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The End is The Beginning

24 November 2018 (Saturday)

The days of the time-travel experience are coming to an end soon. Today would be the 2nd last day of the 365-day cycle. Chris was on his bed, in a contemplative mood. There were numerous entries in his diary. Never one to have a diary, he bought one to jot down the key events and thoughts that happened through the year.

“One more day. How I wish I don’t have to work when I awake... Let’s see what’s up yesterday (23 November).”

He checked his phone. There was 1 entry. “Mikhayla at the airport 11 pm” His girlfriend who would be ex was returning from a business trip and he was supposed to pick her up.

“11 pm? Can I press Mode 2 on the watch to bring me back at any time on the 23rd? Since she cheated on me, why should I pick her up? Toy with her. The most important thing is to get back to 2019. Nothing else matters.”

Chris was tired of his current life. He could not plan for the future. Every day is a day to the past. He longed for a normal life with something to look forward to in the future. The days of anticipation would be over soon. He fell asleep as he stared at the time-travel watch at his bedside table.

23 November 2018 (Friday)

After his shower, he gave a call to the office.

“Hi, this is Chris.”

“Hi Chris. How can I help you?”

“I am calling in sick today. Please inform my manager about it.”

“Ok. Please visit the doctor and get a note for that.”

“Thanks. Cheers.”

It was the last day of this special time-travel journey. He did not want to work.

He thought: “If today were the last day of my life, would I want to work? No way, life’s too good for that.”

He went to the table in his room and started writing a checklist in his notebook.

Checklist

1. The watch

2. Lottery ticket (September)

3. Bank Balance

4. Investment Account

5. Solo Bike trip (23 Nov 2019)

6. Date (24 Nov 2019)

After completing his checklist, Chris pressed mode 2 on the time-travel watch. Nothing happened. The time read 9:00 am. He decided to try it at every hour. Yet, he remained at his current state as he switched on the tv to check the time.

As the hours passed, Chris experienced a full spectrum of emotions. Excitement, anxiety, worry, melancholy. He was still stuck in 2018. Feeling frustrated, he went out for a walk. During his walk, a thought came to his mind suddenly.

“For the past year, the days go reverse at midnight. Yes, that’s right. The key is 12 am. Midnight would be my last chance to return to 2019.”

He went to a cafe nearby and have his dinner before heading home for the last few hours.

At 11.20 pm, his phone rang. Chris picked up the phone.

“Hello.”

“Chris, are you at the airport?”

“Oh Mikhayla, I’m really sorry. I am feeling unwell. Been to the toilet many times. Can you take a cab home? I will make it up to you tomorrow.”

“Are you really ok, baby? I can go to your place now.”

“Paul doesn’t like unannounced visitors. I have to tell him in advance. I have taken some charcoal pills. It hurts less now. I should be fine. See you tomorrow.”

“Ok. Take care. Bye.”

Out of a sudden, he recalled that the watch must be on Paul’s desk. That was the last seen location of it before the time-travel began.

Upon ending the conversation, he went hurriedly to his table and get ready to sneak into Paul’s room for 12 midnight.

Paul was asleep and snoring in his bedroom. Chris crept in to the room quietly.

At 12.00 am, Chris pressed the button mode 2 on his time-travel watch and left the watch on Paul’s table.

23 November 2019 (Saturday)

Chris woke up. He looked around at the surroundings. Nothing had changed. He checked his phone. The date is shown on the screen: 23 November 2019.

“So the watch worked. I am back in 2019?”

Without hesitation, he went to the dining room and turned on the TV. The morning news was on the screen and the date read 23 November 2019. He was really happy. The next thing to check was his table. He found the lottery ticket there. The date of the purchase was 20 September 2019 and the date of the draw was 21 September 2019. Did he change the past?

This day was the day of his solo bike trip to the hills. He got ready in his gear, took his helmet, and rode his bike to the lottery shop.

“Hi there, I think I won a prize. Could you check my numbers?” Chris presented the lottery ticket to the counter staff.

“Wow, you are the 1st ever customer of ours to win the first prize in a draw. What took you so long? 2 long months. Anyway, there is another winner with the same set of numbers as you. You would be splitting the prize money with the other person. You have to go to the headquarters to pick up the cheque. Bring your ticket and identification documents along. They would be closed by this afternoon. Sunday too. Congratulations.”

“Thanks, have a good weekend.”

He did not collect the prize that day. Instead, he went on his bike trip as planned. The money was already in the bag, he reckoned.

24 November 2019 (Sunday)

Chris went on a date with Sandy, the waitress at Lucky Town restaurant. They went to the museum in the afternoon.

At the museum’s cafe, the 2 of them had coffee for an hour.

“Sandy, do you remember me at one of the bars downtown. You were with your university mates.”

“Yes, I think you graduated from the University of Pomona?”

“Yeah, you too. Are you from Pomona?”

“Yeah, aren’t you?”

“Yes. Which faculty are you from?”

“Arts.”

“Hmmm... One of my best mates was an alumnus too but she’s probably a few years your senior. Would you happen to know Elly?”

“Elly? Last name?”

“Oh, Elly Chang.”

Sandy smiled. “Hmm... I never went to any lectures with her before but I did bump into her a few times on campus.”

“Great, how did you get to know her?”

“She is my cousin.”

“What? Er...Are you related to David Chew?”

“Nah. That’s her mum’s brother. My last name is Chang. She is my paternal cousin. My Dad is younger than her Dad.”

“This is amazing. A few thousand kilometers away and I am on a date with my friend’s cousin. So how’s it going, Sandy?”

“Pretty good. Let’s move on with the exhibits.”

The next morning, which was a Monday, Chris called in sick to the office. He went to collect his prize money for the lottery. The Sicara Powerball Grand Prize for 21 September 2019 was 7 million. There were 2 winners. Chris pocketed 3.5 million from this.

He did not quit his job or made any major changes to his life. On that night, Chris took out his notebook and ticked all the major events notated in it.

1. BOS baseball match: Lost to Won

2. Hobo: Dead to Saved

3. Lottery: Won

4. 1st Date with Sandy: Completed

5. Open Traders: Nothing

6. Investments: Done, more to come.

The time-travel journey gave Chris the opportunity to rewrite his past. He did not achieve all that he wanted but life turned out better with it. His posts in the investments forum did bring investors’ attention to Open Traders’ practices. After a few months, the regulators stepped in and tightened regulations to keep Open Traders in check and protect the common investors’ interests. Given that the lottery had given him some financial freedom, Chris began to draw up plans for his future and enjoying his dating with Sandy.

He wrote his final entry in that notebook.

The Serenity Prayer

God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,

courage to change the things I can,

and wisdom to know the difference.