Sequel: Pangaea ›
Status: Debuted: Friday, February 11th, 2011 and Finished: Sunday, March 11th, 2012
Stopping the World
Prologue
I was given the world as a present on my tenth birthday. Literally, even though that may be hard to believe. I can remember that day as if it were yesterday.
My family had been to my house and were now gone; seeing as they had come over to celebrate my birthday with me and my parents, along with my older brother, Michael. My parents still had yet to give me my gift from them, since they wanted to do it in private.
“So… are you finally ready for your present?” My mother asked me. I nodded vigorously. I had been waiting all day; anticipating exactly what they had for me, seeing as they made a pretty big deal about it.
“Now Marley…” my dad stated, “what we’re about to give you... is extremely important for you to keep a secret. The object that we have is a family heirloom, of sorts, and no one knows about it except for family. So, it is crucial that you tell no one outside of the family about it or to discuss it with, understood?”
“Yes, yes, yes!” I exclaimed, getting impatient now. “Can I just… have it now? It’s killing me not knowing what it is.”
“Okay,” my mom stated, as she started to move towards the hallway; presumably to the hallway closet. We were currently in the living room. I mentally smacked myself, that being the only place I didn’t check when trying to look for the present earlier. It should have been obvious.
When my mother returned, she had both of her hands behind her back. I had no idea what she could have been holding. “Okay, so… here it is,” she said as she slowly brought out the object into view so I could see it.
My excited grin slowly fell as I looked at the object; not really impressed with what I saw. “You got me a... globe?”
“No, honey, it’s not your typical globe,” she said to me. “Look closer.”
I did as I was told, and noticed that it wasn’t touching her hands. I gaped in awe, wondering how it was just levitating above her hands like that. “Whoa. Is it… a magic globe, then?”
“Something like that,” my father piped up. “It’s actually… the world, sweetheart.”
“Well, no duh, Dad,” I said, “all globes are of the earth.”
“That’s not what I meant,” he corrected. “Honey, it isn’t a typical globe, it’s actually… the whole world, at your fingertips.”
“What?” I asked, extremely confused now. I was beginning to think my parents were a bunch of whack-jobs now. “That isn’t possible.”
“Yes, honey, it is,” my mother said. “Just look.” All of a sudden, she took one her hands out from under the object, leaving it floating above just her left hand now. With her right hand, she touched a continent, and a digital screen popped up above the globe. I gazed at it in awe, now looking at the continent of South America, zoomed in so that it just focused on that part of the world. “You can click on any continent, or for an even closer view, you can see zoom in on a country.” I noticed she did so as she said this, pressing a finger on the seemingly touch screen where Brazil was, and it zooming in even more so that now all you could see was the country of Brazil.
“That is… awesome,” I said. “Is it possible to zoom in even closer?”
“Sure,” she said, picking on a random section, and then on with that by picking a city. All of a sudden, there was a sky view of a city in Brazil. She let me admire it for a few more moments before she zoomed back out, and all that was left was the levitating earth again.
“Where on Earth did this come from?” I asked, not realizing the pun until I said it. My parents laughed.
“It’s just something that has been passed down from my family for generations,” my mom spoke up. “It is definitely amazing, alright.”
“So… does that mean that Dad’s side of the family knows nothing about it?” I questioned. Mom’s eyes widened.
“Oh, thanks for pointing that out!” She exclaimed. “No, they don’t, to answer your question. So when you discuss it, be sure that it’s with mine. Your father is the only one I told, because he is your father, after all, and with me… he would have found out about it at some time anyway.”
“Why not give it to Michael?” I questioned. “He is older, so wouldn’t he-”
“It’s only passed down to the girls in the family,” my mother answered. “Strict family tradition, and if you don’t have any girls, well, only then is when you give it to your boy.”
“Oh,” I said. “How was this complex object used… way back when? I didn’t even know complex things like this existed.”
“They didn’t. No one is too sure… who, or how, this thing got created,” my father said.
“Now, Marley,” my mom suddenly stated, “you have to take good care of this, understood? It is a very fragile object, and like we said… you can’t tell anyone about it.”
