Revert: Turning Back Time

The market was a bit crowded and Samir was sweating in Lucknow’s summer heat. He wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible. He even considered not buying the onions. But, he knew that his mom would be furious so he tolerated being there in that queue-less crowd, pushing his way through to reach the vendor.

After much struggle, he finally bought two kilos of onions and gladly, he started walking back home. He looked at his watch. 13:05. He shook his head. His home was only five minutes away but because of the crowd it had taken him more than an hour to buy just one item. He hurriedly walked towards his house.

There were cars whooshing by on the main road. In this part of Lucknow, nobody really followed the traffic rules. He waited for the cars to pass by so he could cross the road. Across the road, he saw a frightened puppy also wanting to cross over. But, the cars simply honked and scared it back to it’s side of the road. People just didn’t care about anything anymore.

Samir looked on both sides of the road and finding it empty, he started walking. As he was about to walk from the divider to the other side, a honking speeding car came out of nowhere. He stopped walking but he saw that the puppy was in the middle of the road frozen in terror.

Oh no.

The car honked but couldn't swerve enough to save the puppy. The car just sped off, leaving a dead puppy in its wake. It’s incredible, the world we live in. He wasn’t that fond of stray dogs but still, this was despicable.

He looked at the time. 13.10. He sighed. Looks like I'll have to endure this heat for a little longer.

He wound his watch so that it now showed 13.05. He closed his eyes and whispered “Revert.”

Samir opened his eyes and found himself back at the exit of the market. His watch showed 13.05.

He took a deep breath and started running towards the main road.

Upon reaching there, he spotted the puppy. It was trying to cross. He looked at the road, the cars were speeding by. It was 13.08 now. He shook his head and determined, he put up his hand and crossed the road. There were angry drivers yelling at him but he didn’t care. He finally reached the puppy. It whimpered. Samir picked it up and took it home. He wanted to teach the driver who had killed Puppy earlier a lesson but he was afraid it would raise too many questions.

“I sent you to get onions. Did they give you the dog for free?”

His mom was furious at him.

“But just look at how cute it is. Please Ma, can we keep it at least till it’s old enough?”

Puppy whimpered as if trying to convince her. She sighed.

“Alright. But, you’ll take complete care of it. Don’t make me clean up after it.”

Relieved, Samir took Puppy to the bathroom and gave it a shower.

He had been able to Revert as long as he could remember. But, Revert only allowed him to go back 12 hours. He had learnt that the hard way. He couldn’t save his father, as much as he tried, from the fatal car crash which had happened in New York.

Revert made his life pretty easy. It was like he had a cheat sheet for living- questions of exams, dates with girls, saving himself from embarrassing situations, preventing accidents. He can just turn back time and correct almost everything. That’s why he can chill around even when his twelfth grade board exams are around the corner.

He had given some bread and milk to Puppy and it was sleeping nicely on his bedroom floor.

His mom didn’t know about his ability. He had told her once but she went batshit crazy so he had used Revert to change it. Nobody knew that he was a time-traveler.

He took a shower and after eating lunch, saw the time. 16.12. He decided to rest up before going for his usual 17.00 jog.

As he was putting on his jogging shoes, his mom handed him a collar and a leash.

“Take the dog with you.”

“Ma, where did you get this from?”

“I’ll tell you sometime later. Now go before that dog dirties the house.”

The collar was for an adult dog, so even at it’s tightest it was a bit loose for Puppy. After attaching the leash as well, he went outside.

It was still very hot out. Looks like I’ll have to shower again.

Puppy was excited to be out and kept tugging at the leash even though Samir was jogging. 

He tugged so hard that he slipped out of his collar and ran off.

Man, that is one powerful dog.

Samir increased his speed and with an empty leash in his hand, tried to catch up to Puppy. He saw the dog turn into a street and Samir followed at his full speed. As soon as he turned the corner, he saw Puppy. A girl was petting him.

“Oh! Who’s a good boy!” She cooed.

Puppy seemed to like the attention- his tail was wagging furiously.

He stopped in front of her and she looked up at him with curiosity. She had long black hair and an oval shaped face. Her eyes were wide and pretty. Overall, she was good-looking. She had books in one hand and was playing with Puppy with her free hand.

Her eyes dropped to see the empty leash in his hand and lit up with understanding. She stood up.

“I believe this cute dog is yours.” 

Samir nodded and put the collar back on Puppy. This time, he ensured it was tight enough at least for him to not slip out.

“Bye doggy!” She petted Puppy one last time, adjusted her books and smiled at Samir politely and started walking away.

Stop her.

She stopped. 

God, can she read minds?

“Did you say something?” She turned and asked.

Samir became a bit embarrassed but shook his head and replied, “No. By the way, I’m Samir.”

He waved.

She smiled. “I’m Sara. Nice to meet you Samir.” She waved and started walking again.

Sara. Nice name. I hope I bump into her again.

