Wishing For More Time

Chapter 1
Part 1

“I can’t be here! I can’t stand to see my mom like this!” Clare Summers sighed as she recalled her nephew’s words and looked at the bed on her right. The red-haired forty-one-year-old frowned sadly as she took in the appearance of the person in the bed. The person was a woman, but it was hard to tell at first glance. She was thin—not bone thin, but close. Her cheeks had sunken deeply, and heavy bags were under her eyes. Finally, the woman on the bed's skin was sickly white, and her hair had fallen out. Clare sighed again and walked up to the bed. She glanced down at her sister, Judith Redfield, for a second, then took her hand. Clare’s frown deepened at how cold her 39-year-old sister’s hand felt. She looked at the heart monitor near the bed. Clare’s sister’s heartbeat was faint. Judith didn’t have much time left, but her son didn’t seem to realize or, more likely, was in denial about his mother’s state of being. Clare looked back at the door, hoping, wishing that her nephew would come through that door. “...Like wishing would actually do anything,” the black-haired woman said sadly when no one came through the door. She stared at the door for a few more seconds, sighed, and left the room, feeling the need for some fresh air to clear her head. Clare closed the door just as a faint purple glow surrounded her sister, and Judith moaned slightly. (SC) “...Chris, can I ask you something?” James Redfield looked to his right and saw two men roughly the same age having a light conversation in the hospital lobby. With a sigh, the fifteen-year-old with black hair listened in. “Of course, Ivo,” Chris asked lightheartedly. James watched as the other man, Ivo, chose his words carefully. “How did you meet Kevin and Lissie in college when you and Brandy were nearly ten years older?” Ivo asked curiously. Chris chuckled good-naturally and replied, “That’s real simple; I had a tutor side hustle, and Kevin and Lissie were some I tutored.” James stopped listening and stood up with a sullen sigh. He looked at the two middle-aged men for a second and then walked out of the lobby. He stopped at the elevator and stared at the door, frowning. The young man let out a sigh and looked away from the elevator. James walked off in a random direction, eyes downcast. He wandered the hall for the next few minutes, not paying attention to where he was going. James eventually found himself near the children’s ward, where the sound of music got his attention. Curious, he ventured over to the door and peeked in. The sight the fifteen-year-old saw was both surprising and cute: a band of little kids were singing to the children's patients. It didn’t take long for James to remember what the kid band was called, and he decided to listen as the Little Guardians continued their number. “...AND I ASK WHEWE AWE ALL THE HEWOS!!” The lead singer sang with childish energy. James couldn’t help but smile alongside all the children in the wing. He found the idea novel: children cheering up sick children. Still, he wouldn’t deny that it seemed to be work. He looked at patients; his smile faded somewhat as he realized how happy they looked. “...I wish I could forget my problems that easily?” James muttered sorrowfully. James tried to focus on the band but found his slightly good mood ruined by the reality of why he was in the hospital in the first place. He couldn’t get his mind off things, and after another few minutes of listening, he wandered off again. James wandered the halls for a few minutes but eventually left the building and found himself on the front lawn. The fifteen-year-old looked around and saw that the area was devoid of any other people. He continued to look around and eventually found something. James frowned as he approached the old well. Although he had been visiting this hospital for over ten months since his mother’s illness, he had never seen this well before. The teenager ran his hands along the top of the well, which felt old, probably older than the hospital. “Where did you come from?” James asked the well, looking down. The teenager frowned when he noticed he couldn’t see the bottom of the well despite it being a clear day and nothing hanging over it. James stared down the well for about five minutes before sighing. He turned to leave when a strange feeling came over him. James suddenly wanted to make a wish on the old well. He looked over at the well, frowning. He tried to ignore this feeling but found it too strong. So, with a frustrated sigh, James took a penny from his jeans pocket. Lazily tossing it into the well, he made the first wish that came to his mind. “I wish I had more time with my mother.” James stared at the well for a few seconds, thinking something might happen. He shook his head and clicked his tongue, angry with himself for his childishness. “Like wishing does anything,” James scoffed bitterly. The teenager looked away from the well, missing the wisp of purple smoke that rose from it. (SC) James sighed as he stared at the door leading to his mother’s room. After some more aimless wondering, the young man had found himself in the one place he didn’t want to be. He stared at the door for a while, pondering if he wanted to go in and at least see his mother. James looked at the door handle and reached for it. The black-haired teen’s face twisted in conflict as his hand hovered over the handle a mere inch. “Is someone there?” James’s eyes snapped open, and he threw the door open. He stumbled as he rushed into the hospital room. He nearly fell face-first to the ground but managed to keep himself upright upright. “Is everything okay, Jimmy?” James heard a soft voice ask in concern. James’s entire body locked up as his breath caught in his throat, and his hands shook. He didn’t want to look up, fearing that if he did, it would break whatever fantasy his mind thought to torment him with. Slowly, James gathered his courage and turned his head upwards. His mouth dried out as he looked upon the woman sitting up in the hospital bed. Judith had regained a color to her skin, giving it a healthy light pink shine. She had also regained a lot of weight, and her face looked fuller as her cheeks were no longer sunken. The most surprising