The Fountain and the Notification

"Have you ever wondered what is there to life's potential, or what is the purpose of us being here? Well, I wonder that too, every day of my miserable life."

But I guess life doesn't always remain the same, and sometimes we get blessed with great opportunities. This is my story. And it all starts that day…

From the distance of a large corporate building, a young man with black hair draping over his forehead breathes out a sigh as he walks out of the revolving doors of the business building.

You can see that he feels down, and that his mood isn't all that great at the moment. His cheap, 100 dollar suit he bought on clearance sale during the holiday looks all too large on his shoulders. Well, it was the only one he could really find after all, since he came too late after all the other job seekers/out of college students like him snatched all that was there before.

Sigh

He breathes out a long sigh, while taking off his suit jacket and holding it between his arms as he looked up at the mildly warm summer sun. This was the 34th failed job interview this month, and it has already been half a year of job-seeking, or should it be more appropriate to say 'failure-seeking'.

It really isn't his fault that he couldn't get a job. The recession economy that he had to face after being out of college also had a big impact. But the problem is that when even the gas price is so expensive, there is no way a student with no parents could quite afford a choice.

"God must love play jokes with human beings," he thought to himself, before shaking his head. There is a tired smile that comes on his face. He rubs his empty stomach. He had been waiting to eat some food after having to wait for those dumb job interviewers that ask unrealistic job interview questions for two hours with the long line.

From his briefcase, he stretched his hand inside to take out a Ziploc bag that contains some nachos that he had put in before this morning. Nachos was one of the cheap snacks he could afford at the nearest grocery store of his one room space with bathroom apartment. Well, besides some canned food for protein and variety.

He follows the other men and women who were coming out of the revolving door of the colorless black and white corporate building. They were around his age, talking to each other as they walked in front of him. He doesn't know where they are heading to, but at least to him it felt better than staying in the same place of the entrance that reminded him of desperately he doesn't match with the rest of the 9-5 workers. The only difference is that it pays them to be there, while he pays to get here.

After walking a while, he realizes that there was a pleasant park in the short distance. There were also many other people dressed in their corporate attire sitting by the trees, on the seats, with their lunches in their hand, chatting with their work friends. Seeing this, he had a small grin on his face while looking again at the half-finished small bag of nachos. Such is life, huh? There are those who have, and then there are those who don't.

With his head bowed low, John walked to sit at the edge of the water fountain, keeping a comfortable distance from the other who were also sitting close by on the edge of the fountain. His heart felt a little heavy, and he looked up at the blue sky with the flutter of bits of clouds floating by, doubting life. He remembered this place as he sees the children with their caring parents, where one of his foster parent took him to before. Except now he is no longer that kid full of life, but just a kid still in an adult body.

"How did I get from there to here? What really happened to my life?" He wondered to himself, while continuing to watch with a small and sad smile as the children in the distance sound with their joyful voices. He thought about why the child could smile so brightly. "Some people are alive, but already dead inside. While others have died, but lives on forever."

Just as he was tasting the blandness of the last piece of chips in his mouth, he heard a notification sound on his phone from his pocket. "Is it the landlord again? But I should still have some money saved up."

When he opened up his phone, he saw a notification from one app, a game that he had been playing:

…

"Ready to level up your life?"

…

The way the notification appeared on his phone was strange, and he was not sure if it was just his imagination. But its glowing blue letters standing out against the dark background of the screen. It was as if the notification was beckoning to him, urging him to take action. As he read the message, he felt a strange sensation wash over him, like something was changing within him. The letters seemed to pulsate with an otherworldly energy, as if they were alive.

He felt a sense of intrigue and curiosity, wondering what kind of opportunity this could be. What a normal person click on ad buttons from an app on their phone? He had seen nothing like it before. Was this some sort of joke? A prank? But at that moment, he decided to give it a try. He was simply bored out of his mind by now.

Taking a deep breath, he steeled his resolve and clicked the "Yes" button. In an instant, his phone screen went black, and he felt a strange sensation wash over him. His surroundings began to blur and twist, and he felt his body being pulled in all directions. He seems to pass through with incredible speed through this black hole as he watches his body still sitting on the edge of the fountain, going through its motion. He had no idea what was happening, but he knew that his life was about to change forever.