'Derrick, what if you had an extra hour in your day?'
'Who are you? how do you know my name?'
'That doesn't matter. Do you want the hour?'
Derrick stood looking at the fellow in front of him. Short about 5 foot 7 inches, bespectacled, balding, plain grey suit, white shirt and blue tie. Derrick first noticed the fellow about a week ago, and had spotted him at least once a day ever since. Be it on his way to work, at lunch; he even saw him in the Doctors Reception when he went to get an ingrown hair pulled.
Now though, the little bugger was standing at the entrance to his apartment block. Derrick had spotted him about half a block ago, so frequent now that as he approached his interest was piqued. Was this guy following him? preempting his travels. He'd said hello, and now the guy was trying to sell him something.
'Everyone would want an extra hour in their day, why do you ask? it's not as if you can give it to me.'
'I can, so do you want it?'
'Would it cost me?'
'I'm not sure, it depends on what you determine as cost.'
'Money.'
'No, not money.'
'Ok, I'll take it.'
'Good, it is yours now, goodbye.'
And with that, he was off. Not running, he simply moved on. Derrick watched as the short balding man walked off down the street, turning right onto camp street and disappearing. He stood there for a few more minutes wondering at the oddness of the fellow and the discussion they had.
'Hey Derrick! You're early man. How's everything going?'
'What do you mean I am early, it's 9 am, I am right on time.'
'Nah mate, by my time it's only 8.'
This was odd, this had been happening to him more and more lately. Most mornings he was finding that his watch as an hour fast by the time he got to work. So much so he'd even gone and bought himself a new watch. Yet the same thing happened again, and again.
'Oh well, seeing I'm early, you want a hand?'
'For sure, I'll shout you a coffee when we are done, we should be able to get ready for the first meeting twice as fast now your here.'
He looked at the bedside clock on the side of his bed, and again at his watch. The night before he'd gone to bed with his wrist watch only an hour ahead, yet when the alarm clock went off at 7 am his watch was showing 9 am. It had gained another hour over night. He tapped his watch.
Ok he was going to work this out. It had been bugging him since he'd met the grey little man. At first he simply thought he'd had an odd encounter, then he simply thought his watch was dodgy. After about three days of trying different experiments, winding the clock back, leaving it when it moved forward over a day or two. He was now certain something was happening in the night, somehow his watch as gaining an hour overnight compared to every other clock in the house.
He'd even gone to bed with two wrist watches on, both the old one, and the new one he'd bought when he thought the old one was playing up. Both watches moved forward and hour, whilst his kitchen clock and bedside clock did not.
Setting an alarm to go off every hour on the hour on his iPad he sat down on the couch, started the TV ready to see if he could catch the time shift. He'd sit-up all night and see if he would work it out.
As the night wore on, after the evening programs had given over to the infomercial world he'd started playing his WiiU breath of the wild. Every hour on the hour his alarm would go off. He would check both his wrist watch and all three of the house clocks that he had moved into the lounge-room where he was gaming. If they were the same he'd continue on.
This was the routine he went through, 10pm, 11pm, Midnight, 1am, 2am, 3am; and that was when it happened. His wrist watch was showing 4am whilst the alarm and every other clock was showing 3am. He wasn't certain, he hadn't noticed anything unusual.
It told him a lot, yet told him nothing. Tired Derrick retired to bed, he needed to clear his head, to see if he could work this out in the morning.
The alarm went of at 7am, and sure enough his watch was still an hour ahead of his bedside clock. What or how was he going to do this next? how was he going to determine if he really was gaining an hour a day, and if he was why had the little grey man given it to him?
'Who are you? how do you know my name?'
'That doesn't matter. Do you want the hour?'
Derrick stood looking at the fellow in front of him. Short about 5 foot 7 inches, bespectacled, balding, plain grey suit, white shirt and blue tie. Derrick first noticed the fellow about a week ago, and had spotted him at least once a day ever since. Be it on his way to work, at lunch; he even saw him in the Doctors Reception when he went to get an ingrown hair pulled.
