๐๏ธ Human_Gravy ยท 1194 points ยท Posted at 19:55:54 on July 29, 2014 ยท (Permalink)*
Grandpa Tim was a bit of a recluse, as my family liked to say. He lived out in the middle of nowhere in an old, dilapidated house. But when he came around, everyone listened. No one argues or disobeys his commands, as strange as they were.
For example, the time Tim convinced my Aunt Betty to purchase a life insurance policy on my Uncle Bill. Betty argued but gave in to Grandpa who insisted on paying for the policy. Two years later, Uncle Bill passed away from a sudden heart attack. Aunt Betty received a huge payout that helped Uncle Billโs wife with the funeral costs.
Sometimes his advice would be to get checked at the doctor, even if you werenโt sick, and they would find a life threatening tumor inside you. Other times, it would be to stay home from work on a certain day and then youโd see a twenty car pile up on the highway in the news. Grandpa Tim always knew exactly when to call.
When Tim died, I inherited all his possessions including his house. The lawyer instructed me to check his mailbox for a letter Tim left me.
I found myself opening a door in the basement and then almost fainting when I saw the endless cavern of hourglasses as far as the eye could see. The closest hourglasses to the door had the names of my family members etched on their bases. Thatโs when I saw the sand in my parentโs hourglasses about to run out. I called them and told them to not get on the plane heading to Timโs funeral. The sand in their hourglasses refilled.
TimMeijer ยท 198 points ยท Posted at 20:24:42 on July 29, 2014 ยท (Permalink)
Wow! That's an amazing concept right there, I'd love to see that worked out for an entire novel. It definitely has the potential for it! Great job, I'm happy that I got to read this story :)
[deleted] ยท 28 points ยท Posted at 22:25:55 on July 29, 2014 ยท (Permalink)
Exactly! I would read this as a longer story, for sure.
[deleted] ยท 25 points ยท Posted at 15:54:01 on July 30, 2014 ยท (Permalink)
[deleted]
natlovespie ยท 8 points ยท Posted at 08:40:47 on August 27, 2014 ยท (Permalink)
I AM DEATH. I CAN DO WHAT EVER I WANT.
three_rs ยท 8 points ยท Posted at 14:00:06 on November 6, 2014 ยท (Permalink)
I AM DEATH. AND I LOVE PIE.
r34p3r_7 ยท 0 points ยท Posted at 21:02:39 on July 29, 2014 ยท (Permalink)
^ this
BlueEyedBlackCat ยท 137 points ยท Posted at 23:31:45 on July 29, 2014 ยท (Permalink)
i like how Grandfather Tim just missing that E would have been Grandfather Time since he had all those hour glasses in the basement but how come he didn't have his own? or maybe he did but couldn't deal with sitting and watching people's hour glasses run out anymore.
anyways really good story.... i wonder what would happen if one of the hour glasses fell and broke. The sand would just be there (on the floor or whatever) not running out nor refilling.. would the person just die or be stuck in some strange limbo O.O
emilyrose93 ยท 47 points ยท Posted at 04:07:45 on July 30, 2014 ยท (Permalink)
Well, some people might be unsaveable. Some deaths, like plane crashes, can be prevented, but you'd still die of old age eventually. I assume Tim did.
[deleted] ยท 10 points ยท Posted at 00:17:29 on July 30, 2014 ยท (Permalink)
I love that idea of limbo!
[deleted] ยท -2 points ยท Posted at 06:48:05 on August 3, 2014 ยท (Permalink)
What is it?
Linnmarfan ยท 13 points ยท Posted at 22:53:15 on January 12, 2015 ยท (Permalink)
Some people call the void between heaven and hell or between the afterlife and reality ยจLimboยจ or ยจPurgatoryยจ. Sorry for the 5 month late answer.
MerariVonGen ยท 8 points ยท Posted at 23:42:39 on August 7, 2014 ยท (Permalink)
I think the idea behind having your own hourglass would be that you couldn't change your own decisions. Since your current knowledge is what determines your decisions and also what you are using to tell people about their deaths, you could not be outside that to help yourself. Probably all that would happen is his glass would fog over as the multitude of possibilities would all fade into a mist of 'could-be's. What would be terrifying is when your own glass collapses into a single unavoidable end.
seiyria ยท 6 points ยท Posted at 12:12:47 on July 30, 2014 ยท (Permalink)
If I were in his position, I would have thrown my hourglass away long ago.
wubstep_cat ยท 4 points ยท Posted at 01:19:12 on December 29, 2014 ยท (Permalink)
Or he could turn his upside down
guitarromantic ยท 28 points ยท Posted at 21:34:21 on July 29, 2014 ยท (Permalink)
Not bad! I thought the Aunt Betty part was confusing though โ is "Uncle Bill's wife" not the same person as Aunt Betty?
