Chapter 2

It had been a week, one endless and long week. 7 days since my outlook on well╔ everything had changed. Nothing I did mattered anymore, there would be a billion me all doing the same thing that I was. so frankly what was the point? I wish I could forget it all, forget the visit by that strange man and his offer of power.

Had I squandered my one chance at being great? Had I thrown it all away? No, I didn't think so, people mattered, this world mattered, just because it was one of many didn't mean you could just play God with it right?

I had taken an emergency vacation from work, 2 weeks, just to drive, I drove up the coast looking at the beauty of this world. Like the man had said, no magic, no aliens, no spark, just plain vanilla. But that was ok right? I mean I could see the beauty in the simplicity of it all.

I ended up on the Oregon coast, near a little town called Brookings, I went hiking along the sea cliffs. I didn't realize how much of a fatalist I had become, I was justifying my choice, as I watched the tide from several hundred feet above, I began to see myself as a HERO, I had saved this world. I protected it from alien forces greater then it would ever know. One day we would reach for the stars on our own, we would do it by our self on our terms.

I did that, I did that for this world, it was my one moment of greatness, I was a hero. Nothing I could do from here on out would ever compare. I watched the tide, and it was almost natural for me to fall from the cliffs, I felt the wind on my face, I felt the acceleration. I was the world greatest hero, and no one would know.

I hit with such force, but I didn't die, I found myself splashing around in one of those inflatable kiddie pools. I sat up in it soaked from head to toe, I was on some guys lawn, I wiped the water from my eyes, and there next to me was the man in the Hawaiian shirt and cargo shorts, sitting in a lawn chair sipping from a glass, he looked at me and lowered his sun glasses.

"Mojito?"

I frowned starring at him

"No mojito? You know I never got them anyway boy-o, who wants a minty drink? Right? Taste like you are drinking double mint gum."

Next I was sitting on a barstool still soaking wet, while the man in the Hawaiian shirt sat behind the counter shaking a mixing can.

"How about an appletini, it's an appropriate girlly drink for one such as yourself"

He poured a glass and put it before me, I simply stared at him

"You lied"

he shook his head

"NOPE I don't lie, I omit, I bend the truth, I dance around it and do the hookie pookey and shake it all about, but I NEVER LIE!"

I took a sip of the drink

"You said you would abide by what ever I said"

he nodded

"Aye lass I did, I haven't looked at the boring verse you call a home, NOR have I looked into that wooden box you call a head"

I frowned at him.

"THEN WHY AM I HERE! YOU RUINED IT FOR ME, I DIDN'T NEED TO KNOW WHAT YOU TOLD ME!"

he shook his head

"Lad you are here cause I like yah, you got spunk, when I left I wrote one rule into that verse, I made it so when you was about to kick the can, you would pop out of there so we could talk again, That's it. NOW I will admit I didn't expect you to be back so soon, I figures we would talk about your gran kids and all that hot tail you got"