• It was on a humid summer day around noon, in a quiet town named nickels in southern Texas. That brought us to a man who just graduated from high school and was released into the vast world to live on his own. His name is Steve and as we come to his house along 13th avenue there is a roar from within the home. Steve is inside pinging off of walls furiously attempting to sling his work attire onto his body as he goes streaming out the door to race to work. As Steve is slamming the keys into he is chugging down the last of his coffee while he practically chokes on a pop tart. In his car he goes screaming down the street onto the highway, just like a blur he is gone.
    Slamming on his breaks and revving the gas every turn he makes. While he listens to heavy metal he puts his suit on along with his coffee stained tie. Once Steve reached his work at the Local Furniture store he eagerly jumped out his truck and ran inside the building. Once inside unaware of his boss watching his pathetic attempt to make is late on time. When Steve entered the room his boss yelled “Steve get over here I need a word with you!” at that moment all of Steve determination and effort seemed to go away and turned into fear and sorrow. Slugging along Steve slowly and quietly moved toward his boss’s office. Slowly but surly he made his way into the office and sad down in the big maroon chair in front of his boss. With a stressed face his boss just sighed and said” look here Steve I can have you coming in every day late it ruins business and I’m not going to pay you for the hours you miss, I’m afraid I’m going to have to let you go.” Quietly Steve arose and was escorted out of the building by his old friends.
    Dazed and confused Steve wondered around out in the parking lot for what seemed hours, it was as if he was lost in the desert surrounded by a maze of sand. Eventually somehow Steve managed to make his way outside of the maze and make his way back to society. Sad and lonely Steve crawled up into his truck and headed north, to the old moonshine bar. Once inside he ordered a few rounds and felt a little livelier Steve started to grow a smile across his face. After a couple of hours Steve was drunk and just a crazy person, but that’s when a guy joined him and the table. Curious the man asked “So, why do you look so glum?” only to get a reply of “wouldn’t you like to know!” from Steve’s mouth. But after another couple beers Steve and the mysterious Stanger came to laugh and joke, but then this man grew a serious look upon his face as he said” so Steve are you going to get even?” with only a questionable laugh to go off of the mysterious Stanger pulled out a piece of paper and a pencil. Then after some deliberation he wrote Steve a plan to get vengeance on his boss while making a laugh or two out of it.
    Determined Steve asked “So, what’s your name?””Earl. “Said the mysterious stager” Well it’s been nice meeting you earl, but I have to go take my vengeance” said Steve with a smile. Then Steve drove off into the distance leaving earl at the bar, as he headed to the bank. When Steve reached the bank he approached the counter and ordered the teller to take as much money as they could out of his savings and make it all out of pennies. Then with a smirk Steve slung a giant bag full of pennies into the back of his truck bead and drove off to discount electronics.
    Drunk and stupid Steve barged into the electronic store. Unaware of how obviously drunk he was he wobbled around the store grabbing a buggy and slinging stuff into it. Steve was greeted nicely by the only person working the night shift who was Tim his old boss’s son. When Steve had a nice pile of junk collected he made his way toward the front desk where the only person running the night shift was working. When Steve got rang up he walked outside and grabbed the bag of pennies and drug it back inside. While doing so Steve asked” so your bobs son the one that runs the local furniture store down near 8th avenue?” only to get a nod of Tim head in agreement. Then with a smirk Steve poured the large bag of pennies onto the counter while asking “hope you take change.” With disbelief on his face Tim was forced to count all the change in front of him. After careful deliberation Tim was finished and Steve was relived, but before Steve left he yelled out “hope your dad know what he did today” feeling confused and angry Tim went home to confront his father.
    During this time Steve wondered off into the night stubbornly attempting to find his keys. After about a half hour Steve blacked out from his entire alcohol intakes. A couple hours later he awoke in an alley scared and all alone; Steve looked around and saw nothing but a light simmering in the distance. Nowhere to go he walked slowly toward this light which somehow resembled hope. Only to be a barrel with a flame inside Steve warmed himself and nudged the homeless man who laid next to it to ask him for directions. Once awake the man exclaimed “piss off! I’m sleeping here!” until Steve awoke this cranky old man from his slumber. Finally the old man just got a swig from an old canteen hung around his neck and sighed. After a minute the old man said “wouldn’t you like to just die right now?” Stunned Steve stated “No! I would like to live.” Hesitant the old man grabbed his beard and began to stroke it as if he where pondering. With a smile he stood on his feet and just said” fine you win but I’m only doing this to help you realize what kind of a person you are.”
    Then the old man took Steve’s hand and they walked towards the nearest dumpster and opened it up the old man threw Steve inside of it and said it already knows where you need to go just press the red button to come back. Clanging his head against the steel wall and reaching for the button Steve was knocked unconscious. When he awoke he was in the middle of his house, but all of his belongings were gone. Everything but booze and trash lay on his floor; stunned in disbelief Steve climbed out of the Dumpster and slowly headed for the kitchen. When Steve opened his fridge he found nothing but a jug of orange juice to cease his hunger. Once Steve had finished it he turned around and picked up the paper lying on his kitchen table. After he read it and pondered about the night before he noticed that the date on it said August 28th when clearly the night before was May 27th. He then realized that he hadn’t passed out in a dumpster, but a Time machine. Dazed Steve ran outside his house to see what the future would be like. As he opened his front door his eyes where blurred with Blue and red steams across his vision. These figures turned into police cars and their flashing lights. Then there three feet in front of Steve lay a lifeless figure of a human body. This figure was outlined in pure white chalk as Steve stood over it hovering invisible to everyone around him. Soon Steve started to seem to know this figure and realize some physical traits it had held. Eventually after a couple for minutes Steve stood terrified staring death in the eye as he watched the police put his figure into a body bad.
    Over hearing a couple of the policemen’s radios he could hear the dispatch telling the officers about the Victim and it said “21 year old male, Caucasia, Steve Malki killed by 26 year old male, Hispanic, Tim Burk; currently in pursuit going south.” Scared Steve fell on his feet attempting to run backwards away from his lifeless figurine of himself lying in front of him. Rushing toward the dumpster Steve Slammed against the door and shut it slamming against the red button escaping the alternate reality.re entering his time period Steve crawled out o the dumpster and started to barf on the sidewalk. By the time Steve was done the old man had got there. “I hope it was worth the trip” the old man stated with a serious face. Then like dust in the wind the old man along with his time machine disappeared only to leave Steve confused and miserable. This was when Steve’s truck keys came falling from the sky and on them was inscribed “good luck.”
    As Steve walked down the alley he soon appeared in the parking lot where his car laid covered in a couple leaves. By this Time It was already 3pm the next day. So Steve just waited around in the parking lot for a couple of hours. Then around the Time Tim came back to work to take the night shift Steve was waiting. Pitifully Steve barged up to Tim with a face full of tears and Broke out onto his knees. Like a waterfall Steve laid there crying in front of Tim begging for his forgiveness. “Please, please Tim could you forgive me about last night please I’m sorry!” begged Steve; Tim just confused by Steve’s unknown act of kindness just gave in and sighed. After a deliberation both men came to an agreement that once a week they had to perform. That even to this day do they keep a tradition and it was that once a week they must go out and drink and hopelessly find they’re ways back home together, but sadly this tradition probably will only last until they wreck in the parking lot attempting to reverse at the same time.