๐๏ธ Human_Gravy ยท 31 points ยท Posted at 22:07:15 on July 29, 2014 ยท (Permalink)
Yeah I can see why it's confusing. Aunt Betty is Uncle Bill's sister. His wife was supposed to be named Maria but I ran out word count.
TheAristrocrats ยท 16 points ยท Posted at 23:41:39 on July 29, 2014 ยท (Permalink)
Did he decide to let Uncle Bill die rather than warn him?
๐๏ธ Human_Gravy ยท 37 points ยท Posted at 00:51:36 on July 30, 2014 ยท (Permalink)
Another case of running out of words! Uncle Bill's fate was sealed and Grandpa Tim told Aunt Betty to buy the life insurance policy to make the best out of a horrible situation. Grandpa Tim pays for it out of his own pocket because he feels guilty about knowing it was coming but being unable to change his fate. Death is inevitable. One can dodge it, over and over again, but eventually, the sands of time run low and there's no restoring it. Unless someone figures out how to cheat death....
Kathey2014 ยท 7 points ยท Posted at 07:55:31 on July 30, 2014 ยท (Permalink)
Final Destination right there!
๐๏ธ Human_Gravy ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 12:14:58 on July 30, 2014 ยท (Permalink)
Haha, I realized when I wrote that it might have given off the impression of Final Destination but it wouldn't be as complicated or as intricately done as a movie where throwing a banana peel on the floor will trigger then end of the world. It would something as simple as a staph infection or a car accident that would kill them, if the heart attack was avoided somehow.
Kathey2014 ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 12:35:19 on July 30, 2014 ยท (Permalink)
True, however one of the premises of the movie series was that no matter what you do, if you're fated to die, then no matter what you do to try and avoid it, it will happen. Good story by the way!
Spacemage ยท 4 points ยท Posted at 02:16:21 on July 30, 2014 ยท (Permalink)
I know how to cheat it.. That's why I sold the house to your silly grandfather.
mattdogg98 ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 13:17:36 on January 23, 2015 ยท (Permalink)
Get outta here, M Night shaymalin. You're not fooling anybody.
faenoir ยท 10 points ยท Posted at 21:52:43 on July 29, 2014 ยท (Permalink)
hey very nice story you've got there! I love how they all tie up perfectly in the end!
Boredomismylife ยท 6 points ยท Posted at 07:04:10 on December 13, 2014 ยท (Permalink)
I know I'm late but I just found this sub. I'm no genius and I don't mean to tell you guys what to think, but the scary part isn't that he almost witnessed his parents death or that his lack of actions would have resulted in death. No, the scary part is living a life of a recluse; deprived of the world, human compassion, love, sleep. You can have all these things, but you live with the guilt of letting people die on your watch.
[deleted] ยท 7 points ยท Posted at 20:26:55 on July 29, 2014 ยท (Permalink)
Ooh, very nice! I would love to read more of this!
[deleted] ยท 8 points ยท Posted at 00:16:42 on July 30, 2014 ยท (Permalink)
Damn. This would make a great movie
Queenofscots ยท 5 points ยท Posted at 01:12:40 on July 30, 2014 ยท (Permalink)
Sounds like an excellent premise for a Twilight Zone episode, Gravy---nice!
CQSteve ยท 6 points ยท Posted at 01:52:44 on July 30, 2014 ยท (Permalink)
The first thing I'd be checking is my own hourglass.
IndigoHarlequin ยท 6 points ยท Posted at 03:44:36 on July 30, 2014 ยท (Permalink)
I wonder if you could fill an hourglass using someone else's sand? Great concept :)
throwaway321423123 ยท 4 points ยท Posted at 22:42:46 on July 29, 2014 ยท (Permalink)
I made this account just to say that this is excellent.
One dark aspect: does Grandpa Tim only call his family and friends when he sees their hourglasses about to run out? Does he just watch thousands die daily and say "whatever" while not caring?
shypster ยท 13 points ยท Posted at 04:57:57 on July 30, 2014 ยท (Permalink)
Most if us do that every day. I could find the time to volunteer at a homeless shelter or visit sick kids. I could budget my money better and make sure a donation gets sent to the Red Cross or the local public school every month. But I don't. Most people don't. They just don't care until it happens to them.
LoneWolf67510 ยท 6 points ยท Posted at 04:04:23 on July 30, 2014 ยท (Permalink)
well, he doesn't know their number, but he knows his family's
Orchidflowers ยท 5 points ยท Posted at 16:39:32 on July 31, 2014 ยท (Permalink)
This is an amazingly great story. It makes me think of the video "saving me" by Nickelback. The concept is the same. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPc-o-4Nsbk It is also the concept of the novels Numbers by Rachel Ward. However in both these cases, it's with something imaterial, that only one people can see. Like a gift...or a curse. The material in your story bring a new very nice turn. Great job!
