Pretending To Be God

The large poster, adorned with a cartoonish man tipping his hat and winking, caught George's attention. "The Phoenix Embrace, Witness The Greatest Supernatural Occurrence By The Greatest Magician of another World!" the bold letters proclaimed. It was part of a promotion by one of the last remaining large circuses in the 23rd century.

London, still in the process of rebuilding since the fall of England in 2121, sought support from around the world to symbolize the unity of the countries involved in the war. They constructed a colossal colosseum, fifty times the size of the original, and gathered the best talents from across the globe to represent each country. It was a fierce competition to impress the world.

Among these talents was George's father, known as O.D. Sterling. He had gone through countless selection processes to determine who was the greatest and most capable of captivating the audience. Eventually, the United States government chose O.D. Sterling as their representative for the global government-funded circus. They poured an enormous amount of money into his act, promising a staggering thirty million dollars—a sum that in 2011 would be equivalent to three million dollars. Yes, inflation had gotten worse.

George sat in the stadium among the buzzing crowd, enjoying popcorn with his older brother Lyle. They eagerly awaited their father's turn to showcase the pinnacle of magic.

Suddenly, a gust of wind blew the window open, jolting George from his dream. He groggily walked over to close it, realizing it was still dark outside. As he settled back into bed, he couldn't ignore the fact that the mattress in this world was no better than the mid-tier ones available across the street. What shocked him more was that it was considered the best money could buy here, whereas even the cheapest bed from his previous life would have been more comfortable. 𝑏𝘦𝘥𝑛𝘰𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝑐𝘰𝑚

"Shoot," George muttered. His mind was racing so much that his tiredness dissipated. He rose from his bed and made his way to a nearby table. Using a matchstick, he lit a candle, casting a dim glow over the room.

He picked up the admission letter he had filled out. Seeing that all his information was already written, he folded it. The academy only cared about the contents of the letter, as sending it automatically made one eligible for the admission test.

But as he prepared to address the letter, a skeletal finger appeared in the corner of his vision. The dark sleeve near the bony hand sent a shiver down his spine. "Here too?" George muttered, pointing at the letter.

This figure had haunted him throughout his life, and he had no idea why. He had tried numerous medications, but no technological or medical advancements could make it disappear.

George recalled the first time he encountered the figure. He was eight years old, visiting a popular theme park with his father and brother. As they strolled, his father habitually rubbed the ruby on his ring. But on that day, George noticed something peculiar.

Lyle's eyes widened as they spotted the largest roller coaster in the theme park. Excitedly, Lyle pointed at it, his legs bouncing with anticipation. "Dad! Roller coaster!! Please, please?"

O.D. Sterling smiled and nodded. "Sure, buddy! But aren't you scared?" He hoisted Lyle onto his shoulders and directed his attention to the roller coaster, where people were screaming and laughing.

Lyle shook his head, flexing his muscles. "No, I'm brave!"

"Good! George, what about you?" Lyle waited for a response, but George stared at the roller coaster in disbelief.

"Dad... why is that skeleton looking at me?" George pointed to an empty space.

"A skeleton?" O.D. Sterling scanned the area but found nothing.

"Yeah, he's there," George insisted, continuing to point.

His father turned to Lyle. "Lyle, do you see any skeleton?"

Lyle shook his head. "No..."

O.D. Sterling grew concerned for George but dismissed it as a misunderstanding. "What is the skeleton doing now?" he asked, lowering himself to George's eye level.

"He's staring at me, and he's pointing at the roller coaster..."

"The roller coaster?" O.D. Sterling looked at the ride, puzzled.

Suddenly, confusion washed over George's face.

"What happened?"

"The skeleton... it disappeared..."

"What?"

The ground trembled, prompting O.D. Sterling to shield both George and Lyle with his body, protecting them from any potential harm.

Metal screeched, filling the theme park, as dust and smoke enveloped the area. Laughter and joy turned to screams and panic, echoing throughout the park.

When the dust settled, Sterling rose, cradling his sons. His eyes widened as he beheld the wreckage of the roller coaster, bodies broken and torn. He shielded his sons' eyes from the horrifying sight.

That incident was just one of many. Whenever Sterling avoided the Grim Reaper's indicated direction, he managed to cheat death. However, the one time he didn't heed its warning, he ended up in this world.

"Yeah, there must be another way," George muttered, dropping the letter on the table and standing up. He walked toward the door but froze as he noticed the Grim Reaper pointing in that direction.

"What?" He glanced between the letter and the door, both indicated by the Grim Reaper.

"So... you're telling me that no matter what I do, I will die?" George posed the question to the Grim Reaper, receiving no response as usual.

He stared at the letter, then turned back to the door. 'If I walk out, I'll be running away from my destiny, but I'll die either way. Perhaps submitting the letter would be a better way to meet my end.' He folded the letter, and with its completion, he felt the Grim Reaper's presence dissipate.