James Cain (20)

James Cain couldn't figure out what he wanted to do with his life. He was a twenty year old with a job stacking shelves in a supermarket, still living in his parents' house because he didn't have the money to move out. He had gotten middling grades in college, and didn't particularly find himself excited by any one topic.

And so here he sat, in his bedroom, staring at his bright computer screen. He had taken every stupid questionnaire, looked at every stupid list, done every stupid personality test, and he still couldn't find anything he thought he might enjoy. Somewhere along the way, he'd just lost his passion for things, and he couldn't find it again.

He ran his hand through his short black hair as he thought, trying to think of anything he might find appealing. While he was in his own head, a small pop-up appeared on his screen. Without even really thinking about it, he moved his mouse over the small red [x], and was about to click it, until his eyes caught up with his brain, and he read the black text on his screen.

Are you bored with life, James Cain? I have a present for you that will fix that. If you're sensible enough to see this opportunity for what it is, click below.

Beneath the text, there was a green box with the word 'Gift' emblazoned on it in white letters.

Obviously, this was some sort of spam, but how had it known his name? And how did it know he was bored? He supposed getting his name wouldn't be too difficult for a computer program, and the bored part was probably just a generic message that could apply to anyone... but something about the ad pulled James in. He had this strange feeling that if he didn't click on it, he would regret that decision for the rest of his life...

Even if it was spam, he was computer-savvy enough to make sure his computer didn't get infected with anything, he rationalised to himself. He had already made the decision, he knew, and was just stalling now. With only a little bit of trepidation, he moved his mouse over to the 'Gift' box, and clicked it.

His mouse briefly turned into a blue spinning circle, just before his entire computer screen turned bright-white, blinding him for a couple seconds. By the time his eyesight returned to normal, the text on the pop-up had changed.

You won't regret this James. Congratulations on your new gift. Use it wisely.

James blinked slightly. Quickly, he opened up his anti-virus software. One scan later, there were no viruses on his computer. Opening up his files, there was nothing new there either. In fact, after ten minutes of searching he couldn't find anything changed about his computer whatsoever. The pop-up had done nothing to it. That was... strange. A spam ad that didn't infect his computer, but also wasn't genuine? Had it all been just a joke?

James was broken from his confusion by the sound of his phone ringing.