Doctor Stein's Peculiar Device

With a hiss and some grinning, the tram pulled into the station. A tall, lanky man with his legs resting over the seat next to him with his shoes dangling into the aisle, turned his head in mild interest to see what station he was in. Focusing his eyes he noticed this was his stop and he had to get off.

The weatherman failed to mention that it would rain enough to make an ocean look dry today.

Letting out a loud groan, he forced himself from the chair. Casting a glance at the rest of the carriage he took note of the amount of people bunched up at the back of the carriage. A women with at least eight shopping bags had decided to sit as close to the rest of the passengers as she could in order to keep the five rows that divided him from the rest of the carriage intact.

Nobody wanted to sit near him and he didn't want to sit near anyone either, they had the perfect silent arrangement.

As he turned his back to the rest of the passengers, something hard smacked into the back of his head. The sound of the tin can hitting the floor besides his feet accompanied by the chuckling of the teenage culprits make his hands clench into fists. Taking the moral high ground he ignored them and silently walked off the tram.

As the tram slowly began trucking along, people were already celebrating his departure and shuffling up to occupy the seats that he was previously quarantined behind. They watched him as the tram departed from the station, cold glares and angry eyes were directed at him, some even mouthing things like 'I hate you' to him, as if the safety of the glass gave them courage.

He couldn't blame them really, after all, he was a absolute monster of a man.

Spinning on his heels again, he began walking home. His bony hands already finding shelter in his pockets from the mini storm that was going on. In less than a minute his clothes were already soaked through and shivers already coursing down his spine. Cars seemingly sped up at the sight of him and drove closer to the curb in an attempted to splash him with muddy water.

They weren't failing.

After a few brisk minutes of walking, he began recognizing landmarks and familiar sights. He slowed down to admire one of them for the last time. A large, red brick factory, with massive smokestacks towering high into the sky and large fancy windows letting in warm sunlight. Now the smokestacks blew no smoke and the windows had been smashed and cracked from angry citizens with stones. The factory had a small chain-link fence around it in a futile attempted to keep people out.

They never did work.

On the gate, a large metal sign had been attached to it. Saying that the factory had been repossessed and was now owned by the 'community'. The windows were easily repairable, but the graffiti was a different story.

'Murderer', 'You monster', 'I lost my son because of you', were a few of the words that would be forever engraved into his memory.

He put his fingers through the holes in the fence, a few sobs escaping his lips as he thought back to the 'good' times. Once upon a time people would be crawling over each other in a attempted to talk to him, now the only thing he got was hatred from them. His factory was the most successful and productive in the whole country! He was literally rolling in shiny coins and pristine notes, now he only had what was in his pocket. A few measly coins.

How times changed...

Looking up to the clouds, his tears mixing with the rain. “I tried big brother... I really did try... but I mess it up, didn't I?” he cried out, hoping something was listening. No point grovelling the past, he had a future to create from the nothingness.

He moved on, only having a few hours left until he landlord kicked him out and he had to pick up what little possession he had at his apartment.

Reaching his apartment door, ripping off the reminder from the landlord and struggling to turn the key in the lock until the door gave a rusty clicking noise. A small room with a single window, a bed, a mini fridge, a secure safe under a desk and a bathroom, what more did he need? Laid out on the table was his already packed bag, everything that wasn't sold or deemed too valuable to get rid of were inside.

The bag was very light to carry.

He spun the dial on the safe until it opened, once filled with money and sentimental treasures, now was empty besides one thing. Something that would take up his whole wrist if he wore in, like a big bracelet except it had a big, red button on it. The best part about it was that he had no idea what it did and he was the one who made the thing!

He was a part time inventor back in his youth, his once young mind teaming with quirky ideas and pointless contraptions. On one night, when the moon was high and bright, he had a dream about a device that would give him everything he wanted. The dream told him everything, what parts he needed, what when where, down to the closest detail. When he awoke his mind remembered everything so he quickly rushed down everything on paper, making blueprints and lists on everything he needed to make this device.

When he finished it, he didn't know what to do with it. He had no use of a machine that gave him everything he wanted because he already had everything he wanted. So he put it in the safe and left it to gather dust, until now.

He put it on. The leather padding feeling really soft on his damp skin. A strange sense of excitement overcame him, what did this thing do? How was it going to give him everything? So many question with the answer just a button press away.

He moved the peculiar device closer, a whisper escaping his lips. “I wish to start again, a new life,”, then before any hesitation slipped in, he pressed the button. Nothing happened.

He huffed, feeling rather disappointed, so much effort put into making the bloody thing and it didn't do anything. In the back of his mind he could hear the giggling of a higher being mocking him.

A determined frown grew on his face, he was not going to be beaten that easy. He began spamming the button as hard as he could. Then after tiring out his finger, the device exploded into a sparky haze of light .

The feeling of falling overcame him, everything went dark and the sound of strong winds as if he fell off a tall building surrounded him. His mouth opened to scream but nothing came out, he began flaying he arms and legs in a attempted to grab a ledge that he couldn't see with no such luck.

Then pain erupted over his whole body. Opening he eyes slightly revealed he had landed on a white marble floor, face first. The gentle tickle of sunlight pinched at the back of his neck, strange, it was sun set when he got home.

He began looking around curiously, turning to the side and straightening out his crunched nose revealed the sunlight was coming through stain glass windows depicting strange creatures doing even strangers things. Directing he head forward so the ground was at his chin, he saw something that made him flicker his eyes several times in disbelief.

Something that vaguely resembled a horse, though with a long horn and feathery wings, was 'holding' a mug of something hot and a plate with a slice of chocolaty cake on it. Crumbs dotted around her face and a slight brown mustache stained her upper lip, all were clearly visible against her pure white coat. Her illusive hair blew in a imaginary wind and her eyes mimicked his own, opening and closing in shock.

Both stared at each other with mouths wide, each wondering what the hell was in front of them. He recovered first, standing up and brushing he clothes clean before addressing the creature, the whole time the horse eyed him with her head cocked like a dog.

He pointed a finger at her, causing her to filch back slightly, “What the hell are you!?” he demanded, unsure if the creature even knew what he was saying.

“Guards!” the creature responded, instantly the sound of footsteps galloping towards them and the shouts to 'get down' or 'surrender' where already echoing towards him. More of the creatures burst in, all in a vast array of colors and responses to him.

The 'guards' quickly surrounded him, pointy spears directed at him and several of the creatures angrily staring at him. The largest of the creatures, who had already lowered her cake and cup, was looking at him with a blank expression. “Do you have anything to say for yourself?” she asked, clearly female by her modulated voice.

He looked back down to the ring of sharp, scary spears, poking one in curiosity reveal it to be very, very sharp. “Oh crap...”