Ca-N-Ti-K

Ca-N-Ti-K

A Story by : Didimus Estanto T.

English Letters Department of Sanata Dharma University

Staring at the star, wondering if there is a black hole eating moon or other star. My old red tape recorder is singing “chanter sur le toit” by Adam Helen, my grandpa’s favorite song. I love sky, especially in the night, it tells me that there is something else out of this little earth, just little earth. The other reason is that all Einstein’s theories are described in the night sky pieces.

I am Atom, son of the Einstein’s assistant in his physics lab.  My red hair comes from my mom. I do crazy about physics, sometimes I stole books from my father’s office, which means I stole ideas from Einstein. I was that, I was just stupid in that time thinking that I can stole Einstein’s ideas by stealing his book. By the way that is old story, now we are in France since Einstein moved to America and all scientist were forced to join the Nazi.

~

“Tok tok tok… Atom, are you there?” fascinating calling has coming, it must be my mom telling that dinner is ready. “Someone call you honey” said my mom. Hm…, that’s interesting, no one ever call me on the phone before. “A girl or a boy mom?” my further question to my mom. “ It sounds like a girl, boy Hashanah” said she with her little laugh. “Ok, I will be right there mom”, as soon as I can jump from the roof, wearing my cloth and run to downstairs picking up the phone. “Bonjour, que je parle avec?” I said on the phone anticipating if she is a Francis girl. “Easy Atom, this is me, Sophia” said she. “Sophia,..?” I am looking for any indicator of Sophia in my brain but still confused. “ ..which Sophia?” I finally asked. “Oh come on, the one you barely kiss yesterday in class of electromagnetic” Sophia said. Oh, by the way I am a college student, yesterday was my 19^th birthday, and I was forced by the whole class to kiss a girl. They said I was too old to get my first kiss, then I said, “Come on guys scientists do their first kiss with a screwdriver”, they just laughed and still forced me to kiss a girl. “Sophia, oh from electromagnet’s kiss. I am so so so sorry for what happened yesterday, it was really horrific … but nice, I do have to thank you for that.” I continued the conversation. “Actually, it was not so bad, you are good with it, and I should be proud, I am the first kiss of the very smart guy in the physics department.” Sophia said while I am touching my lips and say to my self ‘wow… not bad’. “I am sorry you said something” said Sophia. “No no no, go on” I clarified. “I actually call for your promise yesterday. You said I can ask everything.” Sophia stated it strictly. “Hm,.. Yeah sure,” I answered it doubly. “Can we go to camping this weekend, looking at stars, calculating time, make a quantum analysis above the night sky, a giant quantum.” Sophia said. “Wow, that’s weird. First that’s all my hobbies and I will directly say yes to you, but second it isn’t like an ordinary women request, as I read, women usually asking for flowers, chocolates, or maybe dinner?” I stated my opinion. “It’s simple, I am your extraordinary first kiss. Ok then see you on the weekend” Sophia ended her call. “Ok then” I closed the call. “And don’t forget to bring your grandpa’s tape recorder.” She added then she hanged up. For the Einstein’s sake, She is my fabulous dinner tonight, I said to myself.

~

“How is your time machine working out?” she started the conversation above this purely naked sky. I am nervous, this is my first date, if I can say date, ever. “For my final project? Hm,.. it almost done, I am working on its electron turnover, you know it is the hardest part to travel the time” I explained. Then we fall into a deep conversation about Einstein and time dimensions, family and dreams, war and how to change it. Oh my god, I can not stay away from her Jewish’s eyes, that’s my miraculous electron. “Atom can you turn on the tape recorder?” Sophia ask. Silent, I keep staring her. “Hallo…” she added. “Oh yeah sure sure , tape tape I will turn it on.”I answered haltingly. Oh my god I looked stupid. The ours after that we keep talking about Einstein, time traveler, Einstein again and war. Oh thank you Einstein. The next morning we decide to work together in my final project.

