I turned 25 years old recently
However I have no job. No home. No love life.
Still living with my mother. Still useless.
I wake up, I eat, I play video-games, I exist. That's about it.
A week ago, I got fired from my job because I "wasn't working hard enough." Funny, considering I had already finished my tasks by noon. But apparently, not sucking up to my boss like the rest of my coworkers meant I had an "attitude problem."
Whatever. It's not like I even liked that job.
I sigh, staring at the ceiling.
"Man, I wish I could turn back time."
Just a joke. A meaningless complaint.
And yet—
The clock on the wall suddenly starts flickering.
I sit up instantly.
The second hand jerks backward for a split second before resuming its normal rhythm.
I blink.
"D—Did that just happen?"
Before I can process it, my phone buzzes loudly, making me jump.
I glance at the screen.
Unknown Number… Probably a scam.
Shaking my head, I get up. Food first. Existential crisis later.
I walk into the kitchen, expecting to see my mother watching the tv or preparing lunch.
But the house is... silent.
"Mom?" I called out loudly, expecting a response.
Not a single noise.
I glanced around. She wasn't home.
I walked into the living room and checked the clock.
"It's 3:00 PM… why is no one home?" I muttered, puzzled.
My mother never left the house around this time. Almost every day, she'd start her afternoon by cleaning, complaining about the mess I didn't make.
Maybe she went grocery shopping?
I headed to the kitchen and opened the fridge. Empty. Not a single meal prepped, nothing I could just chuck it in the microwave.
I sighed. Of course, as the loner, useless son I was, I had no idea how to cook. Obviously.
I shut the fridge turning away from it—
THUD.
A sudden loud noise echoed through the house.
I froze.
Slowly, I turned towards the source of the sound—
And I saw—
"A GHOST?!" I screamed, my voice nearly cracking.
To my absolute shock, I saw a figure—almost invisible—just clothes floating in midair like they were being worn by… nothing?
I stood frozen, What the hell was I supposed to do?
Run? No.
I have seen enough horror movies to know how that ends.
If I ran, I'd probably die first, like an idiot.
"Ugh, I am NOT a ghost, and stop panicking," the invisible figure snapped.
The voice was female, and clearly annoyed.
As my panic slightly died down, I took a look at her outfit—a white suit, black gloves, and a top hat. Probably around 5'4".
…Is she cosplaying?
Who even wears a top hat and gloves nowadays??
What is this, 1800s Europe?!
"That's EXACTLY what a ghost would say before eating me alive!!" I shot back.
"For the love of— I don't eat people!! In fact I'm Vegan!
she exclaimed with an annoyed tone.
I blinked.
That… wasn't the reassurance I needed.
Then, something worse hit me.
My mother!
"Wh-What did you do to my mom…? Where is she?!"
"Your mother is absolutely fine. Just sit down—I have something to tell you."
I hesitated at first.
Then, slowly, I sat at the dining table, my mind racing.
The 'ghost' also pulled out a chair and sat across from me. She took off her hat, placing it neatly on the table.
I exhaled, trying to calm myself.
Think, Kiran.
Maybe this was some top-secret government tech—like some Pentagon-level invisibility project. But if that were the case…
Why would they come to my house?
Why would they use their futuristic technology just to scare a random, unemployed guy?
Then—
"Ah, don't worry. It's just Invis Tech. I don't actually look like this." she said.
Oh no.
The thoughts in my mind kept getting worse,
Have I committed a crime?!
Am I going to jail for illegally downloading all those movies and songs off the internet?!
"What have I done…?" The words accidentally slip from my mouth.
"Oh, don't worry, you haven't done anything yet. I'm just here to do my job."
She pauses for a second.
"Well—hmm. I didn't think this far ahead… So just call me the 'Wish Granter,' I guess?"
Wish Granter? Is this some new scam going around? Maybe a prank?
I hesitate. "What do you mean, Wish Granter?"
"It's self-explanatory, isn't it?" she says, sounding almost bored. "Now, hurry up and make your wish."
I squint. "Is this some sort of scam?"
"Oh, how rude of you! That's it, I'm leaving."
She gets up from the chair dramatically.
Yeah, sure. Leave. I don't care.
I swallow my pride. "W-Wait! Hold on a sec!"
What if this Wish Granter is actually real?
"Can I ask for anything? Like… anything?"
She stops mid-step, then smirks.
"Ohhh, so you changed your mind this quickly? Quite amusing of you…"
She leans slightly on the chair, voice dripping with amusement.
"Yes, anything. Become the world's first trillionaire without legal trouble in an instant, or ask for a girlfriend for your lonely as— ahem…"
She clears her throat, trying to sound professional.
"To be fair, I don't really care what you pick. Just make it quick."
I couldn't believe what I just heard. Does that mean I'd never have to find a job again?
Wait—no. Just because I am jobless doesn't mean I am this pathetic… Think properly, think properly…
"Also, I'm just gonna say this—only one try. No redos. Once the wish is granted, it cannot be changed, and I shall leave," she said, her tone casual yet firm.
Then, with a mocking voice, she added, "You humans always make the mistake of thinking you'll get a second try at this."
It felt like she was looking down on me, but there was something off about her words, like she was just messing around trying to play a character.
Wait, is she playing a character!?
Also her attitude was really getting on my nerves.
I took my time thinking—five whole minutes. She, on the other hand, spent that time glancing at her watch, humming some song I didn't recognize.
"C'mon, Time is ticking. Hurry up Idiot!!"
How busy was she, anyway? Did she own a business or something? You tiny invisible freak.
Wait a second… Time.
It clicked.
"Alright, I've decided what I want."
"Ugh, finally. Took you long enough," she groaned.
I exhaled. "I want to control time."
"I knew you were gonna ask that," she replied.
"H-How did you know?"
"Stay at your limits, no need to ask useless questions, kiddo. I got this."
She kept staring at me. A floating outfit with no body—like looking at a clear glass mannequin with clothes.
Wait… did she just call me 'kiddo'!?
I'm a proud, unemployed, 25-year-old man!
…Well, I guess that's nothing to be proud of.
Before I could even react, she patted me on the back.
A sudden sting shot through my spine—like something bit me.
"Ouch."
"Well, I've fulfilled your wish." She replied
"I don't feel any different tho…" I muttered, disappointment creeping into my voice.
"Aww, are you sad nothing out of this world happened? Were you expecting more? Like magic?"
She let out a small laugh, her tone mocking as always.
"No, I didn't. Magic doesn't exist, Magic is just something we don't understand in our current science."
Agh!! I hated the way she spoke. It made my blood boil.
Only if she had an ounce of empathy.
"Alright, Kiran, I shall take my leave. We'll meet again someday… Just kidding~ probably. Haha."
She reached forward and, with a simple motion, tore open the air itself—a portal, like a hole being punched through reality.
Without another word, she stepped through in a hurry.
To be fair, I wasn't even shocked that she knew my name.
But then— It struck me.
"Hey!! Where is my mother?!" I shouted.
Before I could even take a step, a sharp headache hit me out of nowhere.
My entire body jolted, my vision suddenly blurring as if the world itself was slipping away.
I collapsed.
"I… wasn't even tired, though…"
That was the last thought I had before everything went dark..
-End of Chapter 1-