Dr. Aditi Rao was an accomplished historian, known for her meticulous research and her ability to weave together the most intricate stories of the past. Specializing in ancient civilizations, she had long dreamt of what it might be like to actually witness the moments that shaped history. That’s why the invitation intrigued her so much.
It came one evening while she was reading about the fall of the Maurya Empire. A mysterious letter appeared on her desk, though she was sure she hadn’t heard anyone come into her study. The envelope was old-fashioned, sealed with wax, and bore an emblem—a compass overlaid with a clock, encased in a circle of runes she didn’t recognize.
Curiosity piqued, she opened the letter.
“Dear Dr. Rao,
Your dedication to preserving history has not gone unnoticed. You have been selected for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity: to witness history firsthand. The Time Travelers’ Club extends its exclusive invitation to join our ranks. If you wish to accept, come to 117 Strand Street tomorrow at 8 PM sharp. Bring nothing but an open mind.
Yours sincerely,
The Custodian of Time”
Aditi was skeptical, but the idea tugged at her. She had spent her life studying moments she could only imagine. What if this was real? A time travel club? It sounded absurd, yet she couldn’t resist the lure of it. The following evening, her curiosity outweighed her doubts, and she found herself standing in front of an old, decrepit building at 117 Strand Street.
The door was wooden, the kind that had probably witnessed hundreds of years of use. Knocking three times, as instructed in the letter, Aditi waited. The door creaked open on its own, revealing a dimly lit hallway that seemed to stretch endlessly. Taking a deep breath, she stepped inside.
At the end of the hallway, a grand room awaited. There were no windows, yet it was lit with a soft, golden glow. Ancient tapestries adorned the walls, and a large fireplace crackled with warmth. In the center of the room was a large, round table surrounded by seven chairs. Six were already occupied by individuals dressed in a mix of clothing—some modern, some that looked like it belonged to different eras. A man, seated at the head of the table, gestured for her to sit.
“Welcome, Dr. Rao,” he said in a voice that resonated with authority. “We are the Time Travelers’ Club, and you, if you wish, can join us in witnessing history as no historian ever has.”
The other members smiled at her—some kind, some eerie—but all with an undeniable air of mystery.
“Is this real?” Aditi asked, her voice barely above a whisper, her heart pounding with anticipation.
“Oh yes,” the man at the head said, his eyes gleaming. “You’ll see for yourself.”
And so it began.
Her First Journey
The next night, Aditi returned, and after what felt like a ritualistic initiation, she was handed a pocket watch. The Custodian of Time explained that the watch was the key. Set it to a specific time and place, and it would transport her there. She was told to start small, visit events that wouldn’t draw too much attention or cause disturbance.
Her first trip was to ancient India, during the reign of Ashoka. The moment she opened her eyes and stood within the grand court of Ashoka’s empire, she was overwhelmed. The colors, the scents, the sounds—it was all more vivid than she had ever imagined. She watched as Ashoka, the great emperor, delivered a speech about spreading Buddhism. History, as she had studied it, was unfolding before her.
But then something odd happened.
As Ashoka finished his speech, Aditi noticed a figure in the shadows, watching her. A woman, dressed in clothing that didn’t match the time period. She locked eyes with Aditi, and in that instant, Aditi felt a cold chill run down her spine. The woman mouthed something she couldn’t hear, but Aditi was yanked back into the present before she could approach her.
The Inconsistencies Begin
The next few trips were just as extraordinary. She witnessed Alexander the Great’s invasion of India, stood by the banks of the Ganges during the Gupta Dynasty’s golden age, and even found herself at the Battle of Plassey, witnessing the British seize control of India. But with each trip, more inconsistencies started creeping into her observations. Dates and events didn’t quite match what she had read in textbooks. Some things were out of place—an artifact that shouldn’t exist, a word that wasn’t part of the historical lexicon.
Each time she tried to ask the Custodian about these discrepancies, he waved them off. “History has always been prone to slight exaggerations and errors in the telling, Dr. Rao. What you see is the truth.”
Yet, the unease in her grew. The mysterious figure from her first trip started appearing again. Every time Aditi visited a significant historical moment, there she was—the woman in the shadows, always watching.
One day, during a trip to witness the independence movement in India, Aditi found herself amidst a peaceful protest in 1930. The streets were crowded, the tension thick in the air, when suddenly the woman from the shadows appeared again, this time closer than ever. But her face was twisted with rage.
“You shouldn’t be here!” the woman screamed.
Aditi froze. People around her didn’t seem to notice the outburst. It was as if this figure existed only for her to see.
“Each time you travel, you destroy us!”
And just like that, Aditi was pulled back to the present.
The Horrific Revelation
That night, shaken and unable to sleep, Aditi dug through her historical records, desperate to reconcile what she had seen with what she knew. The changes were subtle but undeniable. Some dates no longer matched her textbooks, and certain figures of history seemed to disappear altogether.
Finally, she confronted the Custodian.
“What is happening?” she demanded, slamming the pocket watch on the table. “Every time I travel, things change! History is unraveling!”
The Custodian’s expression didn’t change. He remained calm, eerily so.
“That is the nature of time travel, Dr. Rao,” he said coolly. “Every action, no matter how small, has consequences. But that is not your greatest concern.”
“What do you mean?”
“The people you see… the woman who haunts your travels… they are not figments of your imagination. They are real. They are the victims of the timelines you have destroyed.”
Aditi felt the blood drain from her face. “Destroyed? What are you talking about?”
The Custodian leaned forward, his eyes darkening. “Each time you travel, you alter history in ways you cannot comprehend. Every inconsistency you noticed was a fracture you caused. People, entire civilizations, have been erased or twisted into something unrecognizable because of your presence. And those you see—the woman, the others—they are the remnants of those broken timelines. They are trapped in the void between time and space, watching their lives, their worlds, vanish. They seek revenge.”
Aditi stumbled back, her mind reeling. “But… but you told me this was safe! You said I could witness history!”
“I never said you could do so without consequence.” The Custodian smiled, a sinister glint in his eyes. “Now, they are coming for you.”
The Hunt Begins
In the days that followed, Aditi was haunted, not just during her travels but in her everyday life. The woman, and others like her, appeared in reflections, in the corners of her vision, growing bolder each time. They whispered accusations, their voices filled with rage and sorrow.
No matter how much she tried to stop, the watch would pull her into the past against her will. Every trip felt like a nightmare, with the faces of the victims growing more distorted, more monstrous. Time was unraveling, and with each trip, the world she knew began to slip away. Dates, events, even people she knew started vanishing.
Her final confrontation with the Custodian was inevitable.
“There must be a way to fix this!” she begged him, desperate to undo the damage.
But the Custodian simply laughed. “There is no undoing what you have done. The only thing left for you is to run, but you cannot run forever, Dr. Rao. Time will catch up to you, and when it does, they will have their revenge.”
And so, Aditi was left with a choice: to keep running, forever pursued by the phantoms of the timelines she destroyed, or to face them, knowing that there would be no escape.
But in the end, time is unforgiving. And no matter how far she runs, it will always lead her back to the beginning—back to the moment she first accepted the invitation to the Time Travelers’ Club.
As the clock ticks down, Aditi realizes the horrifying truth: she is not only the historian of the past, but also its executioner.
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