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A Christmas Without TimeThe clock in the town square had stopped, its hands frozen at midnight. Snow blanketed the streets, clinging to lampposts and rooftops, but there was no movement—no sound except the soft crunch of Erin’s boots. Her watch flickered weakly, its usual glow dim. Its holographic assistant, Lyric, emerged from its face, her projection pale against the snowy backdrop. “Time is fractured here, December 24th, 1914,” Lyric said. “The disruption originates at the church. This moment must end before it unravels the timeline.” Erin trudged on, her breath fogging in the cold. The frozen world around her was beautiful and eerie—children caught mid-sled ride, carolers with mouths open but no sound. Christmas was meant to be a time of joy, not this lifeless tableau. Inside the church, she found a man standing at the altar. Unlike the rest of the world, he moved, though his shoulders slumped with weariness. Around him, a small family sat frozen in time—his wife and two young children, their laughter captured in stillness like a painted scene. “They were everything,” he said without turning to her, his voice raw. “I just wanted one last Christmas with them.” Erin stepped closer, her watch pulsing faintly. The man’s eyes fixed on his family. “The accident took them too soon. I’ve spent years perfecting this moment—fixing every detail. I thought… if I could just have this day again, it would make the pain go away.” Her heart ached, but she spoke firmly. “You’ve trapped them in an illusion. They can’t laugh with you, feel the warmth of the fire, or share this day. Time can’t heal when it’s frozen. Let them go, and let yourself move forward.” His grip on the temporal device faltered. “I don’t know if I can.” “You can,” Erin said softly. “Because this isn’t the last time you’ll feel love. Time moves forward for a reason—to show you that even in loss, life can begin again.” After a long moment, and with a shuddering breath, the man released the device. It fell to the stone floor, its glow extinguished. Around them, the air shimmered as the fracture healed. The bells in the church tower chimed midnight, and the frozen world stirred to life. The man turned to Erin, tears streaming down his face. “Thank you,” he whispered, before vanishing with his family—a temporal remnant fading as time corrected itself. Erin stepped into the snow-dusted streets, life once again in motion around her. Lyric appeared at her side, her holographic form glowing faintly. “You succeeded,” she said gently. Erin nodded, her gaze lingering on the bustling town square. The ache in her chest remained, but so did the faint hope Lyric’s words had sparked. Perhaps, even for her, time could heal. — Merry Christmas! This is the ninth micro story from the world of $TIME, a time-travel story coin on Solana that follows Time Keeper Eve on her journey to save her world. Micro stories, exclusive to Reddit, offer glimpses into the past and present, away from the main storyline. Follow the project for MC-driven chapter unlocks, community milestones and stay tuned to Reddit for daily stories.
submitted by /u/treddiann |
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