January 2024

Sean 

The seductive blue waters of the Bahamas improved Sean’s well-being day after day. After six months of island living, he began to experience what a pain-free life could be like. It was a true miracle. 

Just eleven months prior, he had followed his doctor’s orders and had taken a much-needed getaway to convalesce. He had chosen a small island in the Bahamas with very few tourists, where he found the peace and quiet he needed. A few weeks into his stay, Sean realized he himself was the problem. Not the job. He had put too much pressure on himself which was showing up in physical ailments, causing him much discomfort every day.

He had made plans early in his career and had stuck to them, never imagining his dream would materialize in half the time. It cost him dearly in the end, nearly taking his life, but he was given a second chance, and he knew it. 

During his time convalescing, he spent his days swimming in the alluring blue waters and enjoying life in the Bahamas. It didn’t take long for him to decide that chasing work every day to get by was not the way to go. While relaxing at the Cottage of Serene Happiness, he had stumbled upon a house for sale in the local paper, just a few blocks up the road. Intrigued, he investigated, and within one month, he became a homeowner on Staniel Cay. Within days, he resigned from Tillman Investigations in Boston, MA, and went home for a week to pack, sell his belongings, and move permanently to paradise. No more private investigation cases, and no more hiding behind bushes, nor engaging in Oscar-worthy performances to obtain information. Those days were over.

 The clear blue water soothed his body as he swam back towards his bungalow. He was enjoying his new lease on life and was thankful for a second chance to live.

Sean climbed up the wooden ladder onto the floating platform and strolled along the dock to the beach, where the winding stone-walled path led to his bungalow on the hill. 

As he drank his coffee, he knew the allure of living in paradise would eventually wear off and he would soon have to find something to keep his mind occupied. He didn’t believe in retirement. That word alone gave him the heebie-jeebies.

He picked up his phone to check on messages and his Instagram account, specifically reels of the swimming piglets and larger pigs on Pig Beach, just a fifteen-minute boat ride away. He loved sitting back and catching all the action online from the comfort of his new home. As he scrolled through the reels, he felt more relaxed and happier. “This is where I want to be,” he thought out loud. “No need to ever leave paradise.” 

The next scroll stopped him in his tracks, almost making him choke.

“What in the world? This can’t be,” he uttered to himself. 

January 11, 2024

Undisclosed Location

The circular room contained several floor-to-ceiling screen panels that covered half the room. On this very particular night, a single person was getting excited over the beginning of the game that would begin shortly. 

During the last three months of 2023, over one percent of the earth’s population had signed up on the Blank Checks App. Eighty million people loved the idea and seemed to be hooked. It would only be a matter of time before most of the world would find out that this was not a game.

The fun was about to begin.

A gloved hand reached out and touched a few imaginary points in midair. The screens illuminated, showing the earth floating and rotating amidst millions of specks of light in the complete darkness of the universe. 

Watching the Earth slowly rotate, it was time to begin the show.

The gloved hand picked up an imaginary object from the slick black table. As if holding a dart in midair, the hand moved, releasing it towards the rotating Earth. The floating Earth stopped spinning, and the small dart image appeared on the western part of the United States. With an outward swipe of the hands, the image zoomed in, allowing the viewer to see the imaginary dart in San Francisco. Immediately, a panel of rectangles appeared on the bottom of the screen, all with fast spinning numbers. Another touch into midair, and the numbers on the first rectangular panel stopped. This sequence continued until a grouping of numbers were set. The phone number was now complete.

“So, who is our lucky number one contestant of the Blank Checks?” whispered the male voice.

Another touch into midair and the panels revealed an array of photos, newspaper articles and more.

“Hello there Carol Penelope Anderson. Let the fun begin.”

Copyright © 2025

Part 4 /14

Target publishing date mid August, 2025