Mills-DiGennaro 1!

Hunter Mills-DiGennaro

Mr. Blevins

Science Fiction

5 October 2016

The Failure of Compassion

She sat at the foot of a bed that was occupied by her sickly father. He was attempting to

communicate with her but she had no idea what he was trying to say; his constant coughing was

muffling his words.

Regina moved closer to her father and whispered, Papa I cant hear you. Take a deep

breath and try to tell me again. Her father nodded then breathed in through his nose and then

again out of his mouth. Re-Regina, I love you dearly. I am proud of the woman you are turning

into. I am sorry I will not be there to see you grow up.

But Pa-, she started.

Regina listen to me. You know what the doctor said. Its my time. But before I go I want

you to have something I am rather fond of. Go look in my dresser and bring me my possession.

Youll know what to grab when you see it.

She obeyed. She went over to his dresser and opened the top drawer. In it she saw

something she had never laid her eyes on before. It was a medallion, and it was the most unusual

thing she had ever seen. Around the edges of it, there was a faint ring that glowed a brilliant red.

In the middle of it there were intricate and bizarre designs that made no sense. It almost

resembled Egyptian hieroglyphics, but there was not pattern to it, which led her believe it was

random and had no significant meaning. And if it already wasnt odd enough, it was attached to a
 Mills-DiGennaro 2!

chain made of what appeared to be solid gold. She obeyed her fathers wish and took the strange

object to him.

Ahh, I see you have found it. Rather peculiar, isnt it? her father observed.

Yes it is indeed, Pa. What is it?, Regina inquired.

Of course, why do you think I asked you to bring it to me? No, you will understand its

purpose soon but first you must promise me something. You must never tell anyone about this

object and what it does. Not even Elizabeth. Not even your future husband!

Yes, Pa, I understand. I promise.

Good. Now started her father but he was interrupted by a coughing spell. Sorry

dear, now where was I. Oh yes, the medallions functions. I must confess even I do not know its

full capabilities. But let me tell you what I know about it. I know this sounds hard to believe, but

it has magic powers. Here Ill show you.

And then she saw something she couldnt explain. Her father turned the medallion over

thrice in his hands and suddenly the candle lights went out. Then, with a wave of her fathers

hand, they relit themselves. She sat stunned.

Her father chuckled. I told you. I hardly believed it the first time I witnessed its powers.

And like I said before, I dont know its full capabilities. Every time I play with it I discover

something new. Alas, my time is up and I will not learn any more about it. However, one thing I

know for a fact it does is protect its wearer from all physical danger. As long as someone has it

on, they will not be injured or put into danger in any shape, form, or fashion.
 Mills-DiGennaro 3!

Suddenly, Regina interrupted her father: But Pa, why did it not protect you from the

wolf attack that left you in such poor health! How did the wolf manage to injure with its bite?

Now look at you! Youre at deaths door from this infection!

Regina calm down, he said in between coughs. His coughs seemed to be getting worse

each time and he had started to sweat. It is of utmost importance that you not bombard me with

questions; Im getting weaker every moment and I need to explain everything.

But suddenly something was wrong. Regina noticed her father start shivering and she

started to get worried.

Pa! Are you okay? Im going to get the doctor!

Regina no! Im alright!

But it was obvious he was not alright. At that moment Regina realized this and

immediately went to get the doctor that was on house call. The doctor rushed into the room and

told her to stay outside until he came to get her. So she did. Except she didnt wait. She ran. She

ran straight into the surrounding woods. She ran until she her breaths were like hot embers on her

throat. She ran to escape reality. If she ran fast enough, she could make everything go back to

normal. So she ran and ran and ran. And she only stopped when her legs could not carry her

anymore. When she stopped she lie down and cried.

After what seemed an eternity, she gathered herself and assessed her surroundings. She

was on the edge of a giant clearing surrounded on all sides by trees. She could hear the river that

ran by her house and she realized she could follow it back to her house. Papa was going to be

upset with her for running away.

 Mills-DiGennaro 4!

As she started towards the river, she noticed she had the strange medallion around her

neck. She didnt remember having it when she got the doctor but she must have for she had it

right now. After following the sound of rushing water for fifteen minutes, Regina found the river.

Except she had never seen this part of the river before; she was further down the body of water

than she had ever been. She was so far away from her house that she was down past the waterfall

that Pa always talked about. She knew that the waterfall was over five miles from her house and

she suddenly got worried and scared. She had never been this far from home before.

Then she got an idea. She hadnt believed her father about the medallion, but maybe, just

maybe, he was telling the truth. So, she took the medallion off and turned it over three times in

her hand and then she felt the most curious sensation. As soon as the third rotation occurred, her

body was surged with a feeling of superiority and wisdom. Her fear and fatigue left her and she

felt as if she could do anything in the world. However, she only wanted to do one thing: walk

through the waterfall. She had no clue why but she knew she must do this.

