Chapter 5: Time Travel

Closing his eyes, Ari went over everything, starting with the day he died. From what he could remember, the day started normally with him working in Oasis as always. Once his game session ended, he realized he was starving and went to find something to eat.

 

However, as always, there was no food in his refrigerator. So, as any sensible person would do when they were hungry but had no food, he went out to buy some. Now that he thought about it, he should have just ordered in. Because as soon as he left the apartment building, a snowstorm hit and if that wasn’t bad, it was also night.

 

As the snow fell upon him, Ari remembered regretting the fact that he had to use one of those cheap VR headsets instead of a pod as he walked outside. Because if he had a pod, the nutrient supplements that came with it would sustain him and he wouldn’t have to be out here in the chilly night air.

 

But he had to do that since he was stuck working in a ‘Black Company’ (exploitative sweatshop-type company) as a gatherer in the game. Sighing to himself, he trudged through the snow, making his way to the mini-mart down the street. 

 

After getting some bread and a few other items that were within his meager budget, he headed home. He was a mere block away from his run-down apartment when he saw a homeless old man staring down at a manhole cover.

 

Although he was curious why the man was doing so, he wrote it off, as maybe the man noticed something odd and wanted to check it out. He was just about to continue on his way when he noticed the smoke billowing out. 

 

When he saw the smoke, it sparked a memory of him watching the news with his parents. It was about a manhole explosion in Times Square that was just a couple of blocks from where they lived. 

 

The reporter taught everyone warning signs in case it happened again. Smoke was the first warning, followed by sparks and ground tremors. Once the last one happens the manhole would explode.

 

Feeling movement beneath his feet, he knew what he had to do. Tossing the bags of food in his hands away, he ran towards the old man. It wasn’t as if he was trying to be a hero or anything, but for a split second, the man reminded him of his grandfather and didn’t want to see the old man hurt. 

 

So, running as fast as he can, he tried to grab the man’s arm so he could move him out of the way. However, before he could, he saw the manhole lift. Seeing that, Ari’s adrenaline kicked in and he picked up the pace, hitting the concrete with his heels for momentum and force, straining his calves.

 

Once he was close enough, he pushed the man out of the way instead of grabbing him as he intended. It was just in the nick of time, too. Because once the man was out of the way, the manhole exploded, causing the metal cover to fly quickly towards him.

 

The black-haired teenager remembered his fear. He wanted to duck and move out of the way, but he couldn’t. He was completely frozen. 

 

Before the manhole cover slammed into his face, the only thing that crossed his mind was: ‘At least that old grandpa is safe.’ Hitting the ground head first with a splat, the boy’s world turned black.

 

He would never know that the old man didn’t even blink an eye when the manhole cover smashed his head like a pancake, making the pristine white snow turn red as he littered it with small chunks of brain matter.

 

~

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Coming out of his thoughts, Ari concluded he did indeed die, but for some reason, he didn’t stay that way. Confusion settled in his mind and he couldn’t help but wonder where he was.

 

“What the hell is going on?” He asked himself, as he gripped his hair with his hands. He was trying not to become overwrought because he knew it would be easy to become so in this situation.

 

Being in this room, seeing his mom alive and well… he could barely process everything. Suddenly, his eyes widened, and he remembered how his voice stuttered when she talked about his dad. Yet, that only happened through the first couple of years after his death. 

 

An idea came to him. Sitting up, he looked towards the dresser next to him and grabbed the phone off of it. Turning it on, he checked the date, only to see that he was eight years in the past. Shock ran through him as he tripled-checked to make sure that it was really that date.

 

‘I said it once and I will say it again. How the fuck did this happen?’ Ari wondered, borderline hysterical.

 

He couldn’t understand how he traveled back in time. There were so many thoughts that swept through his mind, and a lot of them were intrusive. To where he was certain that maybe this was limbo.

 

However, he quickly ruled that out, since he tested that theory out early. Suddenly, he remembered what he learned in history class when the teacher made them study Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

 

There was a quote from the man that went: ‘Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth’. It seemed to Ari that the quote was meant for a situation like this.

 

Since he knew that this wasn’t heaven, or some drugged-out hallucination that there was only one thing he had left to consider.  

 

“So I really time travel?” The boy whispered to himself, with a touch of disbelief. “Well… damn!”

Looking down at his phone once again just to make sure Ari was flabbergasted. Regardless, that didn’t stop him from turning on the television and his electronic assistant just to be one hundred percent.

In what seemed to be stupefaction, he whispered, “Wow, I really have traveled back in time.” After his astonishment wore off, there was a bit of petulance, “Omg! I can’t believe this. Did the gods pity me so much that they gave me a second chance?”

“Well, whatever the reason, this second chance won’t be in vain. This time I will make sure that things work out for me and my family,” Ari said as tears dripped down his eyes, the happiness overflowing from within him. This was his chance to change everything.

He didn’t know it, but somewhere in the netherworld, an older man whose wrinkles faded smiled brightly as if to cheer him on.

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