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 May. 2 2011 at 8:10 pm
smilemaddysmile BRONZE, Laguna Niguel, California
4 articles 3 photos 2 comments

Favorite Quote:
"The function of music is to release from the tyranny of conscious thought." -- Sir Thomas Beecham

great job! the eeriness/suspense was... unnervingly precise. i mean it in a good way when i say i was thoroughly creeped out, haha!

on May. 2 2011 at 6:11 pm
rachelnicole1257 SILVER, Mountain Home, Idaho
6 articles 0 photos 24 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Expecting the world to treat you fairly because you are good is like expecting bull not to charge because you are a vegetarian." ~Dennis Wholey

I was intrigued by the first half of the story, but I didn't care much for the ending. It could have been a little stronger. I think you have a lot of potential as a writer though. Keep writing! :)

on May. 2 2011 at 4:05 pm
Cerberus SILVER, Middletown, Ohio
8 articles 3 photos 10 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Be a leader, not a follower."

personally i would have closed the ending a little more but thts just my style. But i still liked :) it was very...consumeing

on May. 2 2011 at 3:22 pm
elliottch BRONZE, Superior, Montana
1 article 0 photos 8 comments
what happened??? I DON'T GET IT! :)

on May. 2 2011 at 8:58 am
wildewriter16, London, Other
0 articles 0 photos 1 comment
This was a great story! I loved the cliffhanger at the end. Fantastic job, I hope you keep writing!

ArcaneGhost said...
on Apr. 10 2011 at 8:46 pm
ArcaneGhost, Hendersonville, Tennessee
0 articles 0 photos 43 comments
Extremely intriguing. Is this a disorder or an awareness that people really have? I can see how one would be distraught when there is a deviation from the normal routine.

on Apr. 10 2011 at 7:58 am
RadiahMariaBelak BRONZE, Singapore, Other
1 article 3 photos 63 comments
man, i hate the red goop part. it really pictured in my mind and im afraid of blood~~ good story but pretty weird ending...

on Mar. 19 2011 at 7:18 pm
PadmeAmidala GOLD, Ramona, California
17 articles 0 photos 18 comments

Favorite Quote:
"All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us."

You know what's so weird is that I count every minute too, but not down the the ".5"'s and such. Seriously, I can't even pour water into a water bottle for school that day if I might be late, because that one minute of whatever could take up too much time. With me, rushing on a school day, every minute counts.

on Mar. 19 2011 at 6:58 pm
Gettysburg63 PLATINUM, Waukesha, Wisconsin
23 articles 1 photo 42 comments

Favorite Quote:
"If you are going to win any battle, you have to do one thing. You have to make the mind run the body. Never let the body tell the mind what to do... the body is never tired if the mind is not tired." -General George S. Patton

Cool I'm like a 30 minute drive from Kewaskum. Too bas the race track closed there.

on Mar. 19 2011 at 6:23 pm
live2dance SILVER, Rolling Meadows, Illinois
7 articles 0 photos 10 comments

Favorite Quote:
stand in your own place and know you are there.

o gos dat was rele rele good ..wait wat wsas the red goop???

on Mar. 19 2011 at 11:55 am
JelloAngel92 PLATINUM, Dundalk, Other
27 articles 18 photos 64 comments

Favorite Quote:
You've got to have ink in the pen!

Incredible!I would love to know what happens next.

on Feb. 26 2011 at 6:23 pm
Tbug1997 PLATINUM, Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania
29 articles 1 photo 39 comments

Favorite Quote:
When in doubt... Blame it on your siblings
when life gives you skittles throw them at random people and yell FEEL THE RAINBOW

this is an awesome story i want to read more of this great job

on Feb. 25 2011 at 10:18 pm
Karamel PLATINUM, Gwinn, Michigan
35 articles 0 photos 38 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Clever people will recognize and tolerate nothing but cleverness." -Anonymous

This has got to be the creepiest thing I have ever read on TeenInk. Kudos. But also kudos in a sarcastic way, as in, 'congratulations, I'm probably not going to fall asleep tonight.' But seriously, good work. ;)

on Feb. 25 2011 at 9:48 am
IPlayCOD BRONZE, State Center, Iowa
1 article 0 photos 2 comments

Favorite Quote:
"You're such a noob."

Writing with all the number really shows what is going on. 

MusiGal BRONZE said...
on Feb. 25 2011 at 9:41 am
MusiGal BRONZE, Liscomb, Iowa
1 article 0 photos 1 comment
I loved this! You created so much suspense that I was extremely upset when it ended. It has a big impact on most people nowadays because of their schedules.

on Feb. 25 2011 at 9:41 am
KatieDavis BRONZE, Ames, Iowa
1 article 0 photos 1 comment
I really enjoyed your story. I like the imagery you used when talking about waking up in the morning and having to let the dog out. I also like your use of time, it really shows how people go through their day. The ending was also very suspenseful, which made the story exciting.

on Feb. 25 2011 at 8:57 am
hollatyoboylc BRONZE, Marshalltown, Iowa
1 article 0 photos 2 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Hey get your finger out of there!"- Justin Crist
"Lil coke on my gum like my tooth hurt"- Lil' Wayne
"I dont even talk i let the visa speak"- Lil' Wayne

This piece was great. Your story wants us to read more of it!

rgilgen12 said...
on Feb. 25 2011 at 8:53 am
rgilgen12, Marshalltown, Iowa
0 articles 0 photos 2 comments
I thought it was really suspenseful and really good

on Feb. 25 2011 at 8:50 am
bbrockman BRONZE, Marshalltown, Iowa
2 articles 0 photos 2 comments
The was an very well written piece. It was very thought out and well planned.

on Feb. 17 2011 at 5:13 pm
Wordscantsay BRONZE, Yuma, Arizona
1 article 1 photo 74 comments

Favorite Quote:
When she was just a girl she expected the world. But it flew away from her reach, so she ran away in her sleep...
- Coldplay

Very good writing.....i like ur use of time=]