The clock on the desk flickered 6:46, then back to 6:45. Again. And again. Shisui stared at it, unblinking. No answers. The silence pressed in, so heavy that his own breathing sounded loud. Across from him, the stranger watched quietly as Shisui checked the timers of each item once more. "Do you believe in time travel?" The stranger asked again. Shisui didn't answer. He wanted to laugh it off. Time travel was nonsense. He never wasted thought on a theory of dreamers. But the twitching seconds before his eyes dismissed what was logical to him. "Does it matter if I say yes or no?" he murmured, almost to himself. With a tense gaze, the stranger swept everything off the desk and onto the floor. "No!" He shouted, kicking the mess aside, "No!" He repeated, like a child denied a trip to Disneyland. As he kept on repeating "No", the stranger pulled up a notebook from his coat. The oddest place to keep one. He slammed it onto the table. Stabbed a finger at the cover. "Everything here proves you wrong!" His voice cracked. Then, as if afraid of its own presence, he snatched it back and shoved it deep into his coat again, muttering under his breath.
"And what exactly are you trying to prove?" Shisui said. "Besides, I didn't even answer your...."
"Oh, that laugh!" the stranger cut in. "I saw it! I knew it! You mocked it. Mocked me… just for a laugh."
"Sure, I did!" Shisui shot back. "Look at you! Acting crazy like this."
The stranger's expression relaxed, a faint smile on his face. "Crazy? Maybe. And you don't seem to understand."
"And you think you do?" Shisui pressed.
"Better than living blind in that boring little life of yours," the stranger said, sharp and steady.
"Pff, sure! Meanwhile, you're dreaming about time travel and some world of wonders… What are you, twelve?" Shisui added.
"And you think nothing ever happens in the world… How clueless can you be?"
"My world," Shisui claimed.
"You, my friend, don't know shit about life! Every day, people are dying. There is war, genocide, famine. Someone, somewhere, is making a conscious decision to destroy another person's life. And you sit here thinking the world revolves around your tiny, meaningless little existence, where the worst that can happen is losing a job!"
Shisui fell silent. Deep down, he realized he had never truly cared about the world around him. What mattered to him was simply surviving the week without killing himself.
"And now, you're part of the problem. As much as everyone else!" The stranger added
"What problem is that?" Shisui said.
"Listen closely! This is no joke!"
Whatever could distort Shisui's life was his worst nightmare. He inched forward, with a hint of disbelief.
"I'm not even sure what day it was, but someone… broke time. That explains the problem with the clocks," the stranger said.
"Do you mean we're stuck on the day time broke?" Shisui asked.
"Good question! But no. I think whatever happened that day failed! Though it caused a one-minute time freeze."
"Ah… so that's why the timer jumped from 6:46 back to 6:45! But that didn't happen to the clock at my place… or my phone," Shisui murmured.
"I think it only distorted old equipment... That's why nobody noticed. Nobody talked about it. And I didn't realize the day it happened."
"Hmph!" Shisui let out a skeptical sigh. "Still doesn't make any sense."
The stranger stood abruptly. "At this point, I can't even blame you. You need proof. You need to see it, or you won't believe it. You're probably the type who doubts God, ghosts, aliens… maybe even love. Why? Because if you can't see it, it doesn't exist."
"Partially, Yeah!" Shisui answered.
"Won't argue with that! Read a book, for God's sake!" The stranger said as he disappeared into the small back room.
Shisui shook his head and let out a faint smile. Then he turned back to the wall. The same wall he had some grudge against. What was I thinking? He closed his eyes for a moment. Looking back on the week, not a single day had gone right. The weekend had been spent rotting in bed. Monday reminded him just how miserable his life was. Tuesday brought the stranger. And ever since, his nights had been full of nightmares, his home felt under threat, a book had gone missing, and he had nearly come to blows with… an object. "Speaking of the book..." Shisui suddenly muttered.
"Do you happen to have George Carlin's book here?" Shisui called out to the stranger, who hadn't returned yet.
"What?" The stranger's voice echoed across the room.
"George Carlin's book… the one called Brain… Brain something," Shisui mumbled, unsure.
"Not sure what you mean," the stranger replied.
"I think I saw it on your desk when I came in… wait, now I remember..."
"Have you checked the floor?" the stranger interrupted.
Shisui leaned down. The floor was a mess: the microwave, his wristwatch, a phone, tissues, blank papers, and some food that had turned green.
"I remember now!" Shisui said. "It's Brain Droppings."
"I have a lot of books, but I don't recall reading that one," the stranger said.
"You know what… never mind. I've been looking for it since morning. I must've imagined it," Shisui muttered.
"Alright," the stranger said. An awkward silence settled in. Soon after, the stranger returned with a Hobonichi. A small notebook, he handed it to Shisui.
"Here. Take this. Read it when you're home. But be careful… no one should know about it."
"What's inside?" Shisui asked.
"You'll find out," the stranger replied, pulling open the exit door and gesturing for him to leave.
"Until next time!" He added.
"I hope not!" Shisui replied
Shisui was exhausted from walking all evening. Though expensive, he called a taxi. He just wanted to get home. What a weird day, he muttered under his breath. Slipping a hand into his pocket, he felt the Hobonichi. He pulled it out halfway, then caught the driver's eyes in the mirror and quickly shoved it back. Leaning forward, his gaze shifted to the taxi's clock. 1:06.
"Mister!" Shisui leaned forward. "You got a wristwatch?"
"Nope," the driver said without looking back. "Why?"
"Mine's broken. And the guy at the shop said it's hopeless."
"Eh, I never liked wearing them anyway. If I wanna know the time, I just check the car clock."
"Yeah… maybe you're right. I've got my phone too."
The driver smirked. "Yeah! Though my old phone's been stuck on 6:45 for days. Haven't bothered fixing it."
For a moment, Shisui froze, his voice gone. The stranger's words echoed in his head.
"Hey, Mister!" the driver called out. "Is something wrong?"
Shisui snapped back. He glanced at the driver, still shaken.
"Sorry… just spaced out," he muttered. "Keep going."
The driver chuckled. "We're already here, Mister. Or did I drop you at the wrong place?"
Shisui looked out the window, then checked the mirrors. It was his street. His home. He shoved the money into the driver's hand and hurried inside without another word.
Once in his apartment, he sank onto the couch, took out the Hobonichi. Opened it. On the cover it read: A Memory Loop, Written by S.H.
" S.H…?" He wondered, then slipped it back into his pockets and lay down to sleep.