The Letters of Viola
In the cramped attic of her grandmother’s old home, Viola pushed aside cobwebs and creaking boxes until she uncovered an unmarked trunk. Within lay dozens of letters, each one signed with her grandmother’s familiar initials—and a curious symbol she didn’t recognize. As she carefully unfolded the first letter, the symbol caught her eye again, alongside a single phrase: “Gather $TIME and the watch.” That small mention sent an electric thrill through her.
Reading on, Viola discovered her grandmother had lived a secret life tied to the Time Keepers—individuals who used a mysterious watch to mend pivotal moments in history. Each letter described a different leap: clandestine missions to rescue lost documents in war-torn eras, nights spent comforting strangers on the brink of despair, and fleeting instants of love found and lost in the flow of time. The more Viola read, the more the attic blurred around her. Words glowed on the page, and suddenly, she was no longer in the attic.
She found herself witnessing her grandmother’s experiences firsthand—an evening in a smoky 1930s jazz club, where her grandmother danced with a wounded soldier whose life she would later save. Another letter whisked Viola to the silent corridors of a future hospital, where her grandmother had risked everything to deliver a crucial antidote. Each memory ended in a swirl of light, depositing Viola back in the attic, breathless and heart pounding.
Then came the final letter. In it, her grandmother warned of an agonizing choice: “One day you’ll find my watch—one meant to sustain our family’s calling. You’ll be tempted to continue where I left off. But know this: each jump costs more than just $TIME. Every leap shapes the future. You may never return to it as you knew it.”
Viola sat amid scattered envelopes and lingering stardust from her grandmother’s timeline leaps. She held the last letter with trembling fingers, realizing the watch must be hidden somewhere in the attic. The text made plain that carrying on as a Time Keeper could enrich countless lives—but might also cost Viola her own place in the present she cherished.
She let out a slow breath. In that silent moment, she felt the weight of her grandmother’s legacy, each letter a testament to joy, grief, and boundless courage. The trunk creaked as she closed it, a tiny swirl of dust dancing in the lamplight. Would she hunt for the watch and embrace her grandmother’s path? Or would she forge a new destiny using what she’d learned—without taking on the burden of time travel?
Somewhere downstairs, a floorboard sighed, as though the house itself held its breath in anticipation. Viola tucked the letters under her arm and made her way toward the attic stairs, mind whirling. Her grandmother’s secrets were hers now, and with them came a fate only she could decide.
Micro stories are a content feature offered by $TIME's dev Woj. Handwritten and accompanied by art, they serve to deepen the story world we're creating here. Enjoy!
