Essence of life

He dropped the glass across the table. I could feel my dream come true, as I turned the dial to an "Hour Per Second" ratio time-length setting, meaning that a second would be extended to an hour, and watched the glass falling on the ground getting slower, and slower, every moment. Finally, after all these years, I took control over time, as he smiled beside me. James watched me laugh heartily as he stood with a grin on his face. I was at the beginning of a new era, where I would be known by the name of "The man who stopped time" by the whole world for making this discovery. If it wasn't for James, I would've never been able to complete my time flow suit as I have. With great pride in my work, I asked James what was that he wanted in return of his help. "I'll ask you when, um.. how do I say this... yeah... when the TIME is right". We chuckled. I was being worried for nothing about him. The only person in this entire universe to not only believe, but help me reach my goal. I was right to trust my heart to let him help. My lifelong goal, to achieve absolute control over the flow of time, was fulfilled only due to his intricate knowledge and expert skills. I took the helmet off from my suit and turned towards the exoskeletons I've kept making until now. It was just one thing more that was needed. A different perspective. it worked wonders.

I still couldn't understand why my instincts went on a rampaging fit of epiley against taking help from this fine, young man. Was it his sudden appearance when I started to believe in the inevitable, and prayers to the omnipotent being? or was it just that I Casually made some kind of deal with the devil?

It was strange, yet I didn't hesitate to give him a tight hug as he smiled at me with his cheerful face. He spoke one last time with a serious note in his voice, "remember the consequences of every action you take... have fun with your suit... " closing the door gently behind him. "wait, James..." I shouted as he exit the room. Before the door fully came to a halt, I started turning the dial on my hand, going for an "Hour Per Second" ratio time-length setting, watching the door close so slow, it came to a standstill. I walked towards the door, slowly pushing it out to open, on the hope that I would find James frozen in a place trying to walk away. I wanted him to stay. I wanted to him to be by my side. I wanted to let the world know of our invention. I wanted him to work under, no... with me. By my side. He instilled a new direction in my life. Opening the door, I found no one near the hallway. it was strange, he just closed the door. I looked at the big clock over the lab to check the time, and sure enough, the second clock was frozen. the second hand stood still in it's place, confirming my bond with the reality. It was true. I controlled time. After 29 years of dedicating myself to what everyone thought of as a mad man's pursuit, it was finally time I received the respect I deserved.

My invention brought up chaos among the living world I've known. I was being called the "mind of the universe" around this little world. I never mentioned about James. I thought about it. If he ever wanted to sue me for the rights of the suit he helped me create, I would gladly share everything with him. All I wanted was his attention. To come to me, to work with me. Surprisingly, he never showed up. Was he real? was he just a fragment of my mind? Didn't he want something in return ? was he God or the devil? Who cares. He was the greatest gift I ever met in my life.

My suit. It was broadcast worldwide. The whole world was spending billions of dollars just to sign a contract to get ahold of it. Every continent I know to exist was in on this massive bid. I was trending across the globe. I saw newspapers had my pictures posted up on their front pages days after days, with something new and exciting to spice up their daily reports. From my daily routines, to how I sleep, to how I was able to come up with everything, even going as far as bringing up all the embarrassing posts I've ever put up on my social accounts to create a mockery of the finest mind. Anyhow, I was the center of attraction in every place I stepped.

I signed the contract with the highest bidder and the one who offered me the most technical and creative liberty over my love of my project. The reputed company was known as Vankroft Corporation. the biggest ever on our planet . it was a company capable of being labeled as a powerful nation in itself, with it's strong grasp over every kind of cybernetic project revolving around in our planet. They kept funding my project, as long as I pledged my words and suit to their company in return of every kind of freedom that I wanted with the beloved child of mine.

With the passing days, I changed the designs of the suit to make it more sleek, and boy did it work. Every single day, I kept on wearing the suit to move around freely, and with time, I've made some changes to the designs and the devices it was built on the basic form. Every single day, I would activate the suit on a "Decade Per Second" ratio time-length setting, extending a point of a second into a decade and move around in the real world, going from places to places, watching the world as it is freezed in a singular moment. the birds in the sky, paused as if in a video. The kid in the playground kicking the ball with all it's might, frozen, as if an architectural statue of importance created by some famous universal artist in the olden glorious days. Everything seemed, so beautiful. But I never knew, beauty was such short lived.

As I opened my helmet, I could see my grey hairs falling off from my head. My skin was covered in wrinkles. I ran in panic to have a look at myself in the mirror. But what I saw, horrified me to the bottom of my core. I was only 42 years old, there was no way I could've looked like a 79 year old on his

deathbed. This revelation horrified me. I learnt the fact with the consequences. That the time flow is contained outside the suit. Inside, it runs on the opposite side of the time-length setting ratio chosen. In short, I'll grow older as I keep using the suit. until I'm no more. It was a big drawback to the time flow project. The Vankroft Corporation was already set in motion. Knowing about this, would cause them to drawback on the very child of mine that I've created with all my heart and soul.

