A Test Outside - Change a Little, Steal a Little (Unaware Changes)

“As if this is real,” Jason muttered, turning the box over to see if anything else was inside, finding only dust, “it has to be some sort of prank.”

He placed the instructions on the table, then picked up the device. In his hand it felt cold and metallic, surprisingly heavy for an object so small. The scanners at work had been in his hands for hours at a time, and this golden scanner was at least twice their weight, if not more.

The crack in its housing ran along the grip from top to bottom. He could feel the sharp metallic edge beneath his palm, something he would have to take care with, so as to not cut himself when using it.

“Using it?” Jason chuckled at his thoughts, “It’s just a toy. Why would I use it?”

Still…

Maybe it was because he had watched so many late-night movies as a kid, but something in his imagination wouldn’t let him fully dismiss the idea of the device being real, despite its fantastical claims. What if he gave it a shot, just once, just to prove himself wrong? What harm could trying do?

————

Jason scratched his short black hair, feeling the sunlight against his forehead. He wished he had grabbed a ball cap on the way out, just to keep him from burning in the top of his head where his hair had begun to thin. A young man he was, but not immune to genetics, and men on both sides of his family were usually bald by the time they were thirty-five. Jason would be no exception.

The bench he found himself was around the corner from his building, facing into the evening sun. As he looked around, he had to squint in its brightness. The Golden Hour, as his sister, the hobby photographer had told him. There was a romantic quality to the light, warm, inviting. He understood why she was so strict to go for walks at that time of day, always hoping to capture the perfect shot.

The sidewalk was empty, most people sitting down for the evening meal, but soon a middle aged woman walking a small white dog appeared a block away. Nothing stood out to him about the woman as odd or unusual. Her long hair was greying, her face was pretty, but not beautiful. She wore a pair of leggings and a long sweater with a belt around the waist, stylish, but not fancy. Jason readied the device. If it were real, he would want to make a small but noticeable change, something he wouldn’t have to wait for. The instructions had said that if it was too big, it would take time, and that wouldn’t be good for his experiment.

No, it would have ti be small. He looked at the approaching woman. What could he do? Make her young? He was sure that she would appreciate that, but he suspected that it was far too broad a change to enact. Simple. Small. A grin grew on his lips.

As the woman passed him, as soon as Jason was passed her peripheral vision, he raised the device and took aim. A picture of her walking her dog wearing the same leggings, the same sweater, but on her ears two large pink hoop earrings. Not a huge change, but something he could see.

Then he pulled the trigger.

For a second all the colour of the world seemed to invert, like a negative for a photograph, but then returned to normal.

“Ow!” He cried as a short jolt of electricity hit his hand through the crack in the casing. He placed the device down and looked at his palm. Not a blemish was found, which was a relief.

He looked up at the woman, now walking away, about to round the corner. She looked exactly the same, except for one thing.

In her ears hung a pair of gaudy plastic pink hoop earrings.

It worked! It was just as he had imagined it!

Jason ran his hand through his thick greying hair, a quality he has received from both sides of his family. He fully expected to be pure grey by the time he was thirty five, although he was happy he’d be able to have a full head of hair like his relatives. Just a blessing of genetics, he thought.

He picked up the device and resisted the urge to cheer. It was real! With this device his whole life would be different! He’d finally get out of his rut and start living in a way that would make him happy.

Now all he had to do was decide where to start!