THE MOMENT
"No...," Abigail sighed when she heard the front door jingle. A quick glance at the monitor told her she still had about three minutes left. It was plenty of time for someone to buy something and be on their way. However, she was surprised when the lean man in a white suit and red tie went straight to her at the counter. He was pale with his deep red hair combed neatly to the right.
"Gas?" she asked. She was hopeful whatever he wanted was quick. The man grinned, shook his head, and extended his hand across the counter.
"Name's Phoenix," he said. "I have a few things I'd like to discuss with you, Ms. Lewis"
"What?" she was somewhat insulted that he didn't value her time. And, more than that she was mildly confused about why he was there at that moment. "Right now? You're crazy, we're about to be Called again..," she said.
"In a couple of minutes," he nodded. "Honestly, by this point, the results should already be tallied. Don't you think?" he asked. Abigail blinked and appraised the man in front of her again. She never shook his hand and he dropped it to his side. She was currently wearing a spare nametag, and he used her surname; so he had to already know who she was. He was handsome with hawkish, angular features and he looked distinguished in his white suit. Abigail noticed a red pair of scissors monogrammed on the left breast pocket and she realized it was a uniform more than a stylish wardrobe choice.
But, it was his question that stood out in Abigail's mind more than his appearance. The Call happened a year ago, almost to the minute. Everyone heard different versions of more or less the same thing. The Earth was now a competition. Rules were explained and rewards were promised. The days and weeks that followed were kind of chaotic as the situation settled in. But, over time people accepted their new reality. People talked about the Call regularly as a fact of life. But, it was the first time all year that she'd heard anyone make a casual assumption about the Call.
"What did you want to talk to me about?" Abigail asked. She was intrigued enough to ask. Even if the answer was going to go on at length, he would certainly stop once the Call happened again.
"I represent Sharp Development," he touched the red scissors on his coat. The logo looked vaguely familiar; but, it wasn't until she heard the name 'Sharp Development' that she remembered where it came from. The logo had flashed in her mind several times while she heard the rules during the Call. He smirked at her when she inched forward. Her eyes were wide with hope. "Congratulations, you're one of our winners," he said. "The Call about to happen is only for the people that didn't win, so don't be disappointed when you don't hear it."
"I WON!!!"Abigail dashed out from behind the counter to hug Phoenix. "I WON!!!!" she screamed in his ear.
"Yeah, I know," he chuckled as she tried to calm herself down. She walked back to stand behind the counter so she could talk to Phoenix face-to-face. "So, let's talk about your prize. Do you have any ideas picked out, or do you need some more time because you weren't expecting to win?"
"Oh no," Abigail nodded. "I'm ready!" She wasn't one to brag but she considered herself to be quite kind. At the very least, she reasoned, she was kinder than the majority of people. She had been hopeful about her chances since the beginning. The Call challenged everyone in the world to make it through a year of kindness; and, she had plenty of experience.
"I want my own Earth!" she said. She didn't exactly understand how that was possible. But, the Call contacted everyone on Earth at the same time. When it happened, she was flooded with certainty about everything it promised. Somehow, she could be in charge of an entire Earth. She could control it as precisely or laid-back as she wanted and more importantly, she would only deal with people she liked. She was, apparently, the nicest person on Earth but she still would have preferred to not deal with people.
"Awww, nuts," Phoenix hung his head in slight, but obvious disappointment. "I was hoping you weren't going to ask for that one."
"What? Why not?? It was one of the prizes!" Abigail had no idea who she would complain at; but, she would find someone. Phoenix nodded.
"It was, and still is. But, due to some timing complications, now is not the best time for that particular prize; you can say it's on backorder. That works," he said.
"Backorder? For an Earth??" Abigail asked. "I thought the whole point was the fact that alternate universes are real. Are you telling me all those Earths are full?" Phoenix sighed as he shook his head.
"Backorder is just an excuse, for your benefit. Sharp Development can easily give you an Earth now if you wish. The problem is, it would only be for a few months. If you wait a few months, you'll get your own Earth indefinitely."
"Huh?" Abigail shook her head. He was throwing out a lot of information. The Call helped prepare her somewhat, but there was too much to keep track of. "Hold on. You're saying I can get my Earth now; but, at this point, it's only temporary. If I wait I get it permanently? Why does this sound like you're trying to move the goalposts?" she asked. "Why give me an Earth that's going to end soon?"
"That's the sticking point," Phoenix nodded. "There aren't any," he said.
"There aren't any...," Abigail repeated the words slowly just to make sure they both heard correctly. "...Earths that aren't going to end soon?"
"Yeah," Phoenix nodded again. "This multiverse only has a few months left before it's gone. But, don't worry," Phoenix grinned at her with a wink. "Your prize will be ready and waiting in the next one."