The first video I plan to make is inspired by JLaservideos' spy series. These types of videos are relatively easy to create, inexpensive, and I can probably finish them in just a couple of hours.
I decided to use the money Peter had saved for his Lego Star Destroyer set. Knowing Peter's frugal mindset, I thought, "We could probably make a cheaper version, right?" I tried to suppress his attachment to the Star Destroyer, convincing myself, "The better the video is, the more money we'll earn." To my surprise, Peter had saved a whopping $1,200 for that ancient Lego set.
"It's a collector's edition," I reminded myself, wondering, "How did he even manage to save up this much money?" I could almost feel Peter's past frustration as I recalled how he earned the money, whistling in appreciation before thinking, "That's what five years of summer work and patience will get you." Poor kid. 'Don't worry, Peter, I'll get you one when we become rich.'
I dashed out of the house to buy a cheap but decent-quality action camera and then headed to a nearby old workshop to gather the other materials I needed for the video. After that, I returned home and waited for Uncle Ben, trying to make a prototype before starting the video.
**Three Hours Later – 10:30 PM**
Oh my god, Uncle Ben works late into the night, and this body isn't used to staying up so late. Why did you have to be such a good boy, Peter? Why? I could feel myself losing consciousness but forced myself to stay awake for two more hours.
Finally, after another ten minutes, Uncle Ben arrived home. I patiently waited for him to finish his dinner before approaching him. "Uncle Ben," I said as he turned to me and asked, "What is it, Peter?" "I need your help with something," I replied quickly. "Well, what's the problem?" he asked with concern. I explained, "I want to make a video with this new camera I bought, and I need your help to do it."
"What is the video about?" he asked curiously. Peter's instincts kicked in, and he instinctively dodged the question, summarizing the whole thing before I could even think of what to say my mouth moved on it's own "It's just a video about some experimental scuba tech I made," Peter explained without my input. That was much better than anything I could have come up with, so I let it be.
"Of course, I can help you with that. I'll always make time for you. I should be free tomorrow afternoon; is that okay?" Uncle Ben asked. I was suddenly hit with a wave of guilt as Peter's memories of spending time with his uncle—going fishing or just playing at the nearby park—flooded my mind.
The guilt stemmed from the fact that Peter didn't just stop talking to people at school; he completely isolated himself, even from Uncle Ben, once puberty hit. That's no way to live, and I knew Peter would regret closing himself off from his own family. I knew I would.
So, I hugged Uncle Ben and quickly said, "Thanks," before heading to my room, wiping the tears from my eyes. This whole thing was affecting me way too much because I had done exactly this in my previous life. I stopped hanging out with people and buried my face in my phone, reading pointless wish-fulfillment stories.
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I ignored the people who loved me. I forgot how to show that I cared. I became almost apathetic to the struggles of my friends, family, and everyone else. That's why I became what I am today—a soulless man with nothing to show for the life he lived, a man who wasn't even bothered by his own death, except for the regrets he had. A man who would gladly forget who he was and take a second chance at life. A man who got a second chance at life—a second chance where I would be better and die with no regrets.
From now on, I'll be different. I can't afford to waste another perfectly good life just being a passive jerk. I need to be a better Peter Parker. I need to make my mark in this world in whatever way possible. I have to live in the hearts of people. I want to know for sure that there will be people who cry when I die.
Because I got a second chance.
**The Next Day – Afternoon**
I was setting up a table and cleaning the storeroom when I heard Uncle Ben returning home. I waited for him to freshen up, and soon Aunt May came into the storeroom.
"Peter, wow... you cleaned the room well, but you could have asked me for some help, you know," she remarked. I replied shyly, "I didn't want to bother you." She scoffed and said, "Don't worry about that; I'm always ready to help."
"I know," I said with a smile as she started looking at the camera and the device I had made for the video. "You seem to have invested quite a bit of money into this. Are you sure about what you're trying to do?" she asked with some concern. I confidently replied, "I'm 100% sure." Just then, we heard the door open as Uncle Ben walked in.
"I'll leave you boys to your work, then," Aunt May said, giving Uncle Ben a peck on the cheek and whispering something in his ear as she walked away. "So, what can I help you with, Peter?" Uncle Ben asked, looking around my humble and almost empty stor—lab. Yes, it's a lab.
"Well, there isn't much. I'm not really into scripting my videos and droning on, so it will mostly be a vlog-style video. This means you can talk to me and ask questions, or even talk to the audience if you want to," I explained quickly, old habits making me rush my words, which made it hard for Uncle Ben to follow.
"Do you want me to repeat that?" I asked shyly as he blinked. "I've lived with your mutterings long enough to understand you, Peter. I was just surprised because I thought you stopped muttering since eighth grade," he said with a smile.
I blushed at that and then started instructing Uncle Ben on how to handle the camera, how to zoom, focus, and all the basics. "So, all you need to do is make sure I'm in the center of the video," I instructed. He nodded and clicked record, and we completed the shoot in three hours, sharing plenty of laughs along the way.
-2 hours later-
"So, is that it, Peter?" Uncle Ben asked. I replied, "Well, we still need to shoot the part where we test it." He frowned and asked, "Where can we test this?" I braced myself and admitted, "I spent most of the money I saved up on renting a pool." His surprise was evident by how loudly he shouted, "You did what?!"
After a lot of explaining that it wasn't an impulsive decision and was, in fact, a planned event, we headed to the pool and filmed the rest of the video before returning home.
As we were nearing our house, Uncle Ben turned to me and said, "It's nice to see you being proactive again, Peter. And, uh, it was good to finally spend some time with you again." I tried to control my quivering lip, holding back old Peter's emotions, and gave Uncle Ben a nod.
Once back home, I quickly started working on the video as Aunt May called out, "Don't stay up all night working!" I yelled back, "Yes, Aunt May!" and continued working until 2:00 AM before finally hitting the sack after uploading the finished video.