neonilarutherford

[neonilarutherford]

Waiting for the dawn

In the stillness of the fading night, When shadows linger, cloaked in quiet light, The stars begin their solemn, slow retreat, And dreams dissolve where earth and heaven meet.

A breath of wind, so soft it barely stirs, Awakes the trees, their whispers barely heard. The world is poised, a canvas yet unmade, Awaiting dawn’s first trembling cascade.

Each moment hums with hope, a silent hymn, The horizon blushes at its very rim. The waiting heart, a prisoner to time, Counts the seconds in a wordless rhyme.

And then it comes—so gentle, yet so vast, The night surrenders, slips into the past. The light spills forth, an unrelenting stream, Transforming all, a painter’s gilded dream.

[neonilarutherford]

The price of time. [fiction]

A small room, with lamps dazzlingly illuminating it, gently yellow wallpaper adorned the walls, posters with various scientific concepts from the Mendeleev table to prominent physics scientists. Several small nightstands were placed in the corners, on one of them was a pile of papers, on the other were flasks of various substances, a table for experimental experience in chemistry, and some object of another reality, about two meters high, one meter and ninety centimeters to be exact. A room with a large window, open for ventilation, with old beige curtains that had apparently survived more than one experiment, on the opposite side was a white door with a small window in the upper area. Girl paced importantly from one point to another, filling out the paper in her hands, muttering something to herself. From her words, it was only possible to make out “This time it should work out”. A knock at the door, a man of about eighteen comes in, wearing a white lab coat, holding an extension cord and sheets of paper.

- I hope I’m not interrupting. Have you still not given up hope of building a time machine, Professor Rhodes? — asked the young man, placing the papers and the extension cord on the nightstand.

- You’re not interrupting, but you should have waited for my answer before entering, it could have been dangerous, you know what I do here and you should understand the responsibility you have, lab technician. I have not lost hope in building a machine, for it is almost ready, the only thing left is to connect it through an extension cord, for one outlet will obviously not be enough.

- What is the principle of the machine? All our professors take an example from you, because at your twenty-three you were able to build a wonderful career in the field of science, and they have been achieving this for years.

- I will not be able to answer your questions now because I have work, I need to finish, please leave the lab. Later, everything will be later. — answered the girl, reading the paper she had just filled out.

As soon as the young man left and closed the door behind him, the girl put the papers on the nightstand, where the report that the laboratory assistant had brought was lying. She took an extension cord and connected object of another reality to electricity. The light on the top of the equipment lit up, making it clear that the time had come. The professor opened the mechanism and went inside, closing the door from the inside. Inside the mechanism were a lot of different buttons, including a touch screen control panel, on which the girl wrote the number eighty, among the buttons of different colors, she chose blue. The machine hummed, making incomprehensible noises, steam went out, apparently another failed attempt. The girl pressed the button beside the door to unlock it, and it began to open, and daylight began to shine into the mechanism. Had she spent the whole night here without noticing it and it was already morning? After a little while, the professor was able to see what was going on around her. Instead of her room there was a vacant lot, there was no sun, the sky was covered with dark and gloomy clouds, as if rain was about to start. She came out and looked around, there was no one. Where is her laboratory and the building in which she worked, the city in which she lived? There was emptiness all around. The professor was alone. The girl entered the mechanism again, asked the question in the touch control panel in what year she is now and her location on the map. The map was vague, but thanks to the satellite signal, the professor was able to catch her location — the same place, but the map was different, no buildings, but a small forest to the northeast of here, if it was a forest. 2103 year. The girl’s heart froze. Could it be a hallucination through the action of the machine? This world looks different than the one Rhodes came from. The dream to comprehend time was dazzling and tantalizing, but once it was realized, action had to be taken. What if there are people here? They’ll be able to explain what happened, Rhodes thought. The girl went out and slammed the door, heading to the northeast, along the way she did not see any animals or people. Only thirty minutes later, when she came to the forest, she saw there a company of people that was basking near the fire.

- Hello, can you explain what happened? — Rhodes asked.

- Did you just wake up from sleep? Sit down, we will try to help — the oldest man in their circle answered, he had a thick beard, wavy light brown hair, piercingly sad brown eyes, similar to chocolate, of the notable things — a blue torn scarf with white deer with a gray paint stain on the right end.

- What happened?

- You probably slept like we did.

