Million Dollar Gift

by Ian Somers

  The professor sat at a small desk at one end of the room, I didn’t need to be told that mine was the lonely seat in the centre of the room. I sat and looked directly at Foster.

  ‘What now?’ I asked.

  ‘Now you face some real tests.’

  I didn’t like Foster’s tone. Actually, I didn’t like one single thing about the man; he gave off a bad aura.

  ‘Bring it on,’ I said confidently.

  I wasn’t so positive on the inside though, I couldn’t get what had happened the night before out of my mind. My gift had failed. What if it failed again? And who was the stranger watching me? I had a suspicion that the strange man had something to do with my gift failing, which was inspiring all sorts of questions in my mind.

  Another assistant entered, an elegant Japanese woman with alert eyes and short black hair. She flicked a switch on the wall and a myriad of conflicting red lasers surrounded me on all sides.

  ‘Now I know what it feels like to be the Mona Lisa,’ I joked.

  Nobody laughed.

  ‘It’s just so we can be one hundred per cent certain that there are no strings, wires or devices of any kind being used during the experiments, Ross. These lasers cannot hurt you in any way.’

  ‘So I can touch them?’ I waved my arms about, breaking the lasers, which set off a loud alarm in the room.

  ‘Yes, you can touch them, but I’d rather you didn’t,’ Foster said, when the alarm had been silenced

  ‘Righty-oh.’

  ‘There will be four tests, Ross,’ Professor Foster told me. ‘We’ll begin with something relatively simple, just to get you warmed up, but they will get more difficult as the day goes on. If at any time you need a break, just say so.’

  ‘I need a break.’

  Foster blew out his cheeks.

  ‘Okay, okay, no more jokes. So, what’s first?’

  ‘You’ll see soon enough.’ Foster turned to his Japanese assistant. ‘Mizuki, could you place the items in front of Mr Bentley.’

  She first brought a very simple table, made completely of glass, into the middle of the room, about two metres in front of me. She then placed an A4 sheet of white paper on it before returning to her seat beside the camera girl.

  ‘Let me explain how we will do this,’ Foster said. ‘We will place a number of items on this table for you to manipulate in certain ways. Think of it like a game-show; you will have three chances to be successful with each item. Fail to be successful and you fail to win the prize money.’

  ‘I got it,’ I nodded. ‘So what’s the deal with the piece of paper?’

  ‘Simple. Stand it on edge and straighten the sheet. Perfectly straight.’

  It was very similar to Standing Card, the game I had played so many times in my room. I closed my eyes and took a few deep breaths before beginning.

  The page fluttered a couple of times before it rose into the air. It then fell very slowly until one edge touched the glass counter. It was standing in portrait-orientation on the table, but curling to one side. I saw it was very light paper, purposely thin to make the test more difficult. I also realised this was not like Standing Card at all, that game only had one objective, this test had two: stand the paper on its edge and keep it straight, which was the hard part.

  I was successful after four minutes of manipulating the page. I’d imagined it being wet and fixed onto a piece of glass and it worked a treat.

  ‘Excellent,’ Foster declared, ‘you may release your hold on the piece of paper.’

  The page fell over and see-sawed to the floor. The assistant took it away and returned with a glass box that had one side covered in a black cloth. She placed it on the table and I noticed a kitten inside.

  ‘Can you see the cat?’

  ‘Actually, it’s a kitten.’

  ‘OK … Can you see the kitten then?’

  ‘Yes.’

  The assistant abruptly rotated the box on the table so that black side was facing me and I could no longer see inside.

  ‘I want you to lift that kitten off the bottom of the box.’

  It sounded easy at first, but I realised I had never before moved an object that I couldn’t see. I thought long and hard before I began, but couldn’t figure out how I was going to do it. So, being me, I decided to take a short cut.