I was devastated. My body hurt. I felt dejected. All I could think of at this point, was James. The only Angel of my life I could rely on. His voice echoed in my head, "every action has it's own consequences"... did he know what was about to come upon me? was that the sole reason he left without asking for anything??? He must have known, or else, how can someone be so selfless as to help someone with as complicated and treacherous as controlling time itself. That piece of shit. he never wanted to help me in the first place. He just wanted to see me suffer. But what have I ever done to him? we didn't even know each other. But whatever was the cause, it was not him, but me... who kept on with this project of mine. it was my idea, my hard work to begin with. All I needed was to reciprocate the same settings of the suit inside as I've did on the outside. in that way, my body cells won't react to the time slowing down outside the suit. I was a born genius. and I didn't need any help from any one to begin with in the first place.

It took me 3 months. I closeted myself in my lab from the world and kept working alone untill I finally set the suit settings right as I wanted it to be. It was a tedious work. I could not ask for help from any of the scientists from the Vankroft Corporation. It would cause all my riches and fame to disappear in the blink of an eye. The aftermath of my removal from everything I owned would have lead to total devastation of my world which I built with such hard work, with sheer willpower and tenacity alone. Soon, I was ready to test out my newly enhanced and improved suit for myself.

I looked at the suit. it was a beauty worthless of any riches that I could ever gather in my entire life. As I kept my hand on the dial, I gulped, as I could feel my instincts shouting towards me again. But this time, I was sure. I was out in the open, for people to see. And for the first time, I switched on to "Millennium Per Second" ratio time-length, as I slowly watched everything around me, naturally freeze. The procedure, it was always gloriously beautiful to set your eyes at. Every single person's expression, their eyes, were all on me. I could see them. The sun. glowing in the sky. the birds flying past high in the sky, everything was, inexplicably beautiful to wonder at that moment. But something felt wrong. I couldn't move my feet. I could feel them getting heavier every passing moment, as if I've wandered my gaze into the luscious eyes of Medusa. I felt my hands, slowly getting heavier with every passing second, until I was unable to move anymore. I was scared. I tried my best to reach my right arm towards the dial to turn it back, but it froze almost touching the tip of it. I could feel my face, being frozen slow and steady, to my dismay. As I start to shout for help one last time, I could feel my vocal cords slowly turning to stone, upto the point I

could no longer squeak even a soft hum. I was bound in that position. I felt the end nearby. I couldn't move my eyes. So, was this how I would die???

Surprisingly, I could think, in this body of stone I was stuck in, my mind was the only thing that was unharmed along with my view. In a far distant place somewhere, I could see something move. A wave of emotions went past my head as I saw the creature come closer and closer to me, as I kept on shouting in my head for cries of help.

As the being got closer, I could make up it's face.

It was blasphemous. How could he???? James??? how on the hell could he walk so freely in the time distance of a second turned into a millennium??? what was he??? who was he??? why did he???? millions of questions started running course through my head as I saw him approach me with a slight grin on his face. His childish like demeanor, made me forget for a moment, who he really was.

God? why did God want this with me??? why did he wanted me to be here??? what was his purpose??? James??? are you the devil???

I looked at him with my frozen expression as he stood in front of me, and knocked on my helmet. "knock-knock- can you move???" was the first things he said as he started bursting into laughter.

"I warned you ..... actions are gonna have consequences' didn't I, Michael?" I heard him speak in a solemn tone. It was no doubt. It... was the devil himself.... I thought to myself as he said," well, your playtime's up, and I've come to receive the small thing that I wanted from you which you didn't need..." he told as he snapped his fingers. I could see my vision slowly rise from the level I was, and understood soon enough, I was hovering in air. "Since you're stuck in an eternal state of sleep, you won't need this suit, and everything that comes with it, right??? so I'm taking you with me..." he flashed those words with a hellish grin on his face.

In an instant, I saw my vision change from the blue sky into a huge, old, ragged, dilapidated house, which seemed like a shelter. "welcome to my humble home..." he spoke loudly. I couldn't see him. his voice sounded too deep. "ahh... how foolish of me... you can't understand what you can't see right??? I'm so sorry... I'll help you up..." said the voice as something picked me up from the ground and put me down somewhere I wasn't aware of. I saw a large hand move away from my body and as my vision cleared, I could see James, standing in front of me, with his face close enough to my body, standing as high as a mountain. Then, I slowly realized, I was turned into the size of a toy, child's toy. I was horrified. It was a dream. it must be a dream. it has to be a dream. "It isn't a dream Michael, it's all true.." said the

voice of James... as he looked at me and smiled. "for your convenience, I'll let you run your eyes... so you can have a better look at where you are going to be, for the rest of eternity."

I could see a shelf on the opposite side of the room, filled with stuff which seemed like, toys, for instance, but too hyper-realistic. To my sheer horror, I understood what they were, and I wanted no part in this. A person sleeping peacefully in a cryogenic chamber, someone, or something, trapped inside a glass chamber, shooting itself in the temple of its head, just to wake up a few moments later to shoot itself again. A person trying to blast his was through the box he was trapped until it closed in on him, crushing everything inside. It looked like hell.

Maybe, this is what hell looked like, being a possession of the devil's assortment in a shelf, for him to view at you with contempt and amusement. I am, now in my own eternal hell, locked in a position I cannot move from, staring at every single thing that moves in front of my eyes.