Chapter 6 - The Story

6

The Future

(Read previous chapters 1-5 if u haven't)

**********

At somewhere out there

Suping paled. She haven’t got the faintest idea what happened. The two girls chatted a while with the older Suping, then went off. Suping bolded herself and approached the older Suping. (I think I ‘ll name the older Suping as Ah Ping, to prevent confusion)

Ah Ping was busy sms-ing away at her mobile phone when Suping approached.

“Eh… you… umm…” Suping was at a loss for words. She didn’t know what to say.

So damn dumb, am I. I should’ve planned what to say first.

Ah Ping looked up at Suping. Ah Ping opened her mouth to say something, but no words came forth. She stared hard at Suping. Suping felt uneasy. Then Ah Ping nudged the aunty next to her.

“Mum, look! This girl here looks exactly like me when I was 15!”

The aunty next to Ah Ping looked at Suping and her eyes widened. “Exactly… alike…”

Oh? So this is how my mum’s gonna look next time? Thought Suping. She decided to ask a question.

“Er… how was your SPM results?”

Lame! Lame! Lame! What kind of a question is this? Be more sensible! Suping scolded herself in her mind.

“My SPM? The results aren’t out yet,” Ah Ping continued to study Suping with her eyes.

“Err… then… umm…” Come on, girl! Think of something to say! “How ‘bout… your PMR results?”

That’s even more lame. If a stranger asks me about my UPSR results, I wouldn’t even tell them.

Ah Ping paused for a moment, a faraway look in her eyes.

“Oh, bad, bad. 2Cs and 6Ds… I think… I dunno, that time when we received the results, ooh, it was shocking. Not only me, but all my Form 3 classmates too.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“Like this, I was in the first class, Ikhlas. PMR was a total disaster. Even the best student who usually got Straight A’s flunked PMR. She got 4B’s and 4C’s. Cried, yes, she did.”

“But how can this kinda thing happen? I bet you never got that many D’s in your life,” replied Suping. She was all ears to listen to this piece of news from her future self.

“I have no idea. Everything was usual. We went to the exam hall, and then did the papers, then—“

“Suping Tan! You’re next to see Dr. Ng!” called out a nurse from the counter.

“Gotta go, see ya!” Ah Ping got up with the aunty, and walked into the doctor’s room, leaving Suping there standing alone.

What could’ve happened? Oh no, oh my, I must study harder… This is disastrous!

Aimlessly, Suping wandered out of the big and modern clinic. The moment she put a foot out of the clinic, a tall man bumped into her. He wore a black top, long sleeves, blue jeans. He looked at her.

“What the hell are you doing here?”said the the man in a gruff-rough voice. Suping blinked.

“Uh? I…”

Without waiting for an answer, the tall man grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her behind a big bush near the clinic’s entrance. Suping inhaled a deep breath to scream. Oh no! Instead of oxygen, chloroform was filling her lungs. She lapsed into the man’s muscular arms and entered into a world of unconsciousness.

*********

Mugan Shan opened an eye.

What?

He was on a stretcher, and there were people wearing the PBSM uniform walking around him. One girl squatted down next to him.

“Oh, the champ is up,”

“Huh?”

“Yup. After winning your race, you fainted while talking to Mugan (older version of Shan). Probably you fainted because of running fatigue and overwhelming adrenals,”

“Oh…” Shan climbed to his feet. He glanced around and saw Mugan walking over. Shan felt like his legs were going to give way again.

“Hey buddy,” Mugan put a skinny hand over Shan’s shoulder. “We really must take a picture side-by-side. You and I look soooooo alike.”

Mugan held up a camera. “Snap!”

“Come on for a drink, then talk,”

Shan merely nodded. Things were happening too fast for him. And really, it is weird talking to an older version of yourself.

The two tall, black, skinny athletes then went to a coffee shop. The chose a table, and sat down.

“Choose a drink,” offered Mugan.

“Eh, 100 plus?”

“Don’t tell me your order. I’m no waiter.”

“Then tell who? I see no waiter around,”

Mugan laughed. “Press the 100 plus icon on the table top,” Mugan tapped the table top. “Computerized touchpad tabletop. Fancy huh?”

Shan tapped the icon. A square hole in the middle of the table appeared and a 100 plus can floated up of the hole. Shan gasped in awe.

“Technology. Professor Eldwin’s invention two years ago. Professor Eldwin invented a machine that creates a small area with zero gravity. Therefore, the can floats.”

Shan took the can and opened it. Mugan’s explanation on the tech-table went over Shan’s head. After all, science wasn’t his best subject.

