Some call life great, some call it awful. At the end of the day? It all depends on your starting point. Where you start determines where you can go, and from there, the choices branch out into eternity. The only truly hopeless start is one that always leads to a dead end before your time is up.

Time. The highest law; forever and unbending.

My name's Rafien. I was a delivery driver for my local Hui Det Eatery. Mixed male, 23, straight, no wife or kids. So, with a life like that, why am I waxing philosophically? Am I bored with my days, underpaid and overworked, or unable to deal with my manager?

Nope. It was a nice job. It was nice to see the regulars. My manager. My coworkers. I was paid well. I was liked. I didn't have much, but what I did have, it was alright.

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Was.

A man broke into my apartment tonight. A few minutes ago, actually. This guy has been going around robbing nearby apartments and nobody's done shit. What did he see in me? Why did he change?

None of that matters. Frankly, when 'is' becomes 'was,' it's because your time has expired. You can't feel it in your body. You feel it in your soul. Even if you don't believe in a soul; just say it's your subconscious. The result is the same, isn't it? When it's your time... You know.

So, I know.

...

I, Rafien, do so solemnly swear...

If there is another life...

I won't be there in your time of need...

Because nobody's been there.

...

During mine.

image [https://timjames.net/data/acd/images/001.png]