  I channelled my energy out of my body until it had surrounded the large box. After a moment of concentration I jolted the box up into the air and back down with a loud thump. The kitten had been propelled off the bottom of the box when it had fallen. Technically I’d passed the test.

  ‘That wasn’t what I meant,’ Foster barked as he crossed his arms. ‘You were supposed to––’

  ‘Did the kitty go airborne?’

  ‘Your ingenuity is to be applauded. You outsmarted me on that one.’

  ‘I outsmarted a professor. Wait till I tell my Dad.’

  After the few moments the box was removed and an old-fashioned egg-timer was put in its place. It was small and the bottom half was full of fine white sand.

  ‘You know how this device usually works, Ross?’

  ‘I do.’

  ‘I want you to reverse the sand’s normal course. Can you make the sand leave the bottom and fill the top?’

  ‘You bet I can.’

  This was as new to me as the previous test and was just as perplexing. I was very good at moving objects, but multiple objects were difficult, even Marble Star had evaded me for months. There were thousands of grains that would have to be moved at the same time and then needed to be held in place. This would be difficult to say the least.

  A single grain flew into the top half of the egg timer. Then another and another after that. Before long there were a hundred grains at the top of the jar but I was struggling to lift any more while keeping those already in the top from falling. I spied the professor grinning and I allowed the sand to fall.

  ‘That is strike one,’ Foster announced with a smirk on his wizened face.

  I tried again, but couldn’t lift anymore than twenty grains or so.

  ‘Strike two.’

  ‘Do you want me to fail?’ I shouted. My patience was running thin and the lasers around me flickered as my temper rose. ‘This isn’t a game of baseball!’

  The professor apologised. ‘I didn’t realise I was being offensive, Ross. Please try again.’

  Didn’t realise my eye! Foster was purposely trying to get me agitated so that I would fail. I was determined to pass the test though. I would not fail!

  I focused on the egg timer. How would I do it though? It was impossible to move so many objects at once and I couldn’t focus on single grains, they were too small. There had to be a way though…

  Then I had a moment of inspiration. I couldn’t lift each grain so I’d have something else do it for me.

  I focused on the air within the top half of the egg-timer. Nobody could see it, but the atmosphere inside was beginning to move in a clockwise motion. After a moment the air began to swirl faster and grains of sand were being sucked up one by one. I used all of my power to twist the air as quickly as I could, creating a vacuum inside which sucked up more and more of the sand.

  Foster stood up from his chair and took a closer look. The sand was spinning in the top half of the egg-timer and not a single grain was left at the bottom.

  ‘You can stop now,’ he said. ‘Do you want to take a break? That must have been incredibly draining.’

  ‘You wish.’

  There was little respite; the final test was upon me. Mizuki walked to the table with a length of rope that had a large and complicated looking knot in it. I guessed what the objective was before professor Foster told me.

  ‘I would like you to untie the—’

  ‘Yeah, I get it,’ I said. This would be next to impossible; not only would I have to control the entire length of rope, I would also have to figure out a way of untying it at the same time. I tried twice, but failed miserably; I’d barely loosened the knot. Sweat was pouring f
rom my face and my body was growing weak. I doubted I would have the strength to complete this last test.

  I couldn’t fail at the last hurdle though. There had to be a way. The knot was the hard part but I couldn’t figure out how to untie it, it was far too intricate.

  I stared at the rope and began channelling energy out of my body until it surrounded the table. I took full control of the rope then thought about how they had tied it … if only I knew how they had tied it.

  Suddenly my mind tuned out and I almost fell out of the chair. Then a flash of white light came into my mind and I stiffened up. I was having a vision of some kind – it was Foster and Mizuki tying the knot in the rope, the vision was playing out in reverse and I saw exactly how to remove the knot.

  Foster watched in awe as the rope hovered over the table and began to untangle itself until it was levitating and completely straight. The alarm screamed when I collapsed out of the chair and onto the floor, breaking the lasers around me.

