"I'm going to get started on my article for Hive, Selena. I've not had time to write everyday lately."
"I know that feeling! Good luck, Brooke. Do you have any idea what you're going to write about?" asked Selena.
"I think I'll just take the username of the next person who replies in the text channel for general chat, here in the Pizza Discord as my prompt!" Brooke replied, laughing. Her rich voice carried clearly over the voice chat in the Hangout.
"Hey guys!" Popped up in the text chat - by none other than @cryptoniusrex himself.
"Alright Selena, I'm off to write about a T-Rex who loves crypto! You have a great day." said Brooke, still laughing.
The next day:
"Hey Brooke, I saw your post, it was hilarious!" said Selena, chatting with her best friend in the Hangout again.
"Thanks! And you want to know something funny? I wrote that post, replied to all of my notifications, and even read ten posts from my favorite Hive authors. When I looked at the clock, somehow only five minutes had passed!" Brooke replied, utterly bewildered.
"You must be mistaken. It's been a busy week for you, maybe you should get a few extra hours of sleep tonight." suggested Selena.
"No way! This smells like a mystery. And I can't resist a good mystery." replied Brooke, laughing.
Three days later:
"So it's been happening every evening. I've even taken to reading twenty posts, and writing two articles, each over a thousand words. And the clock still says I've only been online five minutes." Brooke informed her friend.
"You're exhausted. This is impossible, nobody can do that much in a few minutes. Take the night off - hang out here, or put on a movie." suggested Selena.
"Maybe you're right... I'll just have a night off. There is that series on Netflix I've been wanting to watch." Brooke replied reluctantly.
"Good, then it's settled. You'll feel much better after a little rest. Be sure to tell me if it's worth watching." Selena said.
The next day:
"Brooke! How was your show? You must feel a lot better, right?" asked Selena, trying to sound enthusiastic instead of worried.
"Actually, I don't know how it was, because I never got to watch it. I fixed myself a bowl of ice cream, and started the show. That was at eight. By the time I finished the ice cream, it was after midnight! And the show had only been running for five minutes. replied Brooke, in a worried voice.
"What are you doing tonight?" asked Selena. "I sure wish there was something I could do to help..." she thought silently, genuinely worried about her friend's health.
"I'm getting on Hive! No way I'm losing another evening." Brooke replied firmly.
After she logged off of Discord, she grabbed a cup of coffee. "What to write about... Ah yes, I'll write about that time two years ago when I dumped those Hive I invested in at ten cents after they hit twenty cents each, instead of keeping them to a dollar..." thought Brooke, as she looked at her dream home.
It was precisely where she wanted it, but she and her husband had only been able to afford to build a modest two bedroom, single level home. "And even for that, Mark and I hardly ever get to see each other." she thought unhappily as she began to type.
The next morning:
"Good morning, Honey." said Mark.
"Good morning, Mark. Don't you feel well?" she asked, concerned.
"I'm fine, Brooke. Why do you ask?" he replied curiously.
"Because you are usually at work by now. Did you call in sick?" she asked.
"Call in? I own the restaurant, who would I call? Can't a guy take the day off to spend with his lovely wife and daughter?" he asked, laughing.
"D-d-daughter?" she asked, dizzy with shock.
"Of course, we can't very well leave Caitlin here by herself, can we?" he asked lightly, rising from the bed.
After he left the room, Brooke looked around. The furnishings were completely different - and yet she loved them.
"What the - ! We don't have a second floor... " she gasped as she looked out the window. The view of the sun rising over Levin River, with the Dunneder Research building reflecting the rich colors was spectacular.
"Mommy!" exclaimed a little voice, as a toddler waddled unsteadily into the bedroom. Mark was close behind, a coffee cup in each hand.
"If this is a dream, I don't want to wake up." thought Brooke, smiling.
Ten hours later:
"I wonder if it's still there?" thought Brooke fearfully, as she went to her profile page on Hive.
"It's there... But the title is different... Now it says Why I Held To A Dollar." she whispered.
"I don't know what's going on, but I hope I don't wake up from this!" Brooke thought, daring to hope that this new reality was hers to keep.
One week later:
"I wonder who's knocking at this hour? I hope they don't wake Caitlin." thought Brooke, as she put down her peanut butter sandwich. Noon was Caitlin's naptime, and usually the neighborhood was almost deserted during the day.
"Hello, Ma'am. We're from Dunneder Research. Could we please have a few minutes of your time?" said a smiling young man. His jeans and t-shirt were well worn, but both were obviously designer. His companion was an older gentleman in a suit, who simply smiled.
"I guess so, but please try not to wake my daughter." replied Brooke, as she showed her guests into the impressive living room.
Once seated, the young man got right to the point. "Have you had any strange experiences lately?" he asked, as the older man withdrew a small device from his pocket.
"Such as?" she asked, while a tight knot formed in her stomach.
"Time anomalies. A sudden speeding up or slowing down of your clock. We aren't sure just what form it might take, but anything that might have been out of the ordinary?" asked the older man, taking over the conversation.
"I'm not sure. Time always flies when you have a toddler." she joked, trying to force down her dread.
"I'm getting strong readings of accelerated particles from your fiber optic cable, Ma'am. We had a err... A sort of leak last week, but it's contained now. Nothing dangerous, mind you." the older man informed her in a reassuring voice.
"I don't know what all this means. If it's not dangerous, why are you here? My daughter will be waking up soon, is there anything I can help you with?" she asked, rising.
"I guess not... But in case you remember anything, here's my card." the older man replied, as he handed her a small business card.
That evening:
"How are you doing, Brooke? I haven't heard from you in a week." asked Selena, worried.
"I'm fine, don't worry. Better than I ever was in the past, in fact!" said Brooke, laughing happily.
Except for Cryptoniusrex all characters are fictional. All events are fictional.
Cover image made in Canva using their gallery