~

“Where is your tape recorder? I’d love to hear ‘Tuer le temps’ by Adam Helen.” Sophia asked. We are in my roof laboratory, place for all miracles created. We are creating our final electron to fulfil my machine. This is the 473 try, and still fail. We are facing a deadlock. “Honey, dinner is ready” my mom called. “We don’t hungry mom,” I answered her. She enters my lab, staring at me and say “Why do you worship such a kind of machine god, huh, just finish it and don’t forget to go to church tomorrow, tomorrow is Sunday and your grandpa’s death anniversary.” She walk out placing two plates of ratatouille. Silence appears.  “I did not hear anything” Sophia broke the silence. I take my sit, get close to her and start to tell “My grandpa is a Germanic scientist, he is very successful on creating atomic bomb and time machine. But, all of his inventions have been destroyed by Hitler because he refused to give it to him. We all literally saw army shout him in the head, but he still smiled. That was really a bad memory for our family. I want to create this time machine to go back to the past, live in the time that no war at all like what is happening now. I am tired running away because of my knowledge creating stuff, and I don’t want to see my family die because of it”. “I do feel your pain fractious scientist, come here I think you need my hug” she hugged me tight. We are having a good time in that moment. She goes home and I go back to the roof, staring at the stars, playing “chanter sur le toit” by Adam Helen again. I put aside my head, staring at old red my grandpa’s tape recorder. There is my name on it, this is my 5^th birthday present. I listen to it with all my longing to grandpa. I just realize that in this song that is almost twelve time Adam Helen say ‘ouvert’. “Open ? Open what grandpa?” I said to myself. In the right side of the tape recorder there is a marker said ‘ATOM OPEN HERE’, all with capital letters. I click on that part. There is a group of atomic compounds inside, I guess. Writing inside of the tape “Ca-N-Ti-K drives to Mogo”. Mogo is the way I and my grandpa called time machine and I guess  Ca-N-Ti-K stands for calcium (Ca), nitrogen (N), titanium (Ti) and potassium (K). It is the electron compound that I need to finish my project. Without any further explanation, I go jump to my lab and start finishing my Mogo.

~

I worked it all night and it is finished. I see my watch, 5.27 a.m.. It is dawn, this is Sunday, this day is grandpa’s death anniversary. I am so excited to test my first Mogo. I have an appointment with Sophia to go to church together but I can wait to test this Mogo first. I want to surprise her. I set a time an hour forward from now, just a little jump I think is a good start. I type on the machine TO 00.60’00’’ FORWARD. My hand is shaking while my heartbeat is getting faster and then GO, I press the bottom.  

~

“Huh,.. it’s impossible, this is not real, I can not believe this” I cried to myself. All my body is shaking now, being glued by what I just saw. I saw my entire family die, my mother, my father even me. Sophia is an agent evidently, she is Hitler’s spy to steal my time machine, my Mogo. As soon as she get my machine, she will kill us all. I can not believe in my eyes in that moment. Now it is clear, why she knew everything since the beginning. She knew I am the scientist, She knew there is my grandpa’s tape recorder, she knew I love sky, she knew my time machine, Einstein, traveling, my family even Adam Helen. She followed us to France to get my knowledge. I have to destroy this machine, I have to do that if I want save my family. I don’t want to recur what happened to my grandpa. Oh my god, I did not see this coming. I shut down the machine, taking out the Ca-N-Ti-K compound, going back to the roof and having a Sunday morning sunrise. I do fell fear, disappointed, angry, afraid, and tired. I close my eyes, hoping that it was all just a dream, a horrific dream.

~

“ Atom,.. Atom,.. where are you?” Sophia called with her ordinary voice but it feels completely different now . I wake up sprightly, with a big fear to hide. I try my best to pretend all that just happened. “Yeah, Sophia, I am up here, on the roof” I answered it apprehensively. “We have an appointment to go to church together, right?”  She doubted. “Yeah, sure” I answered shortly. “This is your grandpa’s death anniversary Atom, hurry up or we will be late”. “Ok, I will be ready in five minutes” I answered her without seeing her. I pass into her with my pale face to go to bathroom. “Are you fine, Atom” said she. “Yes Sophia, I am fine” I ended the conversation.

List of foreign term

Chanter sur le toit = singing on the roof

Bonjour, que je parle avec? = hello, whom I speaking withfrat?

Tuer le temps = killing the time

Ouvert = open

Mogo = time machine