  When I eventually came to I found myself looking directly into Professor Foster’s eyes.

  ‘Are you all right?’ he asked.

  ‘I think so,’ I muttered. ‘Feel a bit sick.’

  ‘I’m not surprised. That last test was meant to be virtually unsolvable. I don’t know how you did it, but I must congratulate you. Your skills are extraordinary.’

  I felt myself blacking out again. I heard a phone ringing just before I lost consciousness and saw Foster walking away to answer it.

  CHAPTER TEN -

  The Third Round

  All online and telephone conversations involving Golding Scientific staff are recorded and documented by Golding Scientific Security Division under the direction of Derek Shaw. The following discussion took place on the morning of 2 July. 11.42am - 11.47am and was remotely monitored by staff member Alan Dowd.

  TRANSCRIPT No. 181,315 (Red Flag)

  Note to security director: I have flagged this phone conversation under the Golding Scientific Security Division Act of 2004, Section 49, reference B-018, ‘Any employee of Golding Scientific who openly questions or contradicts Paul Golding is subject to investigation by Golding Scientific Security Division’ and reference B-023, ‘Any employee who questions, or shows contempt for, the authority of security director, Derek Shaw’.

  (Flagged for continued investigation: Professor Mark Foster)

  TRANSCRIPT No. 181,315:

  Golding: He appears to have the gift we’re looking for, wouldn’t you agree?

  Foster: I would. It’s in a raw form, but he certainly has significant power.

  Golding: Can he pass the next round of tests?

  Foster: Possibly, but do you think we should put him through such an ordeal? He’s already at breaking point.

  Golding: Yes, I want him to fail at least one test so I won’t have to give the little brat a million dollars.

  Foster: I’ll rig one of the tests.

  Golding: Good. How powerful is he?’

  Foster: I’m not sure yet. I didn’t expect him to pass the egg-timer test. If he can control air then he may just have the purest form of the gift.

  Golding: Has he shown any signs of the other true gifts?

  Foster: I can’t say for sure at such an early stage. I still haven’t figured out how he untied the rope. It may be the case that he can see into the future and past, that he’s a time-scanner. It’s the only way he could pass that test, and he blacked out after it, which usually happens when someone transports their mind through time.

  Golding: Could he be precognitive too?

  Foster: It’s a possibility, but precogs are very different to time-scanners.

  Golding: Maybe he has three of the true gifts.

  Foster: Let’s not get carried away.

  Golding: The third round will tell us more. When will you conduct the stress test?

  Foster: I think we should leave it for a few days. He’s running on empty now and I don’t want to push him too hard.

  Golding: I’d prefer if the stress testing begins tomorrow. I also want you to investigate his precognitive skills.

  Foster: We can’t push him too hard, Golding.

  Golding: We can do whatever we want with him, Foster.

  Foster: Have you forgotten how dangerous these people are when they are put under stressful conditions? Have you forgotten what happened when we tested … her? One glance at the face of your pit-bull, Derek Shaw, should remind you of what you are dealing with.

  Golding: I’m sure Shaw will be happy to hear that you openly talk about his unfortunate disfigurement.

  Foster: It was simply an example of how dangerous the gifted can be in certain circumstances.

  Golding: Begin the third round of tests tomorrow morning.

  Foster: I don’t—

  Golding: Remember who pays your wages. Don’t make me repeat myself again or I will have you deal directly with Shaw.

  Foster: We will conduct the stress test first thing in the morning.

  I watched the professor enter the modest canteen of the conference centre where his team was attending to me. Even though I was very groggy I noticed his face was greyer than it had been before and his brow was furrowed deeply.

  ‘How are you feeling, Bentley?’ he asked.

  ‘I’ve never been drunk, but I’d say this is what it feels like to have a hangover. I’m wasted.’

  ‘Can’t say I’m surprised, but your strength will return soon enough. It will have to.’

  ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘I wanted to wait a few days before putting you into the third round of tests, but I’ve been instructed to start them first thing tomorrow morning.’

  ‘Another day of this?’

  ‘Yes, I’m afraid so. Tomorrow will be different though; there will only be two tests, but they will extremely difficult.’

  ‘You think today was a walk in the park?’

  ‘No, I know it wasn’t.’ Foster sat next to me and looked me in the eye. ‘I need to ask you something.’

  ‘Shoot.’

  ‘How did you pass that last test?’

  I didn’t want to tell the professor about the vision I’d had, primarily because I couldn’t quite get my head around it, but also because my instinct was also telling me to keep my mouth shut and not to tell these people any more than was necessary.

  ‘I … I guess I got lucky with that one.’

  ‘I don’t believe that for one second.’

  ‘You don’t believe in luck, professor?’

  ‘As much as I believe in the Tooth Fairy.’

  Foster pestered me about the rope test for a while, but I wasn’t opening up. After an hour or so, when I felt well enough to stand, they brought me back to the hotel where I got a good meal in the restaurant. When I’d eaten my fill I told them I wanted to sleep and they allowed me to go to my room.

  Once there, I got undressed and stood under the shower for what seemed like hours and pondered the day’s events. I’d thought the contest would be a piece of cake, that I’d move an object or two and stroll out with a suitcase of cash, but it was turning into a nightmare. I had never been so exhausted in all my life and, according to Foster, I was heading into an even more difficult day.

  But that wasn’t what was bothering me the most. I was making new discoveries about my powers and I couldn’t quite figure out what had happened with the rope. I’d actually seen into the past, like I was rewinding a video of something I’d recorded with my phone. How the hell did that happen? Was this another part of the gift? Then I wondered if I could see into the past … maybe I could also see into the future …

  When I left the shower I went to the main room and sat on the bed. I’d intended to watch some TV, but kept thinking about the incident the night before when my gift had failed as I tried to use it on the stranger …

  I looked at the window. Something was urging me to go to it. To look outside. I knew it was unwise to go near that window. If he was out there, I’d probably only encourage
him. I couldn’t resist though so I crept off the bed and crossed the room. I parted the curtains and looked at the lamp-post across the street. There was no one there.

  ‘You’re losing it, Ross,’ I said to myself. ‘You’re going nuts. Just some oddball trying to…’

  As I began to pull the curtains together I spied a figure leaning against the window of the department store across the street. The lights in the building were off, but I could make out the silhouette of a man. I knew it was the stranger from the night before, and I could feel the man’s gaze on me.

  I told myself I had a good mind to go down there and bounce him off that window if I could only leave the room. I wouldn’t have admitted it, but deep down I was scared stiff of the shadowy character.

  I took a step back and gathered my thoughts. I tried to bring forward some anger, knowing that it made me stronger.

  When I felt a surge of power inside, I stepped forward and placed my hand against the glass. I concentrated on moving a large potted plant that was in the centre island of the street. I intended to hurl it at the man. The glass around my hand started to frost, but the pot didn’t move.

  I looked at the stranger and to my amazement the glass the man was leaning against became misty.

  I pulled my hand away. I couldn’t believe it! He was stopping my powers because he had the same power. He made the glass steam up just like I did when I used the gift. He had the gift too! I had to talk to him. I needed answers. But why was he watching me?

  Maybe he’s not friendly…

  Suddenly the man left the shadows of the department store and walked into the glare of a streetlamp. He took a notebook from inside his coat and plucked a small pencil from the behind of his ear. He started writing.

  I considered calling the security guards into the room, but curiosity got the better of me and I stood there watching him.

  The man slid the pencil over his ear and tore a page from the notebook then threw it into air. It was as if a mighty gust caught hold of the sheet of paper and sent it upward and across the street. I watched very carefully as it floated up and up until it was right outside the window. I looked back down at the stranger and saw that he was smiling and gesturing at the page.