And so she did. She walked up behind the water fall and stepped through.

She was falling, except she wasnt. She knew that when she went through the waterfall

she would fall into the water below. However, she knew that she would be fine because the

medallion told her so. But what she hadnt anticipated was being suspended mid fall fifteen feet

above the water. She wanted to panic but the medallion wouldnt let her. Then, for some odd

reason, she thought to herself that she wanted to be on the shore, and next thing she knew, she

was.
 Mills-DiGennaro 5!

She stood up and threw the medallion from her. She was terrified of its powers. Then she

noticed something odd. The setting she was in was foreign to her. The trees that had surrounded

her previously were off. There were trees absent from where they were and new trees in places

they shouldnt be. But the thing that scared her the most was the presence of a certain animal.

There was a wild Jackiel grazing less than twenty feet away from her. But that couldnt be,

everyone knew Jackiels had been extinct for over thirty years.

Then a thought struck her. She vaguely remembered a time when her father recounted his

own personal experience with a Jackiel shortly before their extinction. He had been out in the

woods as a teenager exploring with his best friend when they came upon the very waterfall she

was at

No, it couldnt be. Theres no way that the medallion had done that. Her fathers

encounter with the Jackiel had been over thirty years ago! However, as if the world could read

her mind, it gave her an answer. She suddenly heard the distinct sounds of teenage boys hooping

and hollering as they raced through the woods. She immediately ducked and hid behind a nearby

bush. When the voices died down and she couldnt hear anything, she nervously peered around

to see if her suspicions were correct.

As she slowly crept around the bush, she heard a splash and realized they must have

jumped in the water under the waterfall. Then her theory was proven true. She saw her teenage

father fifty yards away from her swimming with his childhood best friend. It was the most

surreal moment of her life and she didnt know how to comprehend it. How was this possible?

Somehow, the medallion had transported her to the past, at the exact time that her father

encountered the Jackiel. How had it done this? And more importantly, why?
 Mills-DiGennaro 6!

And then it struck her. The medallion was giving her a chance to change her fathers life.

Her father had never explained where he had gotten the medallion from, and she thought she had

an idea where he had. Her. She now knew what she had to do. But she didnt want to. If she left

the medallion to protect her father from the wolf attack, how would she get back? Regardless,

she knew she must do it. She loved her father dearly and if there was a chance this would allow

her father to live a longer life, she would do it.

After convincing herself of what she had to do, she got up and snuck over to where the

boys had laid their clothes on the shore. She was hidden from their view, for they were at the

opposite side of the base of the waterfall. But she didnt know for how long, so she hurried. She

laid the strange object out on her fathers clothes and with a stick, wrote one word in the mud

above the medallion: Protecct. Then for the second time that day, she ran.

She was walking up the pathway to her old home. It was March 25th, 1872. The same

day that her life had changed.

She had lived a wonderful life. It mattered not that she was in a different time period,

because she knew this was her destiny. She had met the love of her life, Landus, and together

they had 6 beautiful children, the oldest of which had already started his own family. She was

content and happy with her life, but she always anticipated the day that she knew she had jumped

back in time. For she had a plan. When the day where her father died and her life changed

forever came around for the second time, she was going to see him. If her plan had worked, she

would be able to tell her father of her journey. And she would be elated that her father was still

alive. That was all that mattered.

 Mills-DiGennaro 7!

When she got close to the front door of her childhood house, she heard a scream. Her

scream. Her fifteen year old selfs scream. So she ducked down behind the bench that ran along

her house to avoid detection from her earlier self. Then she came to a realization too horrible to

imagine. And then, as if the world was playing a sick joke on her, her younger self came running

out of the house just as she had done 33 years prior.

She broke from her trance and rushed into her childhood home. She didnt care that she

was breaking the plan. She burst into her fathers room and she saw something that broke her

heart: her fathers lifeless body. She ignored the doctors protests and confusion as to her sudden

appearance and fled the house, just like she had done earlier in her life.

She ran to the same place her younger self had, and she waited. When her teenage self

jumped through the waterfall, she followed her path, except she went to the very top of the

waterfall, 70 feet above the ground. She stood at the top of the waterfall and hated herself for

being naive. She now knew what she was too stupid and ignorant to see before. She couldnt

change time. Time would stay on the same path it was meant to take no matter what she, or

anyone, did. She was a fool for believing she could alter it. If only she had been wiser all those

years ago. But she hadnt been.

She hated herself. She was distraught. These two emotions were not a good combination.

She had punish herself for being so childish and immature. She thought about fasting for a week,

but no, this sin demanded far worse of a sacrifice. And then she settled on the punishment. She

deemed it acceptable. She smiled to herself as she made up her mind. And then, after a moment

in which she became at peace with herself, she jumped from the top of the waterfall.
Mills-DiGennaro 8!