Samir continued walking Puppy until he relieved himself. Then he went back home.

“Ma, really, thanks a lot for the leash.” Samir said it from the heart.

“You’re welcome, beta.” His mom smiled.

He tried searching for her online after showering and having dinner but Sara was a very common name so he couldn’t find her on any social media sites. He’ll ask for her phone number the next time. Thinking about her, he fell asleep.

Samir felt something wet on his face. Wet? He suddenly woke up and found Puppy licking his face. He should’ve slept after tying him. Sighing, he pet Puppy and then freshened up.

He found his mom reading the newspaper with a look of disgust on her face. 

“What happened?” He enquired.

“Delhi is really the crime capital. Look, some poor girl was murdered near here. It’s not safe for anyone to be out alone at night.” His mom replied sadly.

God. How can people just kill other people? Horrific.

“It’s okay ma. I’m sure the police will catch whoever did it. Also, you don’t need to worry about me. I never go out at night alone. And now, we have Puppy to take care of us.”

Puppy barked at hearing his name.

His mom looked relieved.

“Be extra careful, beta. This world is a really bad place. You don’t want to end up like…” She looked at the newspaper. “...like Sara.”

Samir was stunned. Sara? 

“M...Ma, can y-you j-j-just show me that for a second?” Samir stammered in disbelief.

His mom handed him the paper.

With wide eyes, he saw Sara’s picture. She looked as pretty as ever and was smiling in the picture. There was a younger girl next to her. Below the picture was the article:

Sara Tyagi, 17, was found murdered last night around 10 in a park in Lajpat Nagar. There were multiple stab wounds on her body. Police are investigating the case. Any leads from the general public are welcome.

Sara was in eleventh grade and wanted to pursue a medical profession like her parents. She is survived by her father, mother and younger sister.

He had just met her yesterday but was surprised at the amount of grief he felt. He took a deep breath and calmed himself. I’m going to save her.

He thought about when they had met. Around 6 in the evening yesterday. He looked at the time right now. 7.32 AM. He wound his watch back all the way till it showed 7.32 again and closed his eyes.

“Revert.”

He found himself back in his room in front of his computer. Puppy was sleeping on the floor. He went to his mom and told her he’ll be late for dinner.

“I have some work I need to finish. You don’t worry, okay?”

His mom looked at him intently then answered, “Okay. Take care.”

It was twilight outside. He had a little over two hours to figure out what happened. He traced the same path he had taken for his jog and the one which Puppy had taken. Soon, he found the street where he had met her. He could only see a few grocery shops and some passers by. He sighed in frustration. How do I find her?  

He asked the shopkeepers about her but none of them had any idea who he was talking about.

As he was thinking about what to do next, he saw a girl come up to one of the stores. She seemed familiar and then, he realized. Her sister! 

He was about to approach her but stopped himself. She might think I’m some kind of stalker. He stayed put but kept an eye on the girl. Once she had finished buying what she wanted, she started walking down the street. Trying to be as inconspicuous as possible, he followed her. The streets were lined with houses. She crossed a few blocks, then turned onto another street. He followed. She walked a bit further and entered one of the houses. He realized that the park that Sara was found in was just further up this street.

He walked up to the house and saw the nameplate. Dr. Ashwin Tyagi and Dr. Meena Tyagi. His forehead wrinkled as he remembered the article he had read. She wanted to pursue a medical profession like her parents.

Then, he remembered the books in her hand when he had met her. It had seemed like she was going to a coaching class. There were many coaching institutes in this part of Delhi. He had to figure out which one.

Without giving it much thought, he rang the bell.

The door was opened by a middle aged man. “Yes?”

“Good evening Uncle. Is Sara home?” He asked in his most innocent tone he could.

The man shook his head. “No beta. By the way, who are you?”

He quickly racked his brains for something to say.

“I’m a friend of Sara’s. Samir. I had a doubt about one of the topics. Since my board exams are approaching I thought of asking for her help.”

Great. He gave himself a pat on the back for managing that.

“But, Sara is in eleventh beta.”

Oops.

Samir chuckled nervously. “That’s right Uncle. But, she’s really intelligent and had such great and accomplished parents as well, so that’s why I came here.”

He waited to see if his flattery worked. It did and thankfully, he saw her father’s expression soften.

“Alright. Her coaching ended at 8 so she must be here in a few minutes. You’re welcome to wait in the drawing room if you want.” He opened the door further.

He expressed his gratitude and went inside the house. It was huge and looked posh. There was a 52” television screen in the drawing room and a huge wall clock above it. Doctors sure do earn a lot.

The maid brought him some water to drink and asked if he wanted something else. He refused and drank the water slowly. The wall clock showed 8.10PM.

He thought about how he would explain this to Sara. We’ll cross that bridge once we get to it.

The time ticked by but Sara didn’t come. Her sister appeared and asked, “Who are you?”

