling uncontrollably.
“You know I’m afraid… I can’t go. It might even be a high risk… Are you absolutely sure that I don’t have an unfortunate future?”
The inventor was left speechless for a few moments. He had been telling himself that his daughter would accomplish her dreams when she got older. But what if Natalie was right? What if there would be something going wrong? James refused to believe such a thing, so he put on an encouraging smile and said: “I’m sure. Believe me.”
It wasn’t long until the inventor pushed the car outside, in an old, deserted alley, ready to try it out. As he was pressing all sorts of buttons, Natalie sat down next to her father and took a deep breath, trying to overcome her worries. A cold chill ran down her spine. She was worried… Or maybe it was just the autumn breeze. Everything was supposed to go right, the girl trusted her father with all her heart… After a matter of seconds, the engine roar interrupted her train of thoughts and the car started to gain speed. Just when Natalie thought that they were about to hit the wall of an abandoned building, she found herself flying through a tunnel. Stripes of colors hit her eyes. A loud ear-splitting beep made her head hurt. Suddenly the time machine began to slow down in order to allow the girl to see short, but delighting flashes from the future. There she was, an inspiring international best-selling author of teen fiction, a fulfilled writer with readers all over the world. Natalie gasped as she saw herself receiving a special award for one of her books. “Dad… It’s amazing! Just look at this…” she shouted, barely containing her excitement. James smiled in awe. His invention worked wonderfully and his daughter’s future turned out to be a dream come true.
While Natalie kept looking at the flashes, the inventor spotted something. A small dark flash. He saw the girl driving in her car. In the following second there was a car accident. Countless shattered pieces of broken glass were lying on the pavement. Teary-eyed witnesses were describing the event. Front pages from newspapers were announcing Natalie’s tragic death at the age of 34. 16th of September. Her birthday. And just before a book launch party. James’ heart was beating unbelievably fast, but he tried to hide his terrified look. He couldn’t let Natalie see this. The inventor pushed a button and looked straight into his daughter’s eyes. “Time to go home.”
As soon as they got back in the old, dirty alley, Natalie jumped out of the car, humming happily. There were no more cold shivers, the gentle breeze made her cheeks tingle pleasantly. She ran towards her father and hugged him tightly. She didn’t say anything, but her big warm smile and her tears of joy spoke a thousand words. James had to keep another secret hidden from her. But it was for her own good…

20 years later, on the 16th of September, Natalie was driving towards the cemetery to see her father’s grave. Before he died, the inventor had given a letter to his daughter, telling her to open it on her 34th birthday. James had asked her to come to his grave on that afternoon. He actually wanted her to change her route before going to the launch party so as to avoid the car accident. When she arrived to the cemetery, Natalie placed a flower bouquet on James’ grave and closed her eyes, listening to the rustling of the leaves. Before leaving, she smiled and whispered: “Thank you, Dad.” As the sun was setting, the young writer got back into her car and headed towards the book launch party. She could still enjoy her life as a writer.
She was not afraid anymore… She was not afraid of the future because only the future let her experience something new everyday. I know Natalie’s story, I know it better than anyone else. I was there, in the time machine, on my 14th birthday…