The Time Machine

“Today,” Ms. Rachel told her class, “we will be reading a book called The Time Machine. It is about a fox just like you, Fiona, except their name is Fauna. Everyone open up to Chapter One and begin reading.” CHAPTER ONE
Fauna tried not to be noticed in class. Not to be noticed at home, either. She ducked her head, answered no questions, and got above-average grades on her homework without saying a word. Fauna ran home after school every day so she didn’t run into Emma the Elephant. Emma didn’t bully Fauna. In fact she was the one of the only animals who had ever wanted to be Fauna’s friend without being forced. Their relationship was complicated though. Fauna would run home to her family’s crowded den. Her mom, her dad, her grandma Francine, her baby brother Filo, her little sister Fairy, and her older sister Fia. She was always running because she didn’t want to talk to anyone. She didn’t want her mother to say “Have you been hanging out with Emma lately? I haven’t seen her,” she didn’t want Filo, Fairy or Fia to call her a nerd, and she just wanted to finish her homework in peace and then jump in the lake. No land animal swam in the lake as much as Fauna did. She would rush to the bottom of the lake and meet an “acquaintance”-Fauna didn’t want to say “friend”-named Octavian the Octopus, who greeted her with a smile and a Fishcake. “Hi,” Fauna would say, as she ducked into a coral reef to find it. Her machine. Octavian would watch her work on it and then duck behind a different coral reef and head to Waterball practice with his friends Olivi, Ogee, and Oxim. He never told anyone about Fauna. She was unfriendly and obsessed with her Time Machine, sure, but Octavian still liked her. So the day she didn’t leave, he was worried. He checked on her. She was gone. All that was left of her was the Time Machine, buzzing ominously. CHAPTER TWO
Emma had lots of friends. Her best friend was Teodora the Tiger, who thought Fauna was a weirdo. She talked about Fauna all the time. “Like, Emma,” she would say, “why did you ever hang out with that nerd?” Emma would say nothing. Teodora would pull Emma away. Emma wondered if Fauna ever thought about her. She certainly thought about Fauna all the time, wondering about how her science project was going and if she was happy. Fauna, meanwhile, had finally finished her Time Machine. She did not think of Emma or Octavian. She just jumped in. She tumbled out into a lake that looked mostly the same. And then she saw Octavian as an adult. She nearly screamed. She watched him for a bit. He was married to Ogee the Octopus and had three kids named Oyo, Oyster, and Oyen. She tried to hide from them, but Oyen saw her. “Who are you?” He said. “You are a fox. This is a lake. You should not be here. Come on. I want to show you something. Let’s go.” And he suddenly pulled her away. Fauna followed him. “This is the Fox Den. Do you live here?” No, Fauna thought. I live in the den over there. “No,” Fauna decided to say what she thought. Oyen looked nice. “I live in that den.” Oyen shook his head. “No you do not,” he replied. “That is the museum of time. It is run by Fauna the Fox.” Fauna shook her head. “I am Fauna the Fox. I came here in a Time Machine.” Oyen’s eyes widened. “Let’s go find you!” He said cheerfully. “Wait!” Fauna said. “That is not why I came, Oyen. I came to see Emma the Elephant.” Oyen started to cry. “You are too late, Fauna! Emma is dead!” He wailed and wailed. Fauna wanted to cry too. “Let’s go find Fauna, then,” she said. “I must ask her something.” CHAPTER THREE
“No, I never became friends with Emma again.” Fauna said. “I had science. In a few years you will see, you are better off without her.” Fauna wanted to cry. “It’s okay,” Oyen comforted her. “Do you want to go back?” To what, Fauna thought. I am destined to become this Fauna. There is no use. “Okay,” Fauna said anyway. They went back to the bottom of the lake. “Bye Oyen,” Fauna mumbled. She went to school and sighed. “I am doomed,” she said quietly. “No, I am not.” She did not run home. She packed up slowly. So did Emma. She must’ve know. “Hurry, Em,” Teodora said. I used to call her Em, Fauna thought. “Do you want to come over?” Emma whispered to Fauna. “Yes,” Fauna replied. “I think I might have plans, Teodora,” Emma said. “See you tomorrow.” She walked out with Fauna. “I’ve missed you, Em,” Fauna said, testing. “So have I.” Emma said. Fauna could just see her future self in the lab coat disappearing and becoming someone else. She hung out with her friend, not acquaintance, Octavian some days and her best friend Emma on others. Fauna couldn’t believe how easy it was to have friends. And on some days, she went through the Time Machine to see Oyen. END

“Did you like it?” Ms. Rachel said. “You have to do a book report on it.” The whole class groaned. Older versions of Fiona, Penny, and Dolly (best friends always) laughed at their younger selves as a young Ms. Rachel couldn’t believe what her older self did to her ears. “They’re not hair, IMBECILE,” Rachel muttered.