GUARDIAN OF TIME - short story

Katarzyna Nowocin-Kowalczyk
May 27, 2024
10 min read

Updated: Jul 4

July 13th, 2020

story from the book: NOT EVERYTHING IS LIKE IT SEEMS Life-written Fairy Tales for Adults

by Katarzyna Nowocin-Kowalczyk

A woman sat in the park on a bench right next to the water. She liked to come here and she liked her silence. Although this silence was not silence at all, although it was. The rustling of the wind dancing in the leaves of the trees, the sound of water flowing into the pond, the singing of birds, the splash of a jumping fish, quacking ducks, gaggling wild geese, and somewhere in the distance the joyful screams of children playing and the sound of conversations of people walking. Someone rode a bicycle, a dog barked somewhere. A plane flew upstairs. And yet silence. As if time had stopped. But it was flowing.

The woman watched all this as if locked in some kind of space-time bubble, in which there is neither time nor space. She was here and now, and at the same time she was in another world. In a world of her own thoughts and her imagination. As if she were in two worlds at the same time.

She was thinking about her life so far. About how everything was perfectly arranged in it. It could seem as if it had been planned in advance, before she was even born. A detailed script, somewhere up there, in another dimension. And every element of her life, like a puzzle, perfectly combined with other seemingly distant events. She thought about the consequences of every decision made or not made at some point, and how every person she met in life was for something. And also about how everything in her life had its time. As if someone was watching over it, so that everything happened exactly when it was supposed to happen.

She thought about what she hadn't done. About her missed opportunities. She recalled a friend from her early youth. They were teenagers at the time. The friend played tennis very well, she played table tennis. He offered to teach her his game. It ended up with one or two visits to the court. She didn't do well, so she gave up. And then she thought about it all her life. About the fact that she would have liked to be able to play tennis. And the thought was coming back– You gave up quickly, girl. One failure was enough, and you decided it wasn't for you. You doubted yourself. You didn't trust yourself. You didn't take advantage of that time. And somehow she never had the opportunity to go back to it and learn how to play tennis. Although perhaps there were opportunities, but somehow there was no more time for it. Something else was important.

And as she thought about these various missed opportunities, how everything has its time in this life and how perfectly arranged it is, suddenly an older, tall, slim man in a hat stood in front of her. He appeared as if out of nowhere. Or maybe she just didn't notice him, immersed in her thoughts and in her world. She looked at him with a surprised and somewhat unconscious look, as if someone or something had violently thrown her into earthly reality. The man was serious, his face stern, his eyes piercing. He exuded calm and strength. But it was not an earthly force. This force flowed from within. And there was something strangely familiar in him, though she couldn't say what it was. As if she had known him forever. She felt friendship, but also respect at the same time. He smiled at her gently, but as if invisibly. He looked at the spot next to her, as if without words he was asking if he could sit there. The woman also answered without words–yes. The conversation began strangely.

They sat in silence for a moment. But she didn't feel abashed. She had the impression that she is sitting next to a friend with whom she could simply remain silent. She returned to her thoughts about the passage of time and its perfect script.

"Time is your life," she suddenly heard the silent, deep, but pleasant voice of the stranger she knew. Did he read her thoughts?

"It’s beautiful here," she replied, as if not wanting to admit to her thoughts.

“Life on earth is beautiful, only some do not notice it. They forgot.”

“How did they forget it?” She asked surprised.

“They just forgot. Just as they forgot why they came here into this life. It's time for them to remind themselves.”

“I don't understand. How are they supposed to remind themselves?

“Time has stopped so that they will remind themselves. Time has accelerated and slowed down at the same time.”

“ How can time speed up and slow down at the same time?” The woman was more and more intrigued. “Time can do anything.”

“What does it mean that time has accelerated and slowed down at the same time?

"Time gave people time to understand what they were supposed to understand. However, people did not want to understand. And the time given for this lesson is just ending. Therefore, time accelerated, accelerating events and stopped at the same time. It kept people in their lives to remind them what they had forgotten.”

“And what are people supposed to understand?”

“What is really important in life. And who they are and why they came here into this life.”

“And what is important in life?”

“You don't have to ask about it. You've always known that intuitively. That's why you never got attached to matter. You have been and are free. There is no fear in you.”

The woman did not answer. She pondered the old man's response. Like in a kaleidoscope, various situations from her life flashed through her head. “Yes...he is right...” she thought. She easily closed the door of the past and went into the new, though unknown, with confidence and some kind of faith that she would manage and everything would be fine. And it was. Different, but always interesting. Like on a trip. Although she also happened to stop once, somewhere for a longer time and not listen to the inner voice. That was the time when she was suffering. A time when she wanted to stop time. Unsuccessfully.

“Man cannot stop time.” Said the man as if in response to her thoughts.

“And who controls time?”

“Guardians of time.

“Guardians of time?” Her curiosity grew with each passing moment. “Who are the guardians of time?”

“The guards make sure that everything happens at the right time. They can shorten or lengthen the time, they can speed it up, slow it down or stop it.”

“And can they repeat the time?”

“No time is the same twice, just as there isn’t the same water twice flowing in the river. Time flows like a river. And everything is assigned to a given time. A moment in history.”

“Does this mean that everything is written in advance?”

“Everything leads where it is supposed to lead. Everything has its place in time and everything is for something. Although some believe that everything is a series of coincidences. Human naivety and unbelief.” He sighed almost inaudibly at the last sentence.

