The First 24 Hours

Twenty-four hours. Jason wouldn’t have been described as an impatient man by his friends or family, but waiting twenty-four hours before he could use the doohickey pushed him to his limits. But while the twenty-four hours required for a recharge felt long, it wasn't forever.

Reading, watching television, even going for walks all passed the time, albeit incredibly slowly. And then there was his sleep, or lack thereof. All night he tossed and turned, and when he didn’t sleep he dreamt of a woman with gaudy earrings, kneeling before him, begging for him to…

In the morning Jason **** himself into his routine. He showered, shaved, brushed his thick, greying hair. A fresh set of clothes, a fresh start to the day. Jason was going to use the doohickey that night, but he wouldn’t let it ruin his day.

Errands. That was the ticket. There was always stuff to do, things he’d been putting off, things that would waste time. And it worked! Once he’d finished dropping off dry cleaning, picking up packages, done some shopping, and returned items that hadn’t fit when he got home, Jason realized that it was almost supper time. Perfect.

Shovelling food into his mouth, barely tasting it, Jason made his plan. He knew exactly where he wanted to go, exactly what he wanted to do. He was doing to…