Dialogue: Family Tree

Dialogue: Family Tree

-       I can’t sleep

-       Why?

-       Because I’ve been writing.

-       So?

-       So when I write, I can’t sleep.

-       Why not?

-       Because my brain is too active.

-       So don’t write before bedtime.

-       I don’t. Its just like, I lie in my bed and even if I don’t write anything on paper, I am writing in my head.

-       That’s weird.

-       Why?

-       Writing in your head?

-       Yeah. Like coming up with it all in my head. So, if I don’t write it down its all a waste.

-       I had a weird dream the other night.

-       What was it about?

-       I could go back in time. It ran in my family but the thing is, no one can tell you you can do it. You just have to figure it out yourself. And I was the first grandchild in my generation to figure it out. The first of ten.

-       Why are you saying grandchild?

-       I guess because the first thing I did was go to see my grandfather. He died this summer.

-       Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t know.

-       Its ok. Thanks. So anyway, I went to see him and I said I figured it out! I was the first grandchild!

-       You wanted his approval.

-       I guess. I guess I wanted him to be proud of me. But that’s not the point.

-       What is the point?

-       Well I’m trying to tell you. So I could go back in time. I found myself back in time in a church or something –

-       But you’re Jewish.

-       It was just a dream… and I’ve been in churches before.

-       Right.

-       So I was in this old marble church and my aunts see me and come running to me to tell me all about going back in time and how it works, how I need to have this bracelet and then think really hard about where I want to go. Almost like programming it in my brain. I think I even saw green digital looking numbers all lit up in my head.

-       Then what happened?

-       So I decided to go back to when I was a kid. I managed to go back. I saw my parents as young parents, which was weird because they weren’t that much older than me right now and looked really young but also really familiar. I guess how I remembered them. I played with my younger self. I guess I was three. Then I wanted to go back to the moment I was born.

-       Why?

-       I think because I wanted to see how happy everyone was that I was alive. I know its a bit narcissistic but I think its human too.

-       Yeah. I think I would want to do that as well.

-       So here’s where the weird thing happened. So I try to go back but I guess because I wasn’t fully alive yet, the whole system got screwed up and I went so far back to Medieval times and I was scared because I was trying to figure out if I was rich or poor and if I was in danger. Then I woke up.

-       Woah.

-       Yeah.

-       Can I write a story about this?

-       I guess.

-       Ok awesome. I swear I won’t use your real name.

-       Ok.

-       Oh great! I’m so excited!

-       You should probably try to sleep though.

-       Oh, now I definitely won’t sleep.

-       Oh god.

-       What?

-       Nothing.