You’re in your own time now

Auntie’s words to Peter, “You’re in your own time now,” turn a quiet parting into a declaration of independence: she tells him to continue without waiting for a formal goodbye, placing the next stretch of his life in his own hands.

The Parting

Peter finds Auntie lying still with her eyes closed and her hands at her sides. When he calls to her, she says she was only resting; then, in a more solemn tone, she tells him there is no time for goodbyes and urges him to go on. The phrase belongs to a moment of departure, but it also names a change in their relationship: Peter must leave her behind rather than remain within the time and care she represents.

Meaning and Narrative Function

The wording makes time feel personal and newly claimed. Auntie does not offer Peter a plan or promise that the separation will be brief. Instead, she recognizes that his path now belongs to him. Her instruction is both permission and a final act of care, giving emotional shape to a transition that the surrounding action treats as immediate: by the time Peter reaches the cutout, pink light is rising in the east and the others are ready to move. The dawn and the waiting group place his private farewell at the threshold of what comes next.