Rickybobby2289 ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 08:16:45 on August 16, 2014 ยท (Permalink)
Good job man. It has a creepy/scary element, but a happy twist almost. I thought Tim was going to be evil or something.
randombot333 ยท 8 points ยท Posted at 05:44:40 on July 30, 2014 ยท (Permalink)
Not really scary so much as awesome. I upvoted it because I enjoyed it but I feel like there might be a more appropriate subreddit for this
Diseldiamond ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 04:30:18 on July 30, 2014 ยท (Permalink)
Real good
Kathey2014 ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 07:57:39 on July 30, 2014 ยท (Permalink)
What would happen if you turned over one of the hourglasses so the sand flows to the almost empty part?
omegletrollz ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 23:27:09 on December 16, 2014 ยท (Permalink)
It probably just breaks in the sense that it would start behaving like a normal hourglass and no longer reflect it's target's time to live.
Theotech ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 08:58:11 on July 30, 2014 ยท (Permalink)
My guess is they start getting younger until they become like a fetus or something and then not exist anymore as if they were never born
canseidesergata ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 17:03:02 on September 10, 2014 ยท (Permalink)
Wow, this is the first story on here that has made my hair stand on end. I'd love to see this fleshed out!
Reminds me of Simon in Misfits, he had a bunch of digital clocks counting down to life-changing moments he had to influence.
๐๏ธ Human_Gravy ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 17:54:17 on September 10, 2014 ยท (Permalink)
I'm glad you enjoyed it. Definitely working on turning a lot of SSS tales into bigger works. This story included.
rawritsapril ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 21:34:03 on October 2, 2014 ยท (Permalink)
I got goosebumps... Thumbs up for me!
MisterButt ยท 3 points ยท Posted at 04:25:11 on July 30, 2014 ยท (Permalink)
How did Grandpa Tim know what to warn people about, or the storyteller for that matter?
eclipsegirlx ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 02:02:23 on July 30, 2014 ยท (Permalink)
Amazing
Theotech ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 08:57:18 on July 30, 2014 ยท (Permalink)
Holy crap amazing story! Wow
HuntingSnarks ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 10:29:56 on July 30, 2014 ยท (Permalink)
Can you turn the hourglass over manually?
arffcancino ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 12:33:52 on July 30, 2014 ยท (Permalink)
WOW! I hope you turn this into a full story! Really cool concept ๐kudos!
echoes007 ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 17:04:31 on July 30, 2014 ยท (Permalink)
This was great!
lordcarnage ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 17:52:14 on July 30, 2014 ยท (Permalink)
Very nicely done, and highly upvoted. Good job H_G
ursineSomnolence ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 00:11:47 on July 31, 2014 ยท (Permalink)
Definitely would read this if it was a book or a short novel
ElizaIsEpic ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 19:42:04 on August 2, 2014 ยท (Permalink)
Oh, wow! This is amazing! It sort of reminds me of this episode of The Twilight Zone. I love it!
autowikibot ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 19:42:14 on August 2, 2014 ยท (Permalink)
The Curious Case of Edgar Witherspoon:
Interesting: Extra Innings (The Twilight Zone) | List of The Twilight Zone (1985 TV series) episodes | Cedric Smith (actor)
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osumposum ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 15:48:19 on August 3, 2014 ยท (Permalink)
This is fascinating. Very nice concept.
desked_closet ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 19:56:02 on August 9, 2014 ยท (Permalink)
Love it!
Do you have the idea from anywhere? I'd love reading about something like that some more
aboredjess ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 06:38:08 on August 13, 2014 ยท (Permalink)
You should seriously consider writing a book with this concept, I would be first in line to buy it. You're very talented and creative!
๐๏ธ Human_Gravy ยท 1 points ยท Posted at 11:24:43 on August 13, 2014 ยท (Permalink)
Thanks, I appreciate the comment.
darkphoenix2014 ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 13:36:58 on August 14, 2014 ยท (Permalink)
I would actually love to see this in movie form!
yankmedoodle ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 15:51:20 on October 17, 2014 ยท (Permalink)
Oh man, this is awesome! I wish it was longer!!!
SerPownce ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 01:19:38 on October 20, 2014 ยท (Permalink)
Make longer version or maybe a series for Nosleep!
boilee92 ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 02:11:09 on November 9, 2014 ยท (Permalink)
OH GOD THIS IS BEAUTIFULL
๐๏ธ Human_Gravy ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 13:39:34 on November 10, 2014 ยท (Permalink)
Thanks!!
LovecraftianCritic ยท 2 points ยท Posted at 00:18:04 on December 28, 2014 ยท (Permalink)
Incredible! All the upvotes to you.