After the big bang, some of us inhaled an unknown substance and fell asleep. Waking up from it is extremely difficult, someone can regain consciousness immediately, and someone sleeps for years and decades, may not wake up at all. The explosion happened about eighty years ago, maybe less, when scientists wanted to play the game with time, but time loved to play out the rules and now here we are.

Overwhelmed with guilt, Professor Rhodes decided to rectify the situation, perhaps her invention will help to return to these people the present, and to her — the past, which was her present. Turning on all her ingenuity and intelligence, she began to analyze and think, put the puzzle together. The professor returned to her car in order to return to the past and correct her mistake. Time has played another game with her — now she will have to choose, either she will erase the future of these people and themselves, or she will lose the lives of millions of people in order to build a different world with different machines and technologies. Torn between her dream and her life, Jolene Rhodes decided to go back and erase the future, realizing that the power of time travel is great and beyond the control of one person. The car buzzed, steam came back, and the door opened. Laboratory, having checked the data — 2023. She’s at home. As soon as the girl was outside the walls of the mechanism, she turned off the machine from the extension cord, starting to disassemble it into parts.

Jolene had long since forgotten about the mechanism she had created. It has been many years since she became a scientist in the field of chemistry and physics, she has many articles, discoveries, and books behind her. She was sitting at home reading a book, now it’s time to rest and life flows on its own, her task is to gain strength, because old age is just around the corner, and the forces are slowly leaving, the former enthusiasm will not return. Doorbell. Jolene gave permission to enter. A man appeared in the living room, looking twenty — seven years old, it can be seen that he is solid — growing a beard, wavy light brown hair gathered in a ponytail, piercing bright brown eyes, in which hundreds of rays of hope are reflected. In a dark blue coat, the neck is decorated with a blue scarf with white deers and a small gray spot on the right end.

- Good afternoon, Jolene Rhodes, my name is Derek Ewing. I work with professors in the very laboratory where you once worked. I have developed a time machine. I know that you were developing the same machine several decades ago, I want to ask for help in its development and change the history of mankind. Can you help me? — The young man asked, waiting for an answer.

- Good afternoon, Derek. No. You see, time travel is a dangerous tool in the hands of humanity, which should never be given to a person, because he acts with it lightly. No dream and no desire is worth playing with time, because it will definitely not play by the rules.

[neonilarutherford]

House Beyond Time: How Eras Connect in One Space.

This house is not just a place. Its walls remember the whispers of ancient prayers, the toll of medieval bells, the rustle of a brush on canvas, the rasp of a radio’s voice, and the hum of distant stars. Every step inside is like a leap through centuries. Its windows open to different horizons, and its thresholds lead not only to rooms but to eras.

How It All Began. is my new book, which was originally intended for the LitRes competition “Your Tenderness.” However, as often happens with ideas, they take on a life of their own regardless of circumstances. The competition ended, but I decided not to abandon the concept because I felt that this story deserved more.

The Concept of Time and Space. The central idea of the plot is a house standing “at the edge of the world.” This place is both mystical and real, as the edge of the world could be a metaphor or a literal edge of the city. The house embodies the idea that time is not a straight line but a fabric that can be folded, smoothed, and connected in any order.

A Family Connecting Eras. The main intrigue of the book lies in a family, each member belonging to a different era:

Selim from Ancient times, a philosopher and contemplative, whose thoughts form the foundation of worldview.

Maria from the Middle Ages, a mother for whom family is the meaning of life.

Astrid, a Renaissance artist, living through passion for creation.

Ivan, a teenager from our time, searching for his place in the world.

Rin, from a post-apocalyptic future, a bearer of hope and realization.

Each of them perceives the house in their own way: through the lens of their era and with the nuances of their fears, aspirations, and beliefs.

The Theme of Unity Across Time. The book explores how people, divided by millennia, can find common ground and understand each other. The family becomes a symbol of eternity — a bond stronger than time and circumstances.

Why It Matters? The modern world often makes us feel disconnected. We live in different time zones, immersed in technology or tradition. This story serves as a reminder that despite the differences in eras, we share something essential: our emotions, dreams, and desire to be part of something greater.

What You’ll Find in the Book? A unique crossing of times. Deep personal stories of heroes facing tragedies but finding meaning. The atmosphere of a house that lives its own life.

The edge of the world is a place where the horizon blends with the sky, and time becomes as fleeting as morning mist. Here, there is no end, no beginning. The house stands at this edge like a guiding lighthouse, inviting those who are lost in their time to find their way home.