Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.

Reminders:

>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include "[Poem]" >* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail >* See Reality Fiction and Simple Prompts for stricter titles >* Be civil in any feedback and follow the rules

🆕 New Here? ✏ Writing Help? 📢 News 💬 Discord

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

This reminds me of Life is Strange.

I've heard the name but don't know anything about it. I'll have to check it out.

Life is Strange is a series of story-driven video games and in the original game the protagonist Max Caulfield has the ability to rewind time + she later develops the power to use photographs to travel even further back in time.

Robin took a deep breath, looking down at the thin film on the dark table, stark against the wood. He was sweating and his palms felt clammy, he was nervous that once he grasped the photo it would dissipate and ruin because of how much he was sweating. He knew he shouldn’t be nervous, and that the photo would be fine, but common sense did little to quell his anxiety.

What if it didn’t even work? Yes, it was supposed to, but he’d never really tried. But he was old enough now, and his family had been doing this for generations. He would be fine. He just needed to pick up the stupid photo.

“Start small,” his dad had warned, “you’ll be just fine, but it’ll be easier if it’s not too far back.” Robin breathed out a sigh, and without another hesitation he grabbed the photo and stared straight at it. Instantly he felt a large whoosh around him, as he lost his footing and fell to the ground, the photo still clutched tight in his hand.

Once he was able to stand again, he looked around and he quickly recognized his surroundings from the image held in his hand. Lush trees and flowers in bloom, a beautiful park in his town in the middle of summer, he saw the large metal statue that had been torn down since his birth, but remembered his mother’s fond retelling of her favorite childhood park. He wished she was here with him now, but he felt strong suddenly.

He had done it! And he was fine! He walked around briefly, the park was quiet with morning, the birds had already woken up, the bugs flittering about the brush, but not a person in sight. Robin breathed in the soft, clean air and smiled. It felt so peaceful. Part of him wanted to stay longer, but he knew he should be getting back before he disturbed too much.

With a last smile and glance around, he grasped the photo again and looked down- and found himself back in his room, the familiar sights bringing him comfort but once again he wished for the sunny joy of the nearby park. He knew he could still go to it, but it felt undisturbed in the past, and he found he had no desire to visit it in the present.

After his parents congratulated him on his successful first travel, Robin’s father made him an old fashioned to celebrate his 16th birthday. “I’m proud of you,” he had gritted out, “and today is the day you become a man.”

Robin’s dad had apparently put more than normal amounts of whiskey, or made Robin was just a lightweight, because after he finished his drink and headed upstairs to change for his birthday dinner, he started stumbling around his room, struggling to find his footing in his familiar expanse.

In his drunken stupor, Robin misjudged the distance and stumbled into his desk, hitting his hip roughly against it. He startled at the sound of something hitting his rough oak floor, and winced as he bent down to grab it.

It was a photo of his great-grandfather at the restaurant his family had opened up that had unfortunately shut down when his grandfather had fallen ill and his dad sold it to help him stay comfortable in his last days. The memory made Robin sad, though usually it made him happy to see the joy on his great-grandfather's face and the young, shiny face of his grandfather, looking youthful and hopeful and so excited for what was to come. In the end the restaurant had helped him stay comfortable, but Robin didn’t know why it was upsetting him so much today.

He swiped at his tears, and didn’t notice the cracked corner of the frame and he grabbed it and held it close to his heart. Instantly he felt a now-familiar whooshing around him, and he gasped out a breath as he fell into a puddle, rain suddenly beating hard down on his back. His jeans were heavy and sopping, and his thin t-shirt was clinging to his shivering frame. He slurred a bit as he looked around for the photo, only to realize it had been dropped again and was now laying in a broken heap of glass and quickly decaying paper.

Robin froze and instantly went to grasp at the photo, muttering a frantic “no no no no!” But nothing happened. The photo was gone as Robin looked around helplessly, a bright city all around him but no one paid the drenched kid in an alleyway a second thought as he felt tears sting his eyes. He didn’t know what to do. He’d have to wait until one of his parents realized his mistake and came to get him. He didn’t know how long that would take, or if they’d even find him.

He let out a shaky breath. He felt like such a failure, it was only his second time traveling and he'd already gotten himself in a mess. He had to be careful, especially with who he talked to. He knew that he wasn’t supposed to try and communicate with the people of the past unless he was willing to deal with the consequences of what could happen.

Robin finally rose to his feet and let out another dejected breath, only to find that a young man was walking towards him. Robin instantly started to panic, as the young man was clearly trying to get his attention, and he started to worry about how this one stupid conversation could affect the rest of the world, when Robin stopped short.

The man had familiar kind eyes and a weary look on his face, and though Robin had never met him, he knew the man was his grandfather. “Need some help, kid?”

And though Robin was still scared, he sighed in relief at the sight of his family, and he suddenly felt at peace, trusting that everything would be fine, because now he was no longer alone.

I was thinking the movie “The Butterfly Effect.”

Very intriguing, thank you!

This is actually an scp. Idk what the number is but there is a girl that can go into photos, with pretty much the exact same premise as this.