“So, where did you say you’re from?”

Shan tried to figure out what to say.

“Er… I’m from the past,”

“The past?”

“……”

“That’s a nice joke, though not a very funny one,”

“……”

“Sigh, really, no scientist has ever invented anything that can control time. It’s only in fiction stories, such as Doraemon,”

“……”

“According to research, to move back or forward in time, you have to move at the speed of light,”

This future me must be a science geek, thought Shan. Mugan continued explaining.

“And to make a single atom move in the speed of light, you need LOTS of energy,”

Yup, he memang science geek. But how? I was never very good in science.

“The total energy needed to move an atom in the speed of light would be more than all the energy on earth. Remember EMC square? Energy needed equals to mass times speed of light squared,”

Shan could hold back the question no longer.

“Are you good in the science subject?”

Mugan stared at Shan as if he had asked a totally ridiculous question.

“Yes, I majored in Science and Sports.”

“Oh? Then how did you fare in your PMR?” Shan was curious about his results. Mugan scratched his head with his long fingers.

“Eh… Oh… disasterous!”

Shan’s heart skipped a beat.

“Well, I got 8C’s.”

“What?”

“Then I had to start studying from scratch in order to prepare for SPM. Form 4 was really hectic. During PMR, my mind just went blank like that. Couldn’t remember what I’ve studied since form 1.

“Oh no,” Shan wiped his sweaty brow. Suddenly Mugan’s phone buzzed. He stood up.

“I gotta go training at the gym. Mr. Coach is waiting. See ya later at the field.”

And then Mugan jogged off. Shan got up, and decided where to go next. The field? Where on earth is that? Finally he decided to head for the public restroom near the coffee shop. He entered the restroom and headed for the ‘pee area’. While he was about to unzip and release, a rather elderly looking man came over and pushed Shan into one of the toilet rooms.

“You are not supposed to be here!” And the man slammed the door shut, locking Shan in the toilet.

“Dey!” Shan panicked. “Orang mau kencing tak mau buang shit tak boleh ker?”

Shan banged on the toilet door. Again. And again. Suddenly the door opened, and a toilet-cleaner-maid stood there holding a mop and pail. She frowned.

“Dik, bising lah woi! Lain kali jangan kau buat bising, orang kat luar nak tidur tau!”

Shan walked out of the restroom… and stared. He couldn’t believe his eyes. Where was the coffee shop? The stadium? In front of the restroom, was a hawker selling goreng pisang. On the right, was the old Kundang Hall. And coming in his direction, were many, many reporters.

What?

One reporter held up a mike near his nose.

“Mugan Shan, this is the TV3 news reporter. Tell us, how come you disappeared after passing the finishing line, and now, reappeared outside the public restroom?”

More reporters surrounded him, all talking at the same time.

“I not know ah,” said Shan.

The reporters bombarded him with more questions.

“What do you think about this round’s district level Run For It 2000?”

“What comment can you give after winning so many titles all these years?”

“Are you going to continue on to the State championships?”

“National Championships?”

“Apart from running, what are your other hobbies?”

“How’d you disappear?”

“Tell us a little about yourself!”

“How did…”

“Why did…”

“Who is…”

“What was…”

“When are…”

Questions were flying everywhere. Inside, outside, all around Shan’s mind. Really, reporters are really annoying, like houseflies. And Shan could bear it no longer.

“I TAK TAU WHAT HAPPENED ARGH!”

************

“Dear! Wake up!”

Suping opened her eyes, and saw her mum in front of her.

“You went to the toilet for so long! The doctor called you twice! I thought you fell asleep and really, I came and saw you asleep on the bowl. Really, Ping,”

The people queuing outside the toilet looked in with curiosity. Suping got up and went back to her seat at the waiting room. Really, it was embarrassing to be labeled ‘THE GIRL THAT SLEPT IN THE LOO’. Anyway, questions were flying around in her head.

What happened? Where’s Ah Ping? Where’s that freaky guy? Suping turned to her mum.

“Mum, I DID NOT sleep in the toilet. I went to the future,”

“I saw you asleep on the bowl, dear. You probably went to the future in your dreams,”

“But mum, I—”

“Or maybe your fever is getting too high,”

“Mum,”

“Or maybe you—”

“Suping Tan!” a nurse called out. “It’s your turn to see the doctor!”

Grudgingly, Suping followed her mum towards the doctors room. Other patients stared and giggled at her.

Hmph. I. DID. NOT. SLEEP. IN. THE. LOO!

(To be cont.)