THE MOMENT
Shawn woke feeling more rested than he'd ever felt. He opened his eyes and sat up in bed feeling like he had to; but, he had no idea why. His room was filled with brilliant sunlight and everything looked like he remembered it. The only thing that stood out was the teenage boy seated on his computer chair. Shawn lived alone. Somehow, Shawn had enough awareness to know he should be more concerned with a stranger in his bedroom. But at the same time, he felt at ease.
"Who are you?" Shawn asked. The brown-haired kid acknowledged Shawn with a nod. He wore a black hoodie with only a few strands of light brown hair peeking out from it.
"Hi, my name's Sprocket, and I have a few questions for you," he said. Shawn glanced at his bedside clock out of habit. Bright red numbers told him it was 7:03 in the morning. It was a Saturday and Shawn didn't have to be at work. He couldn't think of anything he needed to rush to and simply nodded at Sprocket.
"What's up?" Shawn asked.
"How's life going?" Sprocket asked. It wasn't the sort of absent-minded question that acquaintances asked out of courtesy. Something about Sprocket's tone made Shawn feel like it was a sincere question. Instead of dismissing it with a simple, 'good, and you?' Shawn took a moment to glance around his room again. Shawn lived in a small, one-bedroom apartment. The walls were plain white that once matched the carpet. But, over the years he learned how difficult it was to keep a white carpet clean and gave up. His Full-size bed was almost too small for his 6'4" frame; but, it was comfortable.
"Could be worse," Shawn shrugged when he answered the question. "Could be better too, I suppose. I'm getting by comfortably enough." After answering, Shawn felt like he was owed an answer too.
"Why are you asking?"
"Well, I'm the one that designed it," Sprocket shrugged. "I was curious about how I did."
"What do you mean you designed it?" Shawn asked. It didn't occur to him to doubt Sprocket; he was only curious about the specifics.
"All major events that happened or will happen to you were decided by me. Everything from the accident that took you off the football team to an ironically similar accident that takes your life. You're single now, but that's not going to last much longer. Every single one is decided by me."
"What? Why?" Shawn asked.
"Call it a test," Sprocket replied. "Speaking of which, hold on. I gotta try this too." Shawn blinked and waited.
"Try what?" Shauna asked after a few quiet moments.
"Oh, nothing," Sprocket replied. "So, going back a little bit, you think life's going pretty okay?"
"What?" Shauna was mildly annoyed at Sprocket's apparent short-term memory loss. "You just asked me that," she said. Sprocket nodded.
"Sorry, I should've been more clear. When I said I had a few questions to ask you I should've said that it's the same question a few different times. For statistical purposes. So, how's life going?" Shauna rolled her eyes; but, she chuckled.
She made a show of glancing around her apartment again just to humor Sprocket. If nothing else, it allowed her to admire her work. She was proud of the two-bedroom loft she'd been living in for the past three years. She always made the extra effort to keep her space clean. It wasn't easy with hardwood floors, but they looked amazing.
"As if I didn't already tell you," Shauna grinned. "It couldn't be better. Today, especially. My husband took the kids out of town for the weekend and I get the place to myself for once. If you really did design this life for me, thank you so much!" she said. "I'll even forgive you for the accident that pulled me out of tennis." Sprocket nodded; Shauna blinked.
"So, how's life going?" Sprocket asked. Shane grumbled with some minor annoyance. It was bad enough that he didn't get any sleep last night; but, now he had a punk kid sitting in his house claiming credit for Shane's shitty life.
"How many times, exactly, are you asking that question?" Shane asked.
"Last one, I promise," Sprocket nodded.
"Fine...," Shane glanced at his dirty walls and peeling linoleum floors. Unfortunately, he forgot about the cot's loose leg. He leaned too much to one side and toppled to the floor. Sprocket did not make a move to help him up. "It's crappy," Shane said. "Thanks for the crappy life, you suck at whatever your job is."
"I think that's all I need," Sprocket said. He hopped off the desk. Once he was on his feet, Shane realized how short the boy was.
"So, why me?" Shane asked.
"Why you, what?" Sprocket replied.
"What'd I do to deserve this god-awful life? How much longer is this test going to last??"
"Nothing," Sprocket shook his head. "Life's just life sometimes."
"You can't tell me that!" Shane raged as he scrambled to his feet. He was only 5'8; but, still taller than Sprocket. "YOU DESIGNED THIS LIFE FOR ME! YOU OWE ME A BETTER ONE!"
"I'll tell you what," Sprocket smiled. "If I get an A, I'll come back and give you an upgrade." As he spoke, he wiggled his hand at the air. A tall black hole opened next to him. Shane realized Sprocket was about to leave; then, he blinked.
"If you get an A?? What does that mean?" Shaun asked.
"I told you...," Sprocket stepped into the portal. But, he answered Shaun's question before he disappeared. "... it's a test. It's a major part of my grade; thanks for the help!"