“Yes, I promise to take care of it,” I said, “Can I hold it now?”
“Whoa, whoa,” she said, stopping me before my fidgety fingers grabbed the object. “One last thing I have to mention before I give it to you, and then you can have it. And this is probably the most important thing; there’s only one rule for having the world.”
“What?” I asked.
“You can’t stop it,” she stated. I just looked at her. “Notice how it is currently rotating and levitating? You can’t stop that. You can, but that is the one thing you are not allowed to do with it.”
“You can’t touch it with both of your hands,” my father further elaborated, demonstrating by picking up a box that was on the table, that had contained a gift from one of my relatives, and holding it between his hands; both of his hands on opposite sides. “That’s what stops it.”
“So it levitates by itself, then?” I asked, “So I won’t have to worry about accidentally touching it when I hold it?”
“Exactly,” my mother said. “It’s like… the actual earth we’re standing on, rotating in space. It just stays there; it doesn’t fall.”
“What happens if I stop it?” I asked.
“Well… let’s not worry about that right now,” she said, avoiding the question. “Let’s just say that what happens isn’t good, and you would get in trouble if you did so. Understood? Do you accept the rule, and promise not to break it?”
“Yes,” I stated. “I accept the rule, and promise not to break it.”
“Alright,” she said. “Now, this earth, well, it’s use, is so that you can see any part of the earth at any time you so desire. And, potentially, you can go there if you wish.”
“Really?” I asked. She nodded.
“That’s actually the second part of your present,” she said. “Michael, get down here! Do you have our bags?”
“Yeah,” he said, sounding irritated. He looked at me with envy; I imagine it was because I got the globe and he did not.
“Where are we going?” I asked.
“Well, I imagine in Paris it would be daytime, so… we’re going to go there,” my mother said. “And we’re going to stay there for a few days. Isn’t that right, James?”
“Hm? Oh, yeah,” he answered distractedly, as I noticed he had somehow maneuvered the earth out of mom’s hands and into his own. He had now zoomed in the earth on Paris.
“So, how does it transport us there?” I asked.
“You touch the location twice, so be careful if you’re just looking at it, not to, because otherwise you’ll end up going to that place, not even expecting it,” my mother explained.
“Cool. Can I transport us there?” I asked. Mom nodded, but sighed when she looked at Dad.
“Honey, give Marley the globe,” she said. “It’s her present, not yours.”
My dad sighed before reluctantly handing it over to me, or floating it over to me. Before I double-touched the location, my mother grabbed my hand.
“What?” I asked impatiently. “Another rule?”
“Well, a temporary one,” she said. “You’re not allowed to travel to any of these places alone until you’re at least sixteen, understood? And only then, for a temporary time. When you turn eighteen is the time when you can travel to places for as long as you want to, seeing as that’s when you’ll officially be an adult.”
“Okay, I’ll do that,” I promised. “Now, can we please, just… go?”
“Alright,” she said. “Double-touch it.” I did as told, and almost instantly, our surroundings changed from that of our home, to that of a street in Paris.
Too bad I didn’t listen to my mother. I ended up stopping the world; the one thing she didn’t want me to do. But it was so that I could be alone with someone, which at the time I thought were fair circumstances, but after would realize just how much trouble it could get me into.
And this is where the story begins; how I broke my promise… in order to be alone with Nicholas Jerry Jonas.
My family had been to my house and were now gone; seeing as they had come over to celebrate my birthday with me and my parents, along with my older brother, Michael. My parents still had yet to give me my gift from them, since they wanted to do it in private.
“So… are you finally ready for your present?” My mother asked me. I nodded vigorously. I had been waiting all day; anticipating exactly what they had for me, seeing as they made a pretty big deal about it.
“Now Marley…” my dad stated, “what we’re about to give you... is extremely important for you to keep a secret. The object that we have is a family heirloom, of sorts, and no one knows about it except for family. So, it is crucial that you tell no one outside of the family about it or to discuss it with, understood?”
