THE MOMENT
Otis was 59 years old and he still had yet to learn to mind his own business. There wasn't any malice behind his old green eyes; but, he was of the mind that if he could help someone he should. And the idea that some people didn't need or want his help was another lesson he'd never registered. However, it helped that most people warmed up to him and welcomed his help once he got to know them.
Two years ago some very private neighbors moved in next to him, and he wasted no time in welcoming them to the neighborhood. The husband and wife couple were pleasant and courteous to the old man; but, tried to make it clear how much they valued their personal space. Old Otis didn't even notice and he went on to turn them into close friends over those two years. At some point, they revealed their true fae nature and Otis barely flinched. He didn't ask a lot of questions; he was intrusively helpful, not nosy, and the neighbors grew even closer. Then, they were moving away.
"We never asked you to keep our secret; but, you have just the same," John Farlane shook Otis' hand as they said goodbye.
"Well, you lovely folks chose when to share it with me, I can't make that decision for someone else," Otis smiled.
"You've been the absolute perfect neighbor, and as a thank you, the Missus and I got you a little something," he smiled as he handed Otis a platinum envelope with a dragon logo on it in the shape of a 'C'. He wasn't expecting a gift; but, he'd already hidden theirs with the luggage he helped load up. He didn't know if he should reveal it there, or let them find it by surprise as he intended. Luckily, John kept talking with the assumption that Otis wasn't giving them anything.
"Now, we weren't expecting anything in return, so just be the good neighbor you've been and accept our gift."
"You won't hear me argue," Otis smiled.
"But, just so you're not going in blind, I'll tell you. It's a Favor from Chroma Corp., like a gift card you can use for anything."
"Oh, wow...," Otis' smile dimmed slightly. He knew it wasn't a competition; but, his gift $500 gift certificate to the hardware store might as well have been a crumpled sheet of paper compared to what they gave him. He'd never done any business with Chroma Corp. himself, but John and his wife Jane, talked endlessly about how wonderful the company was for people in the Fae community. And if he understood everything they'd told him over the years, a 'Favor' from Chroma Corp. was a very big deal indeed. When John reminded him it could be used for 'anything', he meant it quite literally. Otis was essentially given a free wish and he had no idea what to say. "... thank you!"
"You're welcome. Take care, old man, maybe we'll see you around again," John and his wife Jane waved, then got in the car and drove away. Otis was old and the couple were long-lived, they understood the passing of time and the changing of relationships. Neither one of them felt like they were losing a friend, even if they never saw each other again. Otis went back inside his house and opened the envelope.
He expected a voucher and was surprised to see a transparent glass node slide out. John used his node often in front of Otis, and he even showed it off more in-depth once; but, Otis didn't have much interest in technology. It was as thin as a card and clear as air until he touched it, and then the time lit up.
He had a smartphone and John had said on several occasions that a node was just as simple. He ran his finger up along the surface and the screen changed. Once unlocked he found a platinum screen with a gold button that said, ‘Request Favor’. He pressed it and the display changed again. This time it said, “calling Chroma Corp.” He brought the node up to his ear and heard the tail end of a ring, then someone answered.
“Thank you for calling Chroma Corp. customer service. My name is Eury Argyris, representing Chroma Corp. Can I have your name, please?”
“Is O-,” Otis caught himself before he gave it away. John and Jane did warn him often about giving his name too freely to any Fae. They were sticklers for wording and loved to enforce a good contract.
“I'm afraid that's not bringing anything up, could the account be under another name?” Eury asked.
“I don't have an account, this is my first time calling,” Otis said.
“Ah! I see, you're not a regular client. Are you calling in to redeem a favor?” Eury asked.
“Maybe,” Otis replied. “I was just calling for info. I'm not ready to cash out yet, but I wanted to find out what I could get when I do.”
“I understand,” Eury said. “If you received a favor, then you are already in the system. Many new callers unfamiliar with Chroma Corp. are hesitant to give their names due to popular stories about Fae stealing them to gain power. Let me assure you that we at Chroma Corp. do not engage in those sorts of activities. We are a modern corporation with modern practices and standards. We value all our clients regardless of their background. We only use your name for organization and business purposes and, if you like, I can forward the service agreement to your node for your own research. But, I will say a Favor from Chroma Corp. isn't given lightly. Without giving away too much, I can say that if you trust the person you received it from, that should also apply to the company.”
“No, I don't need the agreement, thank you,” Otis replied. “My name is Otis Granger,” he held his breath as he gave it.
“Got it right here,” Eury replied after a few key strokes. “You're entitled to one ‘Celestial Favor’, that's basically anything you want,” she said.
“Anything like what?” he asked. It was too broad, he needed some guidelines.
“Literally almost anything,” she giggled. “You can ask for a personal, in-person wake up call for the rest of your life or if you want up move to a completely new Earth, we'll arrange that for you. The ‘almost’ is for anything regarding aliens, they don't exist. But, anything else is yours to ask. This is a high-level favor, you must've been really nice,” she added with an apparent smile in her voice.
“I don't think so, but I try,” Otis normally wouldn't have accepted the compliment so easily, but he was mildly distracted. “Did you say different Earth?” he asked.
“Chroma Corp. serves millions of parallel Earths, and you're welcome to move to any of them.”
“Millions?” he asked. It was almost impossible to comprehend.
“Hundreds of millions if you want to be more precise,” Eury replied. “Hundreds of millions of Earths with a version of you on almost every one. If we were interested in trading names, there's a decent chance we'd already have yours.”