–Part Three of a Short (Somewhat Graphic) Novel–
The woman’s words could have easily been seen as provocative, by a good many men, but Oliver knew better.
He immediately understood what she was referring to… as he’d made the wish just moments before she appeared.
A do-over. A second chance.
His predicament was serious. As serious as jail time. The details are sordid, but easily summarized: The betrayal of a trusted friend; a bad investment; and financial ruin.
Oliver was bankrupt. The gym’s closure was imminent, and his clients – the people that he loved and cared for – would suffer. Thousands of dollars that they’d paid in their annual memberships… gone.
“I’m here to grant you that second chance,” the woman said, waking Oliver from his stupor.
“I can send you back in time. Back to when Charlie, that so-called friend of yours, arrived at your door.”
Oliver was euphoric. He nodded his head vigorously – like a headbanger at a Motörhead concert – and he smiled from ear to ear.
“There’s just one catch,” she said.
With that, Oliver’s voice suddenly returned. “Yes, yes, yes! Anything!”
“You will not remember me… nor will you remember our encounter.”
Oliver nodded, opening his mouth to speak, but the woman put her hand up, signaling him to be silent.
“You will not be aware that you have gone back in time,” she added, “or the reason why.”
Her emphasis made the ‘catch’ crystal clear. Oliver’s wish could lead to his own undoing… AGAIN.
What would prevent him from making the same mistake? How could he go through that horrible loss again?
He saw no point, and his hope turned to despondency.
The gym was everything to him. He had dreamed of it since he’d been a young boy – when he first met Uncle Lou (God rest his soul), the World Famous Bodybuilder.
“What if I change it?” He asked quickly, remembering how proud Uncle Lou had been when he visited Oliver’s gym for that first time. “Can I just wish for the money instead?”
“No, no, no!” She snapped. “That’s too easy! What could you possibly learn from that?”
He tried to think of a reply – a retort of some kind – but the woman would not have it. She waved her hands in the air, and Oliver was tongue tied once again.
A purple haze filled the room, and then suddenly… she was gone.
TO BE CONTINUED
Hello! I’m back with part 3, and I may be close to the end. I think my next post will be more about my thoughts… about how fleeting my interest in my own stories is. Haha!
I’m serious though, and I don’t mean it in a bad way. I think it’s a good thing sometimes – otherwise I’d be stuck on the same story for God knows how long and I’ve never move forward.
Regardless, it made me think that there’s an entire conversation that could take place about how fleeting everything is, and how relative it is to our priorities in life.
Meanwhile, I finished this segment several days ago but it’s the illustration that held me up again. I think I’m almost ready for a story without pictures… maybe there’s another way to brighten up the page.
Theme songs? I wonder if a person could read a story with background music? I don’t know… that gave me an idea, but we’ll see.
Anyway, that’s all for now. Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed!
“One day your life will flash before your eyes. Make sure it’s worth watching.” -Gerard Way
a sprinkle of faith 
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