Daily Flash Fiction Challenge

Harrison Ott lived with his mother at the age of 25. When he arrived home after work on Saturday, his mother was waiting for him. She pointed to a box sitting on the table.

“A package arrived for you,” she said.

Harrison’s face lit up as he grabbed the box and ran up the stairs to his room, leaving his mother staring after him.

When he ripped the box open, he found a card sitting on top of the strange looking device. On the card was written…

“Your time distortion device allows you to relive any day you wish. Simply set the date, press the red button and you’ll be there in a flash. You will be instantaneously returned at the end of that day.”

He took the device from the box and set it on his night table. His plan was simple, he would keep reliving the previous day, September 6th, which was payday, receiving pay check after pay check until he had enough money to move out on his own.

He hastily set the dials and pressed the red button. The air in his room began to vibrate and as all of his belongings began to blur, he realized he hadn’t set the year. It was set for thirteen years earlier. He desperately reached for the device, knocking it to the floor. Just before he disappeared, he saw it explode into several large pieces on the hardwood floor.

When he reappeared, he was horrified. It was his first day of junior high school. For the rest of the day, he relived the internal chaos of puberty and the torment of the bullies he’d endured so many years earlier. Unfortunately, at the end of the day, the broken time machine wasn’t able to return him to his bedroom.

Word Count: 299