I stared at my watch, my mind numb from shock. I lifted my left arm closer to my face, thinking I had seen it wrong. But no, it was December 21, 11:01 AM.

What the hell? No, really, what the hell?

I took in my surroundings—the empty street, the lifeless buildings, the sun shining brightly from above, the damned bus disappearing on the horizon. Everything was exactly as I remembered.

Did I hit my head when I fell just now? Was all that just a hallucination? It felt too vivid for that.

In a daze, I picked up my briefcase and shambled up the sidewalk. I still needed to reach Stratos Tower before noon. The bright, cheery sunlight was comforting, a balm that soothed my confusion.

It’s a beautiful day. I haven’t really noticed it before.

The thought reminded me of the abrupt weather changes in the hallucination.

Yes, that just didn't make sense. How did I dream up something like that? I should really stop pulling all-nighters. One of these days, I'll pull one too many and get a heart attack or something.

A car sped past to my right. I watched it go idly, struck by a sense of déjà vu.

Doesn’t that look familiar? I can't tell. The buildings do look familiar, but all cars look the same to me. Still, I’m wasting time, aren’t I? I should try to hitchhike.

The thought was bitter on my tongue. I really didn't want to beg for a ride, but I had to be realistic. I couldn't let the bitter disappointment of being ignored get in the way of my goals. Besides, that was all just a hallucination. When I heard the next car coming, I turned around and waved my left hand to flag it down.

It sped past me, like I had half expected it to. A sense of déjà vu struck me once more.

Was it not a hallucination, after all? Everything is the same. What's happening?

I jogged up the street, dredging up the details of the car that would pass by next.

Ah fuck, I really don't remember. What color was it? Wait... there was that black sports car after the next car, right?

That car, I remembered clearly. So I decided to wait for it to confirm things. I glanced down at my watch—it was 11:12.

If I remember correctly, another car will pass by at 11:13, then the black car immediately after.

Indeed, a dark green car approached within the minute. I slowed to a stop and made a half-hearted attempt at flagging it down. Without knowing exactly why, I decided to memorize the color and shape of it.

I lifted a hand to shade my eyes and peered eagerly at the horizon. My heart paced in my chest. Any second now, the black car would pass by. If it really did, then it was undeniable—I had somehow gone back in time. Or perhaps I had seen the future? It doesn’t matter which one was true, nor how or why it happened; what mattered was that I could make use of it. That I was given another chance.

The seconds ticked by, and soon a minute passed. Then another. It was already 11:15.

Was I mistaken? Maybe it was all a hallucination after all.

Despite the evidence, I still believed it was all real. Denying it would be no different from denying events of yesterday.

Wait. The boy would fall around this time, right?

My heart skipped a beat at the thought. I turned and jogged up the street.

Didn't we decide he boarded the bus instead of getting run over? Also, it might all be a hallucination from guilt or something.

I sped up, now running.

Just in case. Yes, just in case it was all true, I better hurry up. Even if it was all a hallucination, I need to quickly reach the end of the street anyway. Faster!

Never mind that I would make better time jogging rather than running. I sped up to a sprint, breathing in ragged gasps.

Whoever invented dress shoes should be forced to run in them while chased by rabid dogs. It fucking hurts! I really should start exercising after I get through this. Damn, I’m dying.

In the distance I saw a boy of 10 years old jumping up to reach the balloons stuck above him. My already strained heart tightened at the sight.

It was all real! Haha… ha fuck.

"Hey..." I called out weakly, still out of breath. I slowed to a jog to gather my breath, then tried again. "Hey! Kid! Stop jumping, you'll fall!"

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The boy didn't heed me, still jumping with all his might.

I glanced at the empty street behind me, then sped up to a sprint once more, forcing my body to move faster than I thought it was capable of. When I got close, I leaped and snagged a balloon with my left hand. I landed heavily and felt my ankles strain from the impact.

Panting, I turned around to face the boy. "Here. Your. Balloon. Stop jumping now."

The boy looked up at me, then at the offered balloon, then back at me.

I kneeled and offered a smile. "Go on then, take it. It's what you wanted, isn't it?"

The boy looked away from the balloon in my left hand and started jumping again.

What? What's he doing? Did he want a different one or something?

I looked up at the remaining balloons above us. There was still more than a dozen of them.

Fuck me raw. This will take forever.

The sight of the red splattered abandoned balloons rose unbidden from my memory. I examined the street beside us. There were no red stains there.

Putting my briefcase down with a sigh, I looked up at the balloons above.

Was this really how I want to spend this second chance?

I clenched my jaw. "Which one do you want, kid?"

The boy didn't answer. Now that I thought about it, I hadn’t heard him say a single word throughout all this. Was he mute?

With a sigh, I gathered myself and jumped with all my might, snatching another balloon. I offered it to the boy, but it was ignored again. I transferred it to my left hand to join the other rejected balloon.

I jumped again. And again.

Each time, the boy refused the offered balloon.

At least he's looking at me instead of jumping now. But seriously, I don't have the time for this.

