My entry to Renderosity's 2024 Writer's Contest. Image drawn by hand and then contrast increased in Photoshop. -- "Oh where did the time go?" A common query that is quickly forgotten about as one scrambles to make up for the lost time. We've all experienced it: loss of time. Sometimes merely seconds, other times whole hours. You'll swear up and down that it didn't feel like that much time has passed, but it must have because it is now gone - right? Anyone questioning it, is dismissed with the logic that they must have just gotten lost in thought and thus not realized so much time has passed. But that is all LIES. It's what they WANT you to believe. Call me crazy but, EVERYONE experiencing loss time? This can't be just due to being lost in thought, it can't be made up or invented - it's REAL. As creatures who are mortal and who have limited time on this planet you'd think we'd be more concerned. We certainly should be. Imagine how much more you could have done with your life if you got back all that lost time? Every lost second, minute, hour -some even experience an entire week go by in a blur. It won't be long before you'll be on your deathbed wondering how you were not able to get everything you wanted done. It's plain and simple. You were robbed. We are ALL being robbed. The only REAL question is, WHO is taking all of this time and WHAT for? Is it some twisted experiment of a mad scientist to create an immortal? Is it how Gods live forever? Who is evil and powerful enough to commit such a horrible crime? It is absolutely necessary for us all to find where this time is going, the hidden place where it is stored to gain back all the years we've lost before we've run out of time entirely and those stolen moments are gone from us forever. We cannot let THEM win. How? Very good question. To stop them we must be diligent. We must not get distracted, panicked or fooled by those tricks that have been used on us before. Instead of rushing off to make up for the time we have lost, we must recall and note down how much was lost and what was happening around at the time. Together with our combined observations from all victims affected - everyone worldwide - we should be able to pinpoint the location of our disappeared time, get the clues we need to unravel this mystery. We should be able to free ourselves from whatever monstrous abomination is stealing away what we already have so little of so we can have the full time we deserve on this planet. Indeed, together we should be able to stop this threat that has been feeding off of us like leeches since the beginning. And then, and only then, when all that is settled we can focus on finding all our lost socks. Indeed, another horrible threat that has haunted us all. Not a joke, not us being absentminded, but truly robbed. We must all be diligent... -- Inspiration: All those moments when time flashes by quicker than expected, all those times I've ever misplaced anything (indeed sometimes permanently when it comes to things like socks), and of course all those corny but entertaining conspiracy theories.