Another Chance

"If only I had another chance, if only I could play all my cards right, I could bet my soul he would fall in love with me" said Fred trying not to cry.

As he spoke those words, a bright light blinded him and a strange sound surrounded him, like a thousand feeble voices. Slowly the light started getting weaker and the voices joined into a single one. Facing Fred there was an Entity, a floating sphere made of pure light. "Is this what you really wish?" the Entity asked him.

Fred was petrified, he didn't know what to think. "It m-must be a d-dream, this c-can't be r-real" he stuttered. "My dear child, I am real, I heard your cry for help from the Other Side, I'm here to help you fulfill your dreams" The Entity reassured him. "How d-does this work?" asked him. "Tell me exactly what you wish for and I might grant you your wish" replied the Entity.

Fred recomposed himself and started narrating his story. The story of how he met Ei, one month ago. Ei was just another boy like him, but to Fred he was someone special, someone to laugh and cry with, someone he would want to explore the world together with, someone to love. Alas! Ei didn't feel the same way. Fred received this tragic news just some moments before the Entity appeared. In fact, he had just confessed his love for Ei and has been rejected. His heart in despair. Ei can still be seen walking away in the distance.

As soon as Fred finished his narration, the Entity had an idea. "Since you two have met one month ago, I will bring you back to that time, but you will keep all your memories. You will have all this month to win his heart. Do you accept?" asked the Entity. "That would be perfect! I'm sure that I can make him love me. Now that I know him better, I will for sure! But... what happens if I fail?" replied Fred . "You will get another chance, so, do you accept?" said the Entity. "Great! So, eventually I will win his heart for sure!" replied Fred with joy. "Do you accept?" asked once again the Entity.

"I accept" replied Fred.

Fred felt dizzy, and his eyes started closing by themselves. After a few seconds, there was total darkness. After an unknown amount of time he started feeling something again. He felt warm and cozy, his eyes opened slowly; he was in his bed. "So, it was all a dream" he thought to himself. He then started getting ready for school like any other day.

When he left the house he found his best friend Josh waiting for him. They always walk the road to school together. Everything was as usual until Josh said something strange: "So, are you ready for the French test today?". "Another one? I totally forgot! But... we already had one just a month ago!" replied Fred. "What are you saying? This is our first French test this year, you are getting confused" said Josh. "What day is it?" asked Fred. When Josh answered, he thought it was all a joke, but then he checked the date on his phone. He went one month back in time. The Entity wasn't a dream.

Josh was confused by his friend behaviour, Fred salvaged the situation saying he was just a little confused because he didn't sleep well that night. Josh wasn't really convinced by this story but he didn't feel like investigating, getting ready for the upcoming exam was way more important.

Fred, instead, was anxious about his new first encounter with Ei. The first time they met it was on the road back home from school. Fred saw Ei reading a book on a bench, under a tree. He recognized the cover of the book, it was one of his favorites. So, he nervously approached him, it was a little embarrassing. Fred thought all day on how to make a better first impression and when the last school bell rang he was ready.

The first thing to change was Josh himself, they were together when Fred and Ei met. Josh's presence, at the time, made him more embarrassed and clumsy. So, Fred made up an excuse and sent Josh home ahead of him. Then he also prepared everything to say and how to act. He felt confident about himself. "With such a good first impression, Ei will surely see me in a better way and making him fall in love with me will be as easy as cake" thought Fred.

Fred started walking home, as expected he saw Ei on the same spot. He walked fast and steadily towards the bench Ei was sitting on and when he was in front of him he asked: "Interesting book! Can I sit by your side?". Without waiting for an answer Fred sat very close to Ei saying: "It's one of my favorites, on what page are you right now?". Ei was clearly uncomfortable and while Fred was speaking he was distancing himself slowly. "U-uhm, who are you?" asked Ei. "Fred, and you are?" replied Fred. "Ei, but s-sorry now I have to go" said Ei. Fred knew he was lying because they stayed one hour under that tree, talking about the book and starting a friendship, the other time they met. "Are you sure?" asked Fred. Ei nodded and started walking away anxiously. Fred was speechless and didn't really know what to do next.

A few days passed, he couldn't stop thinking about Ei and how to fix his mistake. He decided to go to his house to apologize. Later that day he was already in front of Ei's home. He rang the bell and waited. Ei's mom opened the door. Fred knew her but, since she had never seen him, he said he was Ei's classmate and wanted to talk to him about some school projects. She invited him to enter and to go directly to Ei's room. So he did. While he was about to knock on Ei's door, it opened. Ei was in front of him. They locked eyes for a couple of seconds before Ei freaked out. "Who are you? Are you a stalker? What are you doing here?" shouted Ei in panic. Fred didn't know what to do. Ei's mother heard everything and kicked Fred out.

