My Life: a story by Dan Ball
Hi everyone, and welcome to the show! Well, ok, it's not actually a show, not a movie, not even a play. But thats how I see it sometimes. Thats how I look back on it, like i'm watching it. What is 'it'? Well... 'it' is being a hero. 'it' is being the coolest. 'it' is knowing everyone, and having them all look up to you like a king. No, like a father, who always knows what to do. 'it', is freedom. 'it', is the ability to control time. To move through time at will, and bend it to perfection. 'it', is my life. Now don't start with your conclusions, and your hypotheses, and don't doubt my story. I mean, maybe i'm getting a little ahead of myself, but just listen. Hear me out before you call me a liar. Listen to me, and watch with me the most wonderful show there is. Or so I think. Let's watch my life.
I guess I'll just start at the beginnings. I was in 5th, or 6th, or 9th grade. It's happened so many times I can't remember when the true beginning was. But I was your average boy, going to to school, getting poor to bad grades. But I was happy. Wait, no I wasn't. I was miserable. I wasn't the best at any sport, I wasn't the smartest in my class, and I certainly wasn't the most popular boy in school. How could I be happy? I was nothing. Now I wasn't, and i'm still not, a very religious person, but one night, after a particularly lonely day at school, I prayed. I knelt down beside my bed, pressed, no, clamped my hands together, and prayed to god. "God. I'm not a bad person, I've never done anything that was unforgiven, and I know that I could be so much more. Why? Why don't you let me be someone special? Why can't I be the cool kid, or the talented kid, or the special kid? Because of you, I'm just, the kid. Please god. Please make me someone, give me some cool gift, something, anything." My hands tuurned white as I pressed them, still clamped together, to my forehead. My torso dropped to my bed shortly after one sad tear made it's path down my face. Then, without making a sound, I slid into my bed, under my covers, and fell asleep. That night, I had a dream. A dream beyond all dreams. A dream that would change my life.
I woke up at 3:00 the next morning and I knew something was different. I knew something, I didn't know how I learned it, or how the knowledge was given to me, or even if it was something that I just finally realized. I didn't know how, but i knew that if I just snapped my fingers I would 'pause' time, and move freely within it. Ok, I know this sounds crazy, but it's true. Even though I knew, I had to test it. I looked up at the clock hanging above the shelves in my room, and snapped hard. Was this possible? No. It must've just been a coincidence. Theres no way that I could've stopped the second hand on the clock from completing it's usual rotation. I quickly ran downstairs, the two dots on the oven clock were no longer blinking. The unset vcr clock had also stopped it regular flashing. But wait. What about the others? What about my sister, and my parents? I ran upstairs and burst into my parents room. "Mom, Dad! You gotta see this! It's amazing!" but they didn't move. Were they breathing? I gently pushed on my dad's shoulder. "NO WAY!" It was as solid as rock, the bed didn't even wiggle. This could mean only one thing. I was alone. Alone, but finally, free. Eagerly I ran into my bedroom, put on clothes and jogged downstairs. I opened the front door and began my journy into the night, as the most powerful man in the world.
I guess I'll just start at the beginnings. I was in 5th, or 6th, or 9th grade. It's happened so many times I can't remember when the true beginning was. But I was your average boy, going to to school, getting poor to bad grades. But I was happy. Wait, no I wasn't. I was miserable. I wasn't the best at any sport, I wasn't the smartest in my class, and I certainly wasn't the most popular boy in school. How could I be happy? I was nothing. Now I wasn't, and i'm still not, a very religious person, but one night, after a particularly lonely day at school, I prayed. I knelt down beside my bed, pressed, no, clamped my hands together, and prayed to god. "God. I'm not a bad person, I've never done anything that was unforgiven, and I know that I could be so much more. Why? Why don't you let me be someone special? Why can't I be the cool kid, or the talented kid, or the special kid? Because of you, I'm just, the kid. Please god. Please make me someone, give me some cool gift, something, anything." My hands tuurned white as I pressed them, still clamped together, to my forehead. My torso dropped to my bed shortly after one sad tear made it's path down my face. Then, without making a sound, I slid into my bed, under my covers, and fell asleep. That night, I had a dream. A dream beyond all dreams. A dream that would change my life.
I woke up at 3:00 the next morning and I knew something was different. I knew something, I didn't know how I learned it, or how the knowledge was given to me, or even if it was something that I just finally realized. I didn't know how, but i knew that if I just snapped my fingers I would 'pause' time, and move freely within it. Ok, I know this sounds crazy, but it's true. Even though I knew, I had to test it. I looked up at the clock hanging above the shelves in my room, and snapped hard. Was this possible? No. It must've just been a coincidence. Theres no way that I could've stopped the second hand on the clock from completing it's usual rotation. I quickly ran downstairs, the two dots on the oven clock were no longer blinking. The unset vcr clock had also stopped it regular flashing. But wait. What about the others? What about my sister, and my parents? I ran upstairs and burst into my parents room. "Mom, Dad! You gotta see this! It's amazing!" but they didn't move. Were they breathing? I gently pushed on my dad's shoulder. "NO WAY!" It was as solid as rock, the bed didn't even wiggle. This could mean only one thing. I was alone. Alone, but finally, free. Eagerly I ran into my bedroom, put on clothes and jogged downstairs. I opened the front door and began my journy into the night, as the most powerful man in the world.