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The Lily Pond
The pond is full of lily pads and their delicate pink flowers.
“I know why we’re here,” you tell the guide, “Lily pad flowers open in the daylight and follow the sun, closing at night. You’re showing me how nature moves with time.”
“Is that the only thing that changes with time?” he asks. “What lies where you don’t see?”
You’re not sure. You note the gently rippling water of the pond, the moorhens paddling and the bearded water dragons sunning themselves on the rocks. “Slime?”
He takes your hand, and the world glows brightly. Now you see below the surface. The moorhens’ feet churn the water, as an eel slips through the reeds and roots. Tiny tadpoles wriggle as they munch on the mosses and algae. Then you zoom in: microscopic tardigrades walk past, an ancient species which traverse the bottom of the pond.
“All living beings on the planet, exist together in the same time. We share it, even when we don’t know the other is there.”
“So, you’re saying…”
“There are consequences to meddling with time: repeating, freezing and slowing it down,” he answers. “Changing time, changing the ecosystem, does not change the nature of a creature’s life-cycle. Play with the balance and suddenly entire species may cease to exist.” He snaps his fingers, and one by one the busy creatures you watch disappear. Your guide pulls back and your vision returns to the surface of the pond.
“A good designer, whether they design landscape or time travel, know not to design things that will harm.”
You realise in your quest to race through time, you’ve forgotten about the other life and environments around you. “I’m sure I can find a way to master time without mucking it up for everyone,” you say, though now it feels more like a question than a certainty.
“Is that so?” This time he chuckles, before leading you away.
You pick up a fallen pink lily petal, it’s colour bright amongst the other faded flowers and add it to the others. You feel guiltier than you did before about your mission, but try to shake the sensation, feeling your pocket weighed down.
Go to Ring of Palms: You walk away from the university, parallel to the city, across a great expanse of grass and into a ring of tall palm trees.