I glanced down at my watch—it was 11:17. Then at the balloons hanging above us. A quick count revealed there were exactly 13 left.

"Seriously, kid. Which one do you want? Just point and I'll get it for you."

The boy didn't respond, staring at me mutely.

"Do you understand me?" I asked.

The boy nodded.

I sighed in relief. "What do you want me to help you with, then? Why are these balloons no good?" I outstretched the four balloons in my left hand.

The boy looked up at the balloon above us again. I knew that look. He was about to start jumping again.

Goddamn it all!

I scratched my head roughly, glanced up at the balloons, at the street behind us, then at the street ahead of us.

Where's the bus? I’ve just realized the school bus should’ve arrived by now. Why are things different this time? The black sports car didn’t show up when it should’ve either.

While I was lost in my thoughts, the boy had started jumping again.

The danger should’ve passed now, right? Haven’t I done enough?

I bit my lips. "Fine, fine. Stop jumping. I'll get them for you."

If I stayed any longer to help the boy, I would need to somehow flag down a ride to reach the tower before noon. A tinge of regret rose up, but I had made my decision. I would see this through to the end. I kept an eye out on the street behind us even as I jumped for the balloons.

Soon, I saw a car approaching in the distance. "Be right back, kid. Stay put."

I ran to the middle of the street and waved both hands above my head, still clutching the balloons tightly.

"Hey! Please stop!"

The approaching silver car didn't even slow down. I had a sinking feeling about how this was going to go. True enough, I had to dodge to the side to avoid getting run over. I didn't even bother shouting at its retreating taillights. It would be a waste of energy.

I walked back up the sidewalk next to the boy. He was jumping for the balloons again. I stifled down the urge to curse out loud.

"Hey, stop that. You'll fall and hurt yourself. Seriously. Here, I'll do it for you."

And so it went. I would jump to grab a balloon string, offer it to the boy, get rejected, then jump for the next one. Each time a car approached, I would run to the middle of the street, hoping they would stop. Each time I would need to dodge around the car to avoid getting run over, hope deflating in my chest.

After the latest fruitless attempt at flagging a car down, I trudged back to join the boy on the sidewalk. My body was heavy with fatigue, my ankles were shot to hell, and I could hardly breathe, but I was smiling. There was only a single balloon left hanging above us. It was a bright yellow balloon with a smiley face drawn on it.

I said the now obligatory phrase, "Stop jumping kid, I'll get it for you."

Just my luck. It was the last balloon after all.

A car engine echoed behind us. "Hang on a minute kid, I'll be right back. Seriously, stop jumping. I'll get the last balloon for you when I get back."

The boy didn't heed me. I ran to the middle of the street and waved at the approaching car, most of my attention still on the jumping boy.

After one particularly daring jump, the boy stumbled and fell to the street. My heart leaped to my throat, and for a moment, I forgot where I was. Unfortunately, I was quickly reminded of that when the approaching car sideswiped me.

The impact threw me off my feet. Most of the balloons I've gathered so far exploded with a POP! The rest floated up to the sky. Pain bloomed from the entire left section of my body. It was unbearable, but at the same time somewhat distant.

Ah, I'm screwed. Was I just hit by a car? What the hell!? Ah, I'm really screwed. I can't feel my legs. Why am I not in more pain? Ah, I'm really, really screwed. I can't call an ambulance.

I laid sprawled on the street, gazing blankly at the balloons floating above me. Then a rumble caught my attention. I forced my body up on my right elbow and turned to look at the boy who had fallen. He lay motionless on the street, stunned by his fall.

In the corner of my eyes, I saw a flash of yellow approaching. The world sharpened to clarity.

"Kid! Kid, get out of there! Ah, fuck!"

I crumpled back down when I tried to stand. I dragged my body forward with my right arm, bracing myself for the pain, but it was strangely absent.

I crawled forward, bit by bit. I didn't make it in time. With a roar, the bus sped past in front of me so fast I saw nothing but a blur of yellow.

Something warm and sticky splattered onto my face. It tasted like iron. I shuddered as the world grew silent.

There was nothing left of the boy. Nothing except a bloodstain on the pavement and a single balloon stained with blood. I gazed vacantly at the spreading pool of crimson. I knew I was deceiving myself when I thought the boy boarded the bus instead of getting run over last time. But it was one thing to suspect something, and another thing entirely to see it happen right in front of your eyes.

A distance rumble diverted my attention. A black sports car was hurtling towards me.

Ah, now you show up. I wonder if I will regress if I die?

The last thing I saw before getting run over was the single, bloodstained balloon still stuck on the awning while the rest floated up towards the bright sky.

A moment of weightlessness that stretched for an eternity, then I fell forward to the sidewalk. I caught myself before my face hit the pavement. Behind me, the bus door closed with a hiss. It rumbled away to the distance as I stood up. I could feel my legs once more. No signs of pain or fatigue.

I glanced down at my watch, knowing what I would find.

Indeed. It was December 21, 11:00 AM.