Delvin found the courage to listen, though he had little faith in his buddy George.
He gathered the strength to look at him. What could he do anyway, when he didn't even have the energy to object or oppose?
George composed himself, his eyes gleaming with sudden enlightenment. A strange glow seemed to emanate from him. His right hand fidgeted with a black bracelet made of alternating white and black beads, the smooth surfaces clicking softly against each other.
"There's a man in Olympia who used to give me contracts years back. Why don't we go meet him tonight? He owns several hotels. You're an electrical and electronics engineer—without doubt, you've got a real chance of landing a contract there."
'What? Is he serious, or is he just mocking my death?'
A memory detonated in his mind like a flash grenade. "You will never work anywhere, Delvin. I promise you." His mentor's voice echoed through time, shouted at the top of his lungs, eyes bloodshot and wild. His hands had trembled as if they might explode from sheer rage.
Delvin's blood pressure spiked. His heart hammered against his ribs like a prisoner beating against cell bars, each pulse pounding in his temples. Those words had made him suffer. They haunted him still—stalking him through sleepless nights, the main reason he was in this wretched state.
The new information stirred something in Delvin's mind. A glimpse of hope, fragile as spider silk. Perhaps this business tycoon could be different. Perhaps he would never dig into the past.
"Are you serious?" His voice cracked like dried earth.
George smiled, looking at Delvin with fond exasperation. "Yooou… Yooou must know me… By now, I-I only say… What I– 'm sure of. I need… Aaaa job badly. The man is good. He-He-he treated meee… Like his own son."
With those words, Delvin's interest grew a notch.
' Do good men still exist on earth?' He understood one thing: the current world operated on the principle of every man for himself. No job meant your fate was sealed. You were doomed to extinction. Death.
His spirit rose slowly, like morning mist lifting. He forgot about the hunger gnawing at his stomach, the thirst that had turned his mouth to sandpaper, the blacklist—forgot it all, if only for a few precious seconds.
'Maybe the universe wants to give me a second chance. Living is more exciting than marching into that unknown place called death.' He had only dark imaginings about what lay beyond.
He made up his mind. "George, I'm in. Ready to do anything for money. How do we meet him?"
He would take this chance, even if the probability of being hired was razor-thin given his past record.
Delvin's eyes glowed, moisture welling up until tears spilled over—tears of joy mixed with disbelief. George's heart eased, warmth flooding his chest as he watched Delvin come back to life.
George proceeded to share more details. "In Olympia. Right… Behind Manda Hill Mall."
The words hit Delvin like cold water. His energy deflated when he heard the name, because Manda Hill Mall was a thousand miles from his place.
But the hunger—God, the hunger was stronger, more pressing. He had to give in. Adding even a few extra days to his life was a necessity. Why should he let go when there was a glimpse of hope?
"Wow... It's far." He sighed heavily, his eyes falling to his watch as if he had some appointment to keep. "But I'm determined to do whatever it takes to make money."
Hope bloomed in Delvin's chest like a flower breaking through concrete. Love for life rekindled. George stood up, studying Delvin with keen interest, lost in thought for a moment. Then urgency flickered across his face as he began preparing to leave. "Uh—I will come and pick Y-you up. At six p-m."
Delvin's eyes lit up, brimming with gratitude even though he hadn't yet secured anything. He'd made the right call befriending George all those years ago. Perhaps George would save him again, just as Delvin had once saved him.
Years back, Delvin had found George beaten nearly to death, naked, stripped of everything. He'd carried him to his room, nursed his wounds, and cared for him until he was back on his feet. Now, moving two steps toward the door, George opened his mouth. "Uh—I am going. Se-ee Yooou… Later."
Delvin nodded.
His mood had shifted one-eighty degrees. His face, body, hands, legs, feet—everything hummed with happiness and joy. A seed of hope had been planted in his heart. He felt like he'd been granted a second life.
The planet Earth had undergone a massive shift. The sun beat down with such merciless fury that people could no longer work during the day. Society had turned nocturnal to preserve precious water in their bodies. During daylight hours, they sheltered inside their homes and slept, curtains drawn against the killing heat.
Delvin sat down, crossed his legs like a Buddha, and began meditating as was his ritual. This practice expanded his consciousness and awareness, renewed his strength and energy. In these brutal times, he needed to keep his emotions stable. Hence meditation.
'I need to focus on the eighth center. But first, let me bless the fourth energy center—my heart.:
He moved his consciousness to his heart, recognizing it, feeling the volume of space around the fourth center. He guided his awareness within his chest and back to the center. He repeated this five times until warmth bloomed inside the fourth center, radiating outward like embers catching fire.
'This is it. This is the vibration of love. My heart, soul, mind and body are unified with the universe.'
Next, he shifted to the eighth center. He pressed his consciousness there, moving it around that volume. His body began vibrating, energy erupting from within like a volcano. His lips trembled, mouth quivered, teeth grinding against each other. He repeated the process three times.
On the third count, his consciousness merged with another.
A voice sounded in his mind—a low, gentle frequency that seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere. *'Hello. Welcome to Eternal Space.'*
The strange consciousness echoed within his own. Delvin was surprised and amazed simultaneously. He didn't know whether to respond. He simply stared at the vast darkness before him, curiosity mingling with awe, waiting for what would unfold.
The presence resumed. *'My name is Acrymonta, and you must be Delvin Dred?'*
Confusion rippled through him. *How do you know my name?*
*'I have been watching, waiting for you to contact me through your meditation. You just did. I have been searching for someone with your particular energy for the past one thousand two hundred years, but I had no luck until I found you a few months ago, meditating.'*
Surprise twisted into deeper confusion. He questioned with rising inquisitiveness, maintaining his assertive tone.
'Why wait for me to contact you?'
Acrymonta ignored him and continued. *'I too come from Earth. I know the current state it is in. I would like to help. You cannot stay here much longer. I will unlock the gift inside you.'*
With a sensation like a thunderclap, Acrymonta dispersed from Delvin's consciousness.
Delvin cried out.
'Wait!'