“Yes, yes, yes!” I exclaimed, getting impatient now. “Can I just… have it now? It’s killing me not knowing what it is.”
“Okay,” my mom stated, as she started to move towards the hallway; presumably to the hallway closet. We were currently in the living room. I mentally smacked myself, that being the only place I didn’t check when trying to look for the present earlier. It should have been obvious.
When my mother returned, she had both of her hands behind her back. I had no idea what she could have been holding. “Okay, so… here it is,” she said as she slowly brought out the object into view so I could see it.
My excited grin slowly fell as I looked at the object; not really impressed with what I saw. “You got me a... globe?”
“No, honey, it’s not your typical globe,” she said to me. “Look closer.”
I did as I was told, and noticed that it wasn’t touching her hands. I gaped in awe, wondering how it was just levitating above her hands like that. “Whoa. Is it… a magic globe, then?”
“Something like that,” my father piped up. “It’s actually… the world, sweetheart.”
“Well, no duh, Dad,” I said, “all globes are of the earth.”
“That’s not what I meant,” he corrected. “Honey, it isn’t a typical globe, it’s actually… the whole world, at your fingertips.”
“What?” I asked, extremely confused now. I was beginning to think my parents were a bunch of whack-jobs now. “That isn’t possible.”
“Yes, honey, it is,” my mother said. “Just look.” All of a sudden, she took one her hands out from under the object, leaving it floating above just her left hand now. With her right hand, she touched a continent, and a digital screen popped up above the globe. I gazed at it in awe, now looking at the continent of South America, zoomed in so that it just focused on that part of the world. “You can click on any continent, or for an even closer view, you can see zoom in on a country.” I noticed she did so as she said this, pressing a finger on the seemingly touch screen where Brazil was, and it zooming in even more so that now all you could see was the country of Brazil.
“That is… awesome,” I said. “Is it possible to zoom in even closer?”
“Sure,” she said, picking on a random section, and then on with that by picking a city. All of a sudden, there was a sky view of a city in Brazil. She let me admire it for a few more moments before she zoomed back out, and all that was left was the levitating earth again.
“Where on Earth did this come from?” I asked, not realizing the pun until I said it. My parents laughed.
“It’s just something that has been passed down from my family for generations,” my mom spoke up. “It is definitely amazing, alright.”
“So… does that mean that Dad’s side of the family knows nothing about it?” I questioned. Mom’s eyes widened.
“Oh, thanks for pointing that out!” She exclaimed. “No, they don’t, to answer your question. So when you discuss it, be sure that it’s with mine. Your father is the only one I told, because he is your father, after all, and with me… he would have found out about it at some time anyway.”
“Why not give it to Michael?” I questioned. “He is older, so wouldn’t he-”
“It’s only passed down to the girls in the family,” my mother answered. “Strict family tradition, and if you don’t have any girls, well, only then is when you give it to your boy.”
“Oh,” I said. “How was this complex object used… way back when? I didn’t even know complex things like this existed.”
“They didn’t. No one is too sure… who, or how, this thing got created,” my father said.
“Now, Marley,” my mom suddenly stated, “you have to take good care of this, understood? It is a very fragile object, and like we said… you can’t tell anyone about it.”
“Yes, I promise to take care of it,” I said, “Can I hold it now?”
“Whoa, whoa,” she said, stopping me before my fidgety fingers grabbed the object. “One last thing I have to mention before I give it to you, and then you can have it. And this is probably the most important thing; there’s only one rule for having the world.”
“What?” I asked.
“You can’t stop it,” she stated. I just looked at her. “Notice how it is currently rotating and levitating? You can’t stop that. You can, but that is the one thing you are not allowed to do with it.”
“You can’t touch it with both of your hands,” my father further elaborated, demonstrating by picking up a box that was on the table, that had contained a gift from one of my relatives, and holding it between his hands; both of his hands on opposite sides. “That’s what stops it.”
“So it levitates by itself, then?” I asked, “So I won’t have to worry about accidentally touching it when I hold it?”
“Exactly,” my mother said. “It’s like… the actual earth we’re standing on, rotating in space. It just stays there; it doesn’t fall.”