“Samir. A friend of your sister’s. I’m waiting for her.”

“Isn’t she back from Aakash yet.” She sighed. There it is. The name of the institute. “She is always so serious and into books all the time. I think she will die with a book in her hands.”

Samir cringed a little.

“Anyway, she never mentioned you to me.”

He got a bit nervous. “We met recently.”

She prodded further. “But, she literally tells me about all her friends, especially the good looking ones.”

She paused and with her red face in her hands, she ran out of the room.

Samir smiled and shook his head.

8.40 PM.

He was getting concerned now. The institute.

He found the maid, told her to thank Uncle and apologized for rushing off but it was getting late.

Once outside, he opened the Maps on his phone and located the coaching institute. It was ten minutes away by walk. He started walking.

Across the main road, he could see the white and blue of the institute’s logo. A few people were exiting it’s gate. He stopped one of the boys and asked, “Where’s Sara?”

“She left as soon as the classes ended. Why?”

Samir ignored him and walked off in exasperation. Where is she? He looked around but didn’t see anything suspicious. 9 PM. Frustrated, he started making his way to the park.

The gate of the park was closed. He climbed the gate and jumped over it. A jogging path lined with trees and benches encircled the whole park and the swings and slides were in the centre. He took a quick jog around it but didn’t find anything or anyone. Sighing, he sat on one of the benches and waited.

He was about to take another round of the park when he heard a car approaching. Keeping himself out of view, he saw the car slowing down. It was a white van. He noted down the number plate. Two men got out of the car and threw something in the park. They got in and the car then sped off. So she wasn’t killed in the park.

Even though he knew what they had thrown out, he still wanted to be sure. He approached it and as soon as he ascertained it was Sara, he wound his watch and closed his eyes. It’s high time he taught someone a lesson.

“Revert.”

He looked at his watch. 7.32. He changed into a black sweatshirt and dark jeans. He took his monkey cap and a face mask as well. Puppy was whining and following him, thinking that they would go for a walk again. Ignoring the dog, he shoved the can of pepper spray, which his mom had bought for him, a deodorant spray and a matchbox from the tiny temple in his home into his back pockets. 

Keeping a low profile, he walked till the institute. Then, he put on his mask and cap and hid behind a tree, waiting for Sara to appear.

Around 8.07, he saw Sara. Finally. His heart skipped a beat on seeing her. She was with two girls. They stopped just outside the institute and the girls hailed a rickshaw and bid farewell. Sara waved to them and started walking home. Keeping a safe distance, Samir followed.

She was almost halfway to her house. This street was poorly lit and there was nobody around, no shops or houses. Suddenly, Samir heard the car come up from behind him. He quickly jumped in the shadows of the trees. It was the white van. It stopped beside Sara. She screamed. Samir quickly gathered up some rocks and ran towards the van. Sara was inside it now. As it was starting to move, Samir threw a rock on the van with all his strength. To his surprise, it shattered the rear window. But, the van didn’t stop. He kept running and throwing rocks at it. At last, it stopped. 

The side door opened and one of the two men that he had seen earlier dumping Sara’s body, came out with a gun in his hands, uttering colorful and abusive words. Hiding in the shadows, Samir waited for him to come closer. When the man was where Samir wanted, he threw a big rock at him. It hit him straight in the head. The man wailed out in agony and dropped to the ground. Hearing him cry, a second man came out and was shocked to see his mate on the ground. 

“Who’s there?” He asked nervously, the gun in his hands shaking.

Samir threw a rock in another direction and for a fraction of a second the man was distracted. Samir ducked and ran. The man only had time to fire one shot, which he missed, before Samir tackled him to the ground. He immediately pepper sprayed both the guys.

He didn’t notice the third guy coming from behind. He was just getting up when he suddenly noticed movement behind him. He quickly rolled over to the side as he heard a shot at the position where he had been just a few moments earlier. The remaining man aimed his gun at him. Samir was a sitting duck for him now.

He put his hand on his watch and was about to wind it when he heard a loud thump and the man fell to the ground. He saw Sara standing over the man with books in her hand. Samir smiled then rushed to pepper spray him as well. 

“Thank you so much. You’re like a real life hero.” She said.

Samir was internally happy and wanted to talk to her but he just nodded and one by one, hauled the three whimpering men into the van. He sprayed them with the whole bottle of deodorant, opened a window and closed the door. 

“Leave.” He said in a thick deep voice to Sara.

“But, why? Should I call the police? Who are you?”

“I said LEAVE!” Samir was insistent this time and scared, she rushed off.

He lit up a match. They will never hurt anyone again. He threw it through the open window and ran. A while later, he heard a blast. Samir smiled. How can people just kill other people? Now he knew the answer.

The next day, he read the newspaper. There was the headline:

Fire in car, three criminals end up dead

Satisfied, he stroked Puppy’s head. Actions really do have consequences.