THE MOMENT
Charlie had a gift, and he knew how to use it. He could see visions of future events, but they only became true if he didn't tell anyone about them. He was fortunate that it wasn't a constant stream of predictions. It happened infrequently, but at least a few times a month, usually.
Over the years, he learned the signs and feelings that hinted at the oncoming revelation. It started with a precise chill up his spine, a moving sensation traveled upward and almost felt like it 'connected' to something in his brain. There was a subtle 'click' that he sensed more than heard, then his vision would go black long enough to transition to the scene he was meant to see. Then things would transition again back to normal after.
After the vision, came an irresistible urge to share it with someone. He gave in to it often early on, and his predictions never happened. It wasn't until he finally decided not to share a horrible vision that the consequences manifested. It wasn't acutely clear at the time, and it took some more trial and error. But, eventually, he narrowed down the rules that allowed him to live a normal, if well-off, life.
On this particular day, he was enjoying his morning walk through the park when the feeling began climbing his spine. If he were driving, he would've pulled over, but he quickly found a nearby wooden bench to sit down and wait. It didn't take long, and in moments, he felt the 'click'.
The black transition opened to a vast white interior. A densely packed office lobby with white floors and walls was crawling with men and women in crisp white suits with red ties.
A towering screen, maybe four stories high, hung in the center of the lobby with the name 'Sharp Development' in white. A model of the Earth was spinning as numbers, over 12 digits, kept climbing up beneath it. And further text labeled it as, 'Earths owned by Sharp Development'. Then, his vision went black again before he could see the park anew.
That's the way it always was; he saw and understood things, even if they weren't immediately obvious. He knew Sharp Development was coming for his Earth, and as luck would have it, he also knew how to stop them. He reached into his pocket, pulled out his phone, and pressed random numbers; enough to make a call.
"Hello?" a confused woman answered the phone.
"Hi! Did you know Sharp Development is coming to take over our Earth?" he asked with a smile. In all honesty, this was the easiest part of his ability. He only needed to tell someone. They didn't have to believe him, and he didn't have to convince them. It took him a while to figure that aspect out; he put far too much energy into convincing people to believe him so that things wouldn't happen.
"Who is this?" the woman asked.
"Oh, sorry, I might have the wrong number," Charlie laughed. "I was trying to play a prank on my friend, and I think I dialed too fast. My apologies, have a good day," he said quickly, then hung up. He then went about his day as normal, content that he'd saved the world from a dystopian end. He tried not to think about the existence of the multiverse. It was the only time it'd been part of his visions, and would never appear to him again.
Elsewhere, in a distant city, inside a coffee shop. A woman with violet hair wearing a white leather duster and cowboy hat hung up the call with a giggle. She was meeting a stranger to get to know the area, and he was curious.
“What’s so funny?” he asked. “You seemed surprised the number was from an ‘unknown caller’.” She’d stared at the screen for several seconds as she processed the label before answering it.
“You know, it’s easy to forget how surprising the universe can be,” she said. She reached forward and offered him a transparent glass card. It was like her phone. Peter, the stranger she met, was into technology and he’d never seen anything so advanced as when she answered a phone call with it. “That was a subtle hint that Sharp Development has no business on this Earth after all. But, you’ve been super nice and just because we’re not going to come to your Earth anymore doesn’t mean you personally can’t travel the multiverse.”
“Wait, you just talked up how amazing the company was… and now you’re not coming because of a phone call?” He was glad she wasn’t leaving him empty-handed, but what about the rest of the world? They had amazing technology that she’d said they were going to share, and now that had changed. “A multiversal company letting a single complaint dictate their actions?”
“Sharp Development understands the universe in a way most individuals don’t,” she said. “We’ve seen all kinds of things, from magic to curses to lazers and nano-tech. It’s something of a sixth sense by now, and I mean, it was precise timing. The call came in before I sent my final recommendations to the company. That synchronicity itself adds some pretty clear context to the message.”