“What happens if I stop it?” I asked.
“Well… let’s not worry about that right now,” she said, avoiding the question. “Let’s just say that what happens isn’t good, and you would get in trouble if you did so. Understood? Do you accept the rule, and promise not to break it?”
“Yes,” I stated. “I accept the rule, and promise not to break it.”
“Alright,” she said. “Now, this earth, well, it’s use, is so that you can see any part of the earth at any time you so desire. And, potentially, you can go there if you wish.”
“Really?” I asked. She nodded.
“That’s actually the second part of your present,” she said. “Michael, get down here! Do you have our bags?”
“Yeah,” he said, sounding irritated. He looked at me with envy; I imagine it was because I got the globe and he did not.
“Where are we going?” I asked.
“Well, I imagine in Paris it would be daytime, so… we’re going to go there,” my mother said. “And we’re going to stay there for a few days. Isn’t that right, James?”
“Hm? Oh, yeah,” he answered distractedly, as I noticed he had somehow maneuvered the earth out of mom’s hands and into his own. He had now zoomed in the earth on Paris.
“So, how does it transport us there?” I asked.
“You touch the location twice, so be careful if you’re just looking at it, not to, because otherwise you’ll end up going to that place, not even expecting it,” my mother explained.
“Cool. Can I transport us there?” I asked. Mom nodded, but sighed when she looked at Dad.
“Honey, give Marley the globe,” she said. “It’s her present, not yours.”
My dad sighed before reluctantly handing it over to me, or floating it over to me. Before I double-touched the location, my mother grabbed my hand.
“What?” I asked impatiently. “Another rule?”
“Well, a temporary one,” she said. “You’re not allowed to travel to any of these places alone until you’re at least sixteen, understood? And only then, for a temporary time. When you turn eighteen is the time when you can travel to places for as long as you want to, seeing as that’s when you’ll officially be an adult.”
“Okay, I’ll do that,” I promised. “Now, can we please, just… go?”
“Alright,” she said. “Double-touch it.” I did as told, and almost instantly, our surroundings changed from that of our home, to that of a street in Paris.
Too bad I didn’t listen to my mother. I ended up stopping the world; the one thing she didn’t want me to do. But it was so that I could be alone with someone, which at the time I thought were fair circumstances, but after would realize just how much trouble it could get me into.
And this is where the story begins; how I broke my promise… in order to be alone with Nicholas Jerry Jonas.
♠ ♠ ♠
And so this... is where the story begins. Sorry if there are any mistakes; I reread this twice, so if I missed anything, let me know. I'm trying to get better at fixing those.Um... so, I must say that I am excited for this story! I was able to come up with a unique idea for it, and I think I know where I'm going with it. But even though I do, I'll let you know now... updates will be every two weeks. Sorry. :( My main focus, though, is on my other new story Wish You Were Here... which is under my stories if you're interested in checking it out, but anyways, I want to get that all up and stuff because I have to have it edited by a certain time... and, long story short, that's why it'll take that long for updates for this. Sorry. :/ But that way, it will give me more time to edit the chapters for this as well, and make them perfect. :) Or close to it.
I'll officially start comment shout-outs in the next chapter... but for now, in case you didn't bother reading the summary page, this story is for one of my besties on here, Marley. There's kind of a story behind why I've decided to write a story for her, that her and I know about... but anyways, I plan on starting, which has already been done with this prologue, and finishing, this story. It may take some time... with the time-gaps between updates, but I am willing myself to finish it, like, it's not an option, it's mandatory. lol.
So... I hope you enjoyed this first update, Marley. I remembered your brother's name... and I'm thinking your dad's name is right... but... I'm going to need a refresher. lol. I wrote it down, I know I did; but I lost the paper. So... hopefully you're reading this... so you can tell me... your mom's name is what I need. lol. That's why I tried to avoid it in this chapter cause I couldn't remember it. :P
As for you others reading, thank you for doing so. Hopefully this will turn out to be a great story. That's what I'm aiming at. :)