Now though, the little bugger was standing at the entrance to his apartment block. Derrick had spotted him about half a block ago, so frequent now that as he approached his interest was piqued. Was this guy following him? preempting his travels. He'd said hello, and now the guy was trying to sell him something.
'Everyone would want an extra hour in their day, why do you ask? it's not as if you can give it to me.'
'I can, so do you want it?'
'Would it cost me?'
'I'm not sure, it depends on what you determine as cost.'
'Money.'
'No, not money.'
'Ok, I'll take it.'
'Good, it is yours now, goodbye.'
And with that, he was off. Not running, he simply moved on. Derrick watched as the short balding man walked off down the street, turning right onto camp street and disappearing. He stood there for a few more minutes wondering at the oddness of the fellow and the discussion they had.
'Hey Derrick! You're early man. How's everything going?'
'What do you mean I am early, it's 9 am, I am right on time.'
'Nah mate, by my time it's only 8.'
This was odd, this had been happening to him more and more lately. Most mornings he was finding that his watch as an hour fast by the time he got to work. So much so he'd even gone and bought himself a new watch. Yet the same thing happened again, and again.
'Oh well, seeing I'm early, you want a hand?'
'For sure, I'll shout you a coffee when we are done, we should be able to get ready for the first meeting twice as fast now your here.'
He looked at the bedside clock on the side of his bed, and again at his watch. The night before he'd gone to bed with his wrist watch only an hour ahead, yet when the alarm clock went off at 7 am his watch was showing 9 am. It had gained another hour over night. He tapped his watch.
Ok he was going to work this out. It had been bugging him since he'd met the grey little man. At first he simply thought he'd had an odd encounter, then he simply thought his watch was dodgy. After about three days of trying different experiments, winding the clock back, leaving it when it moved forward over a day or two. He was now certain something was happening in the night, somehow his watch as gaining an hour overnight compared to every other clock in the house.
He'd even gone to bed with two wrist watches on, both the old one, and the new one he'd bought when he thought the old one was playing up. Both watches moved forward and hour, whilst his kitchen clock and bedside clock did not.
Setting an alarm to go off every hour on the hour on his iPad he sat down on the couch, started the TV ready to see if he could catch the time shift. He'd sit-up all night and see if he would work it out.
As the night wore on, after the evening programs had given over to the infomercial world he'd started playing his WiiU breath of the wild. Every hour on the hour his alarm would go off. He would check both his wrist watch and all three of the house clocks that he had moved into the lounge-room where he was gaming. If they were the same he'd continue on.
This was the routine he went through, 10pm, 11pm, Midnight, 1am, 2am, 3am; and that was when it happened. His wrist watch was showing 4am whilst the alarm and every other clock was showing 3am. He wasn't certain, he hadn't noticed anything unusual.
It told him a lot, yet told him nothing. Tired Derrick retired to bed, he needed to clear his head, to see if he could work this out in the morning.
The alarm went of at 7am, and sure enough his watch was still an hour ahead of his bedside clock. What or how was he going to do this next? how was he going to determine if he really was gaining an hour a day, and if he was why had the little grey man given it to him?
====
Below are the notes that this started with - as it is story a day and I am playing catch-up I think I will leave this idea where it is and come back to it post May.
Idea in brief: stumble across a wishing rock (or genie bottle) and clean up the bottle, genie pops out and offers one wish, not three wishes, just one wish the issue is he only knows how to grant one wish which is to give you an extra hour in the day that no-one else has.
Don't know how it works nor do you really care, it's your hour and you will use it how ever you want. What you realise is that in that hour no-one else is around, they are frozen in place.
It gives you all sorts of powers to do things, to do good to do bad. To save time in travel.
You can't exercise it at will, do you find others wandering in the same period.
Greatest Alibi ever, do you go into business..
Actually are their a whole cast of people who have this opportunity.
Maybe it's not a genie, maybe it's a gift from a stranger, the stranger being an Alien Scientist researching human nature, carrying out an experiment, looking to the statistical anomalies.
Another great idea!
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