The Defective Doohickey

"Get back here!" Jason heard the angry voice call from the overpass above him, "Goddamn Porch Pirate!"

Pausing, Jason looked up and saw a man running, carrying a small cardboard box. On the other side of the bridge, a tall woman was doing her best to catch up with the man. At the speed she was moving, she would have been successful had the man not subtly tossed the box over the guard-rail. Jason paused in his walk to watch the box fall and land in the sidewalk at his feet.

The woman above continued her profanity laden pursuit, but after her quarry became unencumbered, he steadily pulled away from her. As the two ran out of Jason’s vision, it was obvious that the woman would un unsuccessful.

Even if she could run faster, Jason realized, she would still be unsuccessful in retrieving her package. Bending down, he picked up the cardboard box and gave it a shake. No broken glass, but something was moving around. He wondered if it had survived the fall off the overpass, whether it would be worth it to try to return it to the woman.

The label on the top had no address, but was adorned with a name.

Katherine Manning

A stranger, to be sure, but perhaps he could find her address online. Without much thought, Jason began walking again, now with the box under his arm. He still had a ways to go before he was home, and his feet ached from his long shift at the grocery store. At home he could Google the woman, see what he could find. He could also rest up, eat a quick dinner, and fall asleep in front of the TV. He wasn’t sure which he would do first, but as long as he was off his feet, he’d be happy.

————

Key in the lock, door swung open, and Jason Gardner was home. His small apartment was clean, but felt a bit lonely. Still young, Jason had never had a serious romantic relationship, and so spent many evenings in his own company. He would read, watch movies, and had even joined an Ultimate Frisbee team to pass the time, that is until he tripped and hurt his knee. Walking home was part of his rehabilitation plans. Even after a long shift, he would put on his comfortable shoes and hoof it home.

“Honey, I’m home!” He called to nobody as a joke, tossing the cardboard box on the kitchen table.

Filling and turning on the kettle, Jason turned back to the box. What was this thing, anyway? He knew it wasn’t right, that he shouldn’t look, but he planned on returning it, and when he did he could just say that he found it open.

With a mischievous grin, Jason grabbed a knife from a drawer and quickly slit open the box along the tape holding it closed. Opening it, he peered inside and found a small golden device, not unlike the scanner he used at work to check prices in items. It was mostly intact, but a small crack in the housing had formed, most likely from the fall.

Also in the box there was a piece of paper. Pulling it out, Jason began to read:

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Aim at target.

2. Imagine the change you wish to happen.

3. Pull trigger.

4. Change will begin immediately. For larger changes, more time will be required for full implementation.

5. Allow 24 hours between uses for charge to return.

“What?!” Jason said, dropping the paper on the table and pulling the scanner from the box, “What?!”