Destiny

Destiny

Oliver Cadwell. 25 years old. Majored in finance. 3 years of work experience. 

“Perfect. He is what we need. Make a note of him. Okay, next pile.”

I wait for the thump of papers on wood,  but it never comes. I look to the side, where my secretary is slumped in her chair, snoring away. I can’t blame her. It’s almost 1:00 in the morning. 

I can feel a bit of the drowsiness coming on myself. I blink and take a sip of my long-cold coffee, its taste jolting me back awake. 

I can’t rest, as it seems like the applications are calling to me. I sigh and pull them over. So many. It seems like everybody in the world majored in financing. 

I get to work again, trying to find a needle in a haystack—the perfect applicant. 

After a few more stacks, I allow myself a brief glance at the clock. 3:30. I’m out of coffee and feel the sleepiness coming in.

“Just 10 minutes of rest,” I say, and close my eyes. And I can’t open them back up. 

“Wake up, boss! Slacking off at work, huh?”

“Huh? I say, my brain not awake yet. “Yeah, uh... Sorry man.”

“Just joking! You must have gotten tired with all that work last night!”

“I lift my forehead off my desk and force my eyes open.

Where am I? There are desks, chairs, monitors, and people bustling around the room. 

Why am I here? What am I doing here?

I can’t remember anything. Not a single piece of information about who I am, what I’m doing here, and why. I see a nameplate on my desk and turn it around. 

Eric. Eric Hill. I guess that’s my name. 

Well, that’s one problem knocked out. Now, where am I?

Hill Finance. It’s right there, on the wall. Now...Isn’t Hill my last name? Didn’t that person who woke me up call me boss? Oh, great. So I own a finance company. 

I have no idea what’s going on here, and I need to get out fast. I grab a coat and head toward the door, walking briskly to avoid everybody. But they manage to stop me.

“Mr. Hill, can you sign this?”

“What should we do about this, Mr. Hill?”

“Listen everybody!” I yell at the top of my lungs. “I’m taking a two-week break. Nobody should disturb me!” And I walk out the door. 

A wave of cold hits me as soon as I walk out. I fish in my pockets for some keys, and sure enough, there is—for a slick-looking Mercedes. I hop in and get warmed up. Finally, some time to think. 

I try to address the more pressing question first. Why have I forgotten my past life? I forgot everything, even my name! Am I suffering from some disease? Or is this the work of forces from above? What is happening? 

Anger is rising up within me, and my hands tremble. And just like that, I blackout. 

I awake again, similar to how I did in the office. Clumsy and tired. But I’m once again jolted awake when my phone rings. Ella. Who is she? Nevertheless, I answer the call.

“Where have you been? You’ve literally disappeared off the face of the Earth!”

“Office.”

“You better get home this instant!” And then she hangs up. 

Ah. She must be my wife. 

Luckily, the car’s navigation has the location of home saved. 

I have two 8-year-old sons at home, and they both run up and give a hug. 

When I see them though, images rapidly flash through my brain. Scenes of them asking me to take them to an upcoming football game, them graduating, and then the birth of my grandchildren. It’s like snapshots of a movie.

I feel dizzy, and steady myself against the wall, ignoring their shouts. What is happening? 

“Daddy, are you okay?”

“Yeah. I’m fine.” I try to think of their names, but come up blank. What even are their names? 

And I get an idea. I think about their graduation, and then mentally zoom in on their diplomas. Luke and Josh. Okay. 

“Do you guys want to go to the football game later?”

“How did you know daddy? Yes, yes, we want to go!”

This is perplexing. It’s almost as if I know the future, but not my past. 

But I have to make sure nobody knows. Who knows what will happen if somebody finds out?

I need to make sure my family—my children and wife—never find out. 

Later that day, I drive my sons to the game, but then again, I have a Flash, and pull over at an intersection. 

“Daddy, why’d you stop?”

“Look.”

A car coming from the side runs the light and scrapes the back of the car that was ahead of us—we would have been hit dead-on.

I guess my power has benefits. Maybe I can tell who is going to win the game, know to avoid dropping things, and know what to be prepared for. 

Once again, why have I forgotten my past life? I forgot everything, even my name! And now I know the future! Am I suffering from some disease? Or is this the work of forces from above? What is happening? 

Maybe predicting the future at this intersection was just a coincidence. Or just some type of sixth sense, one that I need to protect my sons. Maybe I guessed my sons’ names with pure luck. But more importantly, I need to learn more about my past. What’s the use of living this life if I don’t know what I’ve been through? 

The stress is too much to handle. I need to confide in somebody. Someone who can help me live through this.

But I don’t want to be a lab rat, probed and studied, just for the sake of science. It has to be discreet.

I find the place: The doctor. 

He’s also perplexed by my situation, and exclaims out when I’m finished with my story: ”This is amazing! Truly peculiar! Okay, I agree to help you. I will keep this quiet. But this is truly amazing.”

I leave the office to the doctor jumping with joy, and head home.

One day, I sit watching the TV.

The headlines read: “Man found dead in home.” 

Wait a minute... Does that mean I can predict when I will die? I try to imagine myself dying, and sure enough, I have a Flash.

I see myself collapsing from a heart attack. Right here, in this room. The living room. But when? I try to zoom in on the calendar on the wall. December 10, 2020. That’s… 10 Days from now! 

My breathing intensifies, and my heart’s beating is audible. No. No. No. 

I can’t die like that. No. No. No. 

Unless I prevent it. What do I need to do to prevent a heart attack? 

The doctor.

He’s elated that he can help. He has his medical tools ready at all times, and doesn’t leave my side.

My latest Flash means that I can predict the future, and that it isn’t a coincidence. 

Meanwhile, I continue to predict things. 

So many things. It makes my life much easier. 

Meanwhile, my doctor keeps checking on me to make sure I don’t die. Everything seems to be going well.

One day, the whole family decides to go to a football game.

We’re heading to the car when I freeze. I have a Flash. 

An evacuation of the game. People getting trampled while going through the exit. 

No. No. No. I can’t go. I shut the door and head back to the house. 

“Where are you going?”

“We can’t go.”

“Why not?”

“Reasons.”

I can’t tell my wife I know the future. What will happen?

Events like these keep happening. My wife and children keep getting more mad and upset. One day, they leave. Gone. Poof. Without a trace. 

I sit and sob. Why? I’m losing everything. And now, only a day is left till my death, which will not happen. 

This power is changing me. I don’t want it. I want my family back. 

The next day, I’m prepared. I don’t go anywhere without my doctor.

I lay in a lounge, with the doctor’s medical equipment enclosing me. No way I can die before he can predict it. As soon as he knows, he knows how to prevent it. 

The phone rings, and he heads over to answer it. 

And then I feel my chest paining and compressing. I yell for him, but no sound comes out. Oblivious, the doctor picks up the phone, turns to look at me, and stops cold.

I have one last thought in my mind: I could cheat life in other ways, but I can’t cheat fate. 

And that is my destiny.