thing about this was Judith’s hair; it had completely regrown and returned to its full black color and shined with a glow that James hadn’t seen since he was a little boy. “Mom…?” James asked breathlessly, tears building. The fifteen-year-old stumbled forward, his eyes locked on the woman before him. James studied his mother, looking for clues that this was a trick. He reached the bed and slowly, tenderly reached out to touch her face. Judith must have seen how her son was acting, and she offered him a smile that James would know anywhere. That was the final straw, and James threw himself onto his mother, tears flowing freely. “MOOOMM!” James screamed as he hugged his mother tightly. Judith was surprised when her son hugged her, but she stroked James’s head comfortingly. She let her son air his emotions as she thought about what happened to her. The woman found it odd; she was close to death when she felt something suddenly washed over her. This mysterious feeling caused her to open her eyes with a strength she hadn’t in a while. Before Judith could figure out where she got all this energy, she noticed her skin tingling. She watched as her skin regained color, and her body quickly gained weight. It freaked her out as she felt her muscles tense and firm up. Judith’s panic grew as she felt a pain in her lungs. After a few pain-filled seconds, she found herself breathing without problems. She nearly had a panic attack when her head inched, and she felt her hair rapidly growing. Trying to keep herself in control, Judith did the first thing that came to mind and called for help. That’s when her son rushed into the room, and things got crazy. Still, having her son here was grounding Judith. She sighed as she continued to comfort James. It took nearly ten minutes, but James finally ran out of tears. Then, the teenager collected himself and pulled away from his mom. He looked at his mom with a smile but frowned as he noticed something. He got closer and studied Judith’s face. Judith noticed her son’s sudden change and frowned, as having her son suddenly study her made her a little uneasy. James continued to look at his mother, taking in the changes in her appearance. He watched as the crowfeet around her eyes softened and disappeared. “...James?” Judith moaned meekly. James didn’t hear his mother, focusing with all his might on Judith’s face. The man watched as his mother’s hair got a bit fuller, and the hint of gray that was starting to appear before her sickness took a turn for the worse faded from Judith’s hair. James also could see his mother’s skin firming up around the jaw. “Jimmy…What’s wrong?” Judith asked uneasily. The woman gasped when she heard her voice: it was slightly higher than it should be. Curious, Judith looked at her arm and noticed how thin it had become. No, she realized, it was still getting thinner, less sharp. Judith turned her attention to her hand and saw it was smaller. She flexed her fingers and watched as they got shorter. Looking up at her son, she nearly panicked when she saw that James looked bigger. “W-What’s happening to me?” Judith squeaked out. Hearing his mother’s voice breaking broke James out of his trace, and he tried to piece together what was happening to his mother. The young man studied his mother’s face and realized what was different about her. She was younger! James would figure that his mother looked how she did when she was around her mid-twenties, and from the looks of things, she was still getting younger. James watched as his mother continued to slip into her teen years, taking note of the changes happening to Judith. As she left her twenties, the changes in her face became more noticeable. Judith’s face softened as her cheeks loosened and lowered. Strangely, her hair started to grow out. It now reached the base of her neck and was still growing. “Jimmy…” Judith said, sounding like a scared teen, “I’m scared.” James blinked when he realized his mother didn’t sound like a scared teen…she had become one. Judith was fifteen years old, the same age as her son. Something inside James suddenly changed. He could no longer see the woman…the girl in front of him as his mother. Instead, all he saw was like a sister who needed some brotherly love. “Hey,” James said gently. “It’s going to be okay. I’m here.” James surprised himself when he hugged the girl who had been his mother just a minute before. He wasn’t the only one surprised by this; Judith’s eyes were wide from the sudden hug. It wasn’t long before the two overcame their shock, and the thirteen-year-old melted into the boy’s embrace, letting her…brother’s presence soothe her as she continued her descent to childhood. James could feel Judith shrinking in his arms. Looking down at her, he noticed his sister was around ten and had lost the last of her mature body. Her hospital gown looked silly on her, barely staying on the girl’s shrinking body. The 15-year-old watched as baby fat ballooned on Judith’s face, making her look cute. Curious, James gently grabbed the right sleeve of his sister’s gown and pulled it back. Judith looked at her arm, and the two watched as the girl’s arms shortened and fingers turned stubby. The sibling watched Judith’s arm for a minute, and then James turned his attention to his sister. He frowned as he took in Judith’s appearance. He figures his new sister was around four years old. The 15-year-old stared at Judith for a minute and saw that she wasn’t getting any younger. James figured this strange occurrence was finally over, but that raised one question in the teenager’s mind. “...Now what?” Before he could ponder this question, James and Judith heard something hit the floor. James looked over his shoulder and saw his aunt at the door, a cup of spilled coffee at her feet. Clare looked white as a sheet, her mouth moving, but no words came out. It didn’t take long for James to figure out that she saw some of Judith’s regression. “Umm,” James said awkwardly, “I can’t explain.” Judith looked at her former son, glaring slightly at James’s lamb attempt at humor to lighten the mood. She then looked at her big sister, wondering what Clare was thinking. “What the-” Clare suddenly shouted, and James moved quickly to cover his little sister’s ears.