The thin man grabbed one of the snakes. It didn't attack him. It kept writhing, trying to swallow the entire hourglass.
The thin man grew frantic, straining until his face flushed and veins bulged on his forehead. He grabbed the snake with both hands and put every ounce of strength into lifting the hourglass, slowly turning it upside down.
The ash tilted, and the golden sand tilted too, but the hourglass didn't completely turn over.
The golden sand kept trickling down.
"Ah!" the thin man roared, finally turning the hourglass all the way over.
I saw him lose his balance and stumble onto the coffee table. The hourglass slammed down onto it, too.
The two snakes seemed to have been struck. They let go with a pained hiss, flicking their tongues in warning.
The ash fell from the upper half of the hourglass and landed in the golden sand, instantly turning into glittering grains.
The two snakes were pinned in place.
Once all the ash had fallen, only a mound of golden sand remained inside the hourglass.
Crack!
A fissure appeared in the hourglass.
The glass shattered, and sand poured out, swirling through the room.
I'd just seen this scene.
The thin man panted and turned to look at the sofa.
Suddenly, the sofa disappeared. The living room disappeared.
The room went from spacious to cramped.
The tiny room looked very familiar.
Bunk beds, with a wardrobe and desk underneath. A soccer jersey hung out to dry on the small balcony. Beyond the window, noisy sounds rang out.
A university dorm? Was it our dorm room?
That jersey...
Whose was it again...
For a moment, I couldn't remember.
Although it was a university dorm, it was completely empty apart from the jersey. There were no other personal belongings.
It looked