Chapter 1 —The Clock That Glitched
Kabir hated physics lab.
Wires, circuits, burnt smells — nothing ever worked for him. While others built projects that lit bulbs and spun motors, Kabir usually produced smoke.
"Try again," his teacher sighed.
Kabir pressed the switch.
Tick.
The old wall clock in the lab made a strange metallic sound. Its second hand jerked… then started spinning too fast.
Ticktickticktick—
The room felt dizzy.
Lights flickered.
Kabir blinked.
Everything went silent.
His classmates were frozen.
Mid-step.
Mid-blink.
Mid-sentence.
Like someone pressed pause on the world.
"What…?" Kabir whispered.
Only the clock was moving.
Then—
Everything snapped back to normal.
Noise returned. Fans whirred. Students talked.
"Dude, you okay?" his friend Sameer asked.
Kabir nodded slowly.
But something felt wrong.
Or different.
Chapter 2 — One Minute Ahead
That evening, Kabir walked home, replaying the moment.
Frozen people. Spinning clock.
Impossible.
At dinner, his mom said, "Don't be late tomorrow."
Kabir replied automatically, "Bus will break down."
She frowned. "What?"
He froze.
Why did he say that?
Next morning—
The school bus stopped halfway.
Engine failure.
Students groaned.
Kabir felt cold.
He had seen it.
Not a guess.
Not luck.
He knew.
Exactly one minute before it happened.
Chapter 3 —Testing the Impossible
Kabir began experimenting.
He stared at his digital watch during class.
Focused.
Waited.
A strange pressure built in his head.
Suddenly—
Voices echoed weirdly.
Movements slowed.
And like a transparent overlay on reality—
He saw the next minute happen.
A pen fell.
Teacher turned.
Someone sneezed.
Window slammed shut.
Then time snapped back.
And the same events happened again.
Exactly.
Kabir gripped his desk.
"I'm seeing the future," he whispered.
Chapter 4 —The Rule
Excited, Kabir tried changing things.
He saw Sameer trip.
So he pulled him early.
Sameer didn't fall.
Kabir smiled—
But another student slipped instead.
Different person.
Same injury.
Different path.
Same outcome.
That night Kabir wrote:
Rule #1: The future resists change.
Rule #2: I can only see one minute ahead.
Rule #3: Every change creates a new problem.
This wasn't a superpower.
It was responsibility.
Chapter 5 —The Accident
One rainy evening, Kabir saw something worse.
Through the "one-minute vision"—
A speeding bike.
A turning truck.
A crash.
Location: Main road signal.
Time: Tomorrow. 5:12 PM.
Kabir's chest tightened.
Someone would get badly hurt.
He had to try.
Chapter 6 — Racing Time
Next day, 5:10 PM.
Rain poured heavily.
Kabir stood near the signal, heart pounding.
5:11.
Vision triggered.
Bike approaching fast.
Truck turning.
Impact inevitable.
Kabir ran onto the road waving his arms.
"STOP !"
The biker slowed slightly.
Truck driver noticed.
Brakes screamed.
The bike skidded—but missed the truck.
No crash.
Kabir exhaled.
Then—
A car behind lost control on wet road.
It swerved toward pedestrians.
Kabir's eyes widened.
Future changing again.
He grabbed a child standing nearby and pulled him away.
The car crashed into a pole.
Crowd gathered. Sirens wailed.
No major injuries.
Kabir trembled.
You couldn't stop every bad thing.
But you could reduce damage.
Maybe that was enough.
Chapter 7 — The Choice
Days passed.
Kabir kept seeing one minute ahead.
Small accidents. Missed chances. Saved moments.
But each vision drained him.
Headaches grew worse.
Sleepless nights.
Finally he returned to the physics lab.
The old clock hung silently.
He touched it.
"Take it back," he whispered.
The second hand trembled.
Tick.
A flash of white light.
Silence.
Chapter 8 — Normal Again
Time felt normal.
No slow motion.
No previews.
No pressure.
Sameer bumped his shoulder. "Lost in thoughts?"
Kabir smiled. "Just enjoying the present."
Some powers show you the future.
Some teach you the value of now.
Kabir walked home peacefully.
For the first time—
Not knowing what happens next felt perfect.
********************** THE END ********************