“ Every event you experience and every person you meet have their place, time and meaning. Every leader or politician is also appointed for a given time and is for something. People are just passers-by in your life, just like you are a passer-by in their life. You are simply given time together at a certain time. Sometimes longer, sometimes shorter, but it is always the time you give to each other. And it is you who decide on the quality of this time.”

The woman became pensive again. She remembered how she had once given someone a watch, and many years later someone had gifted her with a watch. She began to wonder if these situations were somehow connected with each other. Again, the older man, as if reading her thoughts, replied. This time it didn't surprise her anymore.

"Your time was up then, but you didn't want to go any further. You stuck to the old and wanted to stop time. And then the guard had to intervene. He was the one who gave you the thought, appeared as a watchmaker and sold you a beautiful watch, which you then lovingly gave to that man. A beautiful and expensive watch, because it was a beautiful and precious time in your life. In this way, the guard offered you his time and shortened your time with that man. Because each of you had to go your own way. Then time sped up. A lot was happening in a short time. But you suffered because you didn't leave at the right time. And when you overcame the suffering, time slowed down, and you started smiling again.”

"You said that the guards make sure that everything takes place at the right time. So why didn't I leave sooner?”

“Man has free will and does not always listen to the voice of his soul. He often clings to the old time. And each time has its own guardian. When time changes, the old guardian of time leaves and the new one comes with a new time. And when a person does not want to enter into the new and understand what is supposed to be understood, then the guard accelerates time and events. It is often associated with pain and upheaval in life or history.”

“And what happened when, many years later, someone else gave me a watch?”

“History has come full circle. It was repeated, although vice versa and at a different time.”

“ I don't understand.”

"Then you also suffered after parting with someone you loved and who loved you. But this time you didn't try to stop time. You trusted yourself and left. Subconsciously, you knew that this was not your time yet. You both had to understand something else and experience something separately. Go other ways to reach the intersection where your paths have crossed again. You told the man that you would meet in five years and talk. You have determined the time. Then another watchmaker appeared in your life, who led you through the difficult time of transition for you after parting. At the end, he gave you a watch. He cut your time off from a man in half. The watchmaker gave you his own time. And now he could leave and make room for a new time and a new guard.”

"And why did I meet this man when we weren't ready for this love? Doesn't that mean it wasn't our time?”

But it was your time. If you had not experienced the happiness of that love and then the pain of separation, you would not have understood what your love is and how important it is. You would not be able to value this love.”

“All of this is strange. But it makes sense. And while it's hard to understand, it seems so simple when you talk about it.” The woman thought again and remembered the second watchmaker.

"You know," she said, "when I went through that difficult time after the second breakup, I couldn't decide for a long time which way to take in my new life. Apparently I had many roads ahead of me and each one seemed interesting, but I was drawn only to one road. However, for some reason, I was still hesitant. And then I met that watchmaker again. Apparently he was healthy, as if everything was fine, and yet I had the impression that life escapes from him. As if he was fading before my eyes. And then I thought that I no longer had time to think about choosing the path and postpone life until tomorrow. I trusted myself and set out on the path I had chosen in the beginning. And something strange happened.

The other roads, as if intertwined with the most important one...” The woman thought again for a moment, then in reverie she said “And then the watchmaker left...” Again she became pensive and after a while continued her story. “And when I entered this new road, everything went quickly. Everything was favorable for me. All the doors opened. New people appeared with their hand outstretched to help. It was as if I was surrounded by earthly angels who were just waiting to help me and carry me on their wings through all the meanders of the river so that I could soar high. As if a new time and a new energy.”

“That's how the guards leave. Quietly and noiselessly. And so come the new guards with a new time. They come with panache.” Said a stranger thoughtfully.

Again, they sat for a moment without saying anything. The woman watched the ducks walking with wobbling steps, approaching people without fear. They just walked where they wanted. As if they knew that this space around the water belongs to them.

“And what about loved ones who die?” She asked suddenly.

"They don't die. They just go home. Their time is up. They came here to give someone their time and bring that person to a predetermined hsrbor. And then they leave so that this person can live.”

“What is time?”

“Time is like playing tennis. It requires fitness, reflexes, watch-making precision and intuition. When you catch the ball, it's like catching your moment at a given time. Exactly at this given moment. If you do not react properly, you are late, the ball will fly away. Moment in time will fly away irretrievably. You start a new game because you can't go back to the old one or repeat it. However, you can win this new game if you learn to play and catch the ball. Catch your moments. Because time, like life, consists of moments. From used or missed opportunities. And at the end of this game, you remember all those passed balls and all those missed chances. That is why it is worth catching your moments. Fitness in life is also useful,” he added with a slight, barely visible smile. “Fitness is your health. It is worth taking care of yourself.”

“And thus the end became the beginning.” This time the woman smiled, recalling her thoughts from the beginning of this strange conversation.

"It's time for me," said the familiar stranger as he got up from the bench. “It's time for the new.” Saying this, he bowed slightly as if to say “Thank you for this time together.”

The woman watched the man walking away. She had the impression as if life was escaping him. As if he was fading before her eyes.

“Thank you for this time together, guard.” She said quietly, smiling lightly and as if gratefully.

"Thank you for coming to say goodbye to me. It was a good time and it is just over. It's time to go into the new. How the new will be is only up to me. This time, I'll catch all the balls. It will be a very good round. Very good time. The best.”

*****