[Original Short Story] Second Chances

      It’s 6 am on a Saturday morning, the sun has just begun to rise when William wakes up with a jump. This is because he had been on edge ever since the night before, as William proceeds to get dressed he starts to remember the details of the previous night. William was walking home from the local pub at 10:30 pm when he was confronted by a young man brandishing a gun. “Give me your wallet and jewelry. I want everything, now.” said the man, speaking through a bandana covering his face. William obeyed and proceeded to hand him his wallet, however the man's eyes moved to Wills neck. “That too.” said the man, referring to the silver chain Will was wearing. “I can’t, my late Uncle gave me this chain” replied Will “Please, I already gave you my wallet. You can buy 10 of these with what’s in there.” But the man wouldn't budge, he had his eyes set on the chain and said, “I said give me everything, now.” as he pulled back the hammer on the gun. William reluctantly removed the chain from his neck and handed it to the man with a look of disgust on his face. As soon as the thief had received the chain, he bolted running as fast he could, leaving Will standing there alone. “Dammit!” Will yelled, as he remembered this.

       After eating breakfast, William goes on his regular morning jog. He has been going on a jog every morning for the past 4 years and he wasn't going to let last night's events stop him. He proceeded to jog around the block, saying “Good morning” with a smile to anyone he passed. On his way home, something unusual happened. He saw a shiny object on his front lawn, so he made his way over and crouched down to look at it. It was a gold ring with a purple stone on it, upon further examination he noticed this purple stone had an engraving of tiny clock. He looks around to see if anybody nearby had dropped it but doesnt spot anyone. He considers himself lucky to find a piece of jewelry after being robbed the night before, so he picks up the ring and puts it on his finger. As the ring slid into place on his finger he noticed a tingly vibration emitting from the ring. He ignored this, and continued on inside for a cup of coffee. Will put a couple pieces of bread in the toaster and went to grab a mug from the cupboard. As he was grabbing the mug it slipped through his fingers and fell to the ground, Will tried to grab it before it hit the ground and as he reached out he felt a strong vibration coming from the ring on his finger. Will couldn't believe what he was seeing, time was being reversed right in front of his eyes. The coffee mug was moving on its own and flew back into the cupboard like magic. He stood there with his mouth wide open, and stared at the mug and then at the ring. He immediately realized what was happening, this ring has the power to control time.

       Will stood there in shock for a couple minutes before he realized, he can reverse time and prevent the previous night's incident. He thought about it and made up his mind, he was going to go back and walk through a different route to avoid being mugged. Will closed his eyes and focused hard on the night before, he felt a strong surge of emotion recalling what had happened. All of a sudden he felt himself being pulled forward as the ring gave out a strong vibration, he opened his eyes and found himself standing in front of the pub. It actually worked, he checked his watch and it read 10:27, just a couple minutes before the incident occurred. Will set off and walked a different route full of confidence with his chest out and his head up. He arrived safely at home and went to bed with a smile and a feeling of triumph. Will awoke the next morning at 6 am, he had an uncomfortable dream but couldn't remember exactly what happened. Will began to get dressed to go for his morning jog, as he got ready he turned on the TV to the Channel 4 News and a story caught his attention. “Breaking news, a 67 year-old woman was fatally shot last night in what seems to be a case of a violent mugging which took place in an alleyway near ‘The Winchesters Pub’. Investigators are now on the scene...” said the reporter. Will’s stomach turned, he felt extremely nauseous because that was the same alleyway in which he was mugged. Was this woman’s death his own fault? He thought to himself, if he hadn't turned back time would this woman still be alive? Will felt the guilt building up inside him, he knew he had to fix this. He closed his eyes and focused hard on the previous night, he felt foolish for thinking that by avoiding that alleyway he would avoid trouble, that action instead brought more trouble by causing the death of an elderly woman. At this thought, Will felt himself being pulled forward as the ring on his finger emitted a powerful vibration. He opened his eyes and found himself standing in front of the pub once again. He checked his watch and it read 10:27, Will quickly took off his chain and hid it in his shoe. He began to walk towards the alleyway with his heart pounding in his chest, he was going to confront the robber. Will arrived in the alley and saw the robber standing 10 feet ahead of him facing the other direction. He took off the ring with the purple stone and put it in his pocket, Will walked up to him and the robber turned to face him, Will began to speak “Before you-” but he was cut off by the man “Give me your wallet and everything you got.” he said while pointing the gun at Will. “I’ll give you my wallet if you just listen for 2 minutes. After two minutes if you still want my wallet I will happily give it to you.” Will replied. “I didn't ask you to speak I asked for your stuff.” said the man aiming the gun at Wills head. Will noticed the robbers hand was extremely shaky, he must be nervous Will thought. “Is this your first time mugging someone?” Will asked. “Stop talking and empty your pockets.” said the man as the shaking intensified. This confirmed Will’s idea that this is the man’s first robbery. “What's your name?” Will asked. The man took a deep breath and thought about it before responding, he cocked the gun and said “Steve Nichols. Happy? Give me your damn wallet!”. Will took one step forward and said “Listen Steve, I know you're nervous and I know you're desperate, I just want to know, why? maybe I can help.” The man's eyes started to shine and Will knew he asked the right question. Steve lowered the gun, “Sometimes desperate situations make us do desperate things.” he mumbled. 

       “Look, I don't know what you've been through,” said Will. “But one thing I am sure of is you haven't always been this person. Listen, I know this might sound crazy” as he pulled the ring out of his pocket. “This ring has the power to reverse time.” At these words Steve got upset, “What, do you think I’m crazy?” he yelled loudly, pointing the gun at him again. “No I don't think you're crazy Steve, just hear me out. I’ve already used this ring to control time, in fact you have already robbed me. I used this ring to reverse time to avoid being robbed, but because of that an innocent lady died by your hands. I know you're nervous, but trust me.” Steve thought about this, “Okay, so what if this ring can reverse time, why are you telling me any of this?” he said. “Because I think this ring can only be used to help others, I used it to avoid having my chain robbed, and that had negative consequences. I want you to use this ring to do something good for someone, maybe it can help change who you've become.” Will replied. Steve remained silent, after a few seconds he removed the bandana revealing his face which shocked Will. Steve was only a kid, he looked like he was barely 19 years old. 

       “Okay I’ll take it.” said Steve, but Will said “Only on one condition, you give me your gun.” At this Steve looked unsure, “What’re you gonna do with it?” he asked. “I’m gonna throw it in the dumpster, are you okay with that?” said Will. Steve replied “Fine.” and they made the trade. Will explained to Steve that he needs to focus hard on the time and place he wants to travel back to, and he needs to feel the emotions he felt in that moment. Steve understood, they shook hands and parted ways. Will let out a sigh of relief, and speed-walked home. When he got to his house he layed down and fell asleep the moment his head hit the pillow. The next morning, Will gets dressed and goes for his morning jog. when he gets home he decides to turn on the news to see if anything interesting happened last night after his interaction with Steve. He grabs a mug from the cupboard for coffee and turns on the TV. He sees the Channel 4 news reporter standing in front of an old house that looks like it was half burned down. “Today marks the one year anniversary of a tragic house fire that left 18 year old Steve Nichols dead. Authorities say he died rescuing both of his parents and little sister before being consumed by the flames. He has been called a hero by the mayor of the city.” said the reporter. As the reporter spoke these words, Will’s coffee mug fell to the ground with a crash.

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