Fred was defeated, he knew he messed up completely and that his second chance was ruined. He tried to summon the Entity, to start anew, with his third chance he would make things better. The Entity never answered. Fred started to theorize about his third chance, while waiting for the month to end. Hoping the Entity didn't lie to him. Eventually, the end of the month arrived. He experienced the same feelings of dizziness and darkness. Another cycle started.

This time he had a better strategy, to make everything seem more natural. He once again avoided returning home with Josh and walked up to Ei. This time he tried to replicate the first time they met and it worked. They exchanged their phone numbers and started chatting. Fred was able to get a date with Ei in a matter of days. They decided for a picnic by the lake. Fred felt really excited, while getting ready for the date he was already convinced this time would be the good one.

When they got there everything was perfect, it was a sunny day with a bit of fresh breeze, there was no one around to ruin the mood and Fred also brought Ei's favourite treat, strawberries. They had a lot of fun and Fred felt like there was something growing between them. He felt really confident and went for a kiss. Ei had no time to react, he was frozen, and never kissed Fred back. Fred felt defeated once again. "Sorry I don't see you that way" said softly Ei. Tears began falling from Fred's cheeks and he ran away. He didn't see Ei again for the rest of the month. He just waited for the next chance, planning the best possible moves. Something dark started to flourish inside him.

The fourth cycle started. Everything went well and at the lake Fred decided to not make any move. They arranged another date, this time at a cinema. A romantic film is perfect to create the right atmosphere. A scene full of passion was projected on the screen, a perfect chance. Another kiss and another rejection. Fred asked for the reason why his love wasn't reciprocal. "I sense a good aura coming from you, but nothing more than friendship. It's like this from the first instant I saw you, I can't change that" replied Ei.

At this point, something in Fred started to break. He went home and waited for the next cycle. He tried and failed a lot of times. Time after time after time, his determination started cracking, just like his heart. Fred lost count of his miserable attempts. He was probably in this loop for about a year when his soul shattered.

Fred knew what he had to do, his mind was full of darkness and madness, nothing could stop him. This time he started his plan as usual, until the date at the lake. There was still a surprise at the end of the picnic. This time there were no strawberries, but a knife. Fred pinned Ei to the ground swinging around his weapon. "Say you love me!" he screamed with all his lungs. "Please don't kill me, please, please, I'll do everything you ask" replied frantically Ei. "Say. You. Love. Me." said Fred with a darker tone. "I-I love you, i do, I do, please let me go!" said Ei with a broken voice. Fred burst out laughing, caught up in hysteria: "Ahahahah, I finally did it, I'm free, ahahahah!". He loosened his grip on his prey. Ei noticed and immediately sneaked out of his grasp. He ran but Fred didn't care, he just stood there, laughing and crying, his brain was melting.

Fred returned home like nothing happened. After a few hours, he heard a siren from the distance. The sound started getting closer and closer until he could hear it outside his house. The doorbell rang. He tried to reach the door before his mother but she was already there when he arrived in front of it. Two cops were standing on the other side of the entrance. There were just a few meters from them and Fred. "Fred Evans, you are under arrest" said the cops. One of them pulled out a gun and pointed it at Fred, the other was preparing the handcuffs. He just got his freedom back, he is not gonna give it up at this point. Fred still had his knife hidden in his clothes. He charged at the cop with the gun. The cop shot Fred in the leg. Fred felt no pain, he just couldn't stop. He wielded the knife and was about to stab the cop. The cop had his hand on the trigger, the gun aimed at the head; he moved the finger.Total darkness once again.

Fred woke up in his bed, once again another cycle started. "So brute force didn't work, and it seems like I can't even escape this hell by dying, maybe I'm already in hell. Maybe this is the punishment for my greediness and superiority complex. Well, there is another little thing I haven't tried yet" Fred was thinking. Another plan, another date at that lake. The knife this time wasn't just for show. "If I TAKE his heart, maybe, maybe, maybe, this nightmare will end!" thought Fred. Ei had no time to react, only to scream in fear and terror as he died slowly, stab after stab. Everything became red. Fred removed Ei's heart from his chest. He filled Ei's clothes and chest with rocks and threw him in the lake. He went home like nothing happened, with his lover heart in the picnic basket. He waited for the end of the month, trying to avoid suspicion. He was so happy, finally he would be liberated from his suffering. The end of the month came, but also another cycle.

At this point everything stopped making sense, and all Fred thoughts became delirious. He once tried eating Ei's heart, tried to kill himself in every way he could, convinced Ei to kill him. Sometimes he started murdering random people, just to try something new and feel a bit alive. Sometimes he just did nothing at all and lived as a husk of himself.

Fred repeated the cycle so many times that nothing could surprise him anymore. He tried everything. He had no idea how much time he was trapped in this loop. It could be ten years, or one hundred or a thousand. Eventually, his mind shut off completely. Fred stopped thinking and entered a vegetative state. He is still there, somewhere, trapped and lost in himself.