A Time Story: Odd Jobs short story

​It started with a knock on the door.

​Inside the house, a boy peeked through the peephole and looked confused at the individuals standing outside. Cautious, he slowly opened the door.

​Three people stood there, each wearing a smile. On the left was a brown-haired boy with his arms folded, wearing a short-sleeved shirt and long blue pants. On the right was a silver-haired girl with her hands on her waist, dressed in a long white gown. In the middle stood a blonde boy whose arms hung loosely at his sides. Despite the hot, scorching sun, he wore a letterman jacket.

​The blonde boy gave a warm smile, waved, and offered a bow. "My name is Jake Hopps, and I work for an organization named 'Odd Jobs.'" He showed the boy the ID card hanging around his neck, verifying that everything he said was true.

​"And what brings you here?" the boy asked. "I hope it’s not for my taxes; I already paid those."

​Jake giggled. "No, we aren’t here for taxes. On the contrary, we are simply here to offer you a job."

​The boy’s eyes expanded with excitement, though he quickly grew cautious again. "A job? But I didn’t even apply for one."

​"You didn’t need to," Jake replied. "For this job, rather than you going to it, we come to you."

​Clearly not believing a word, the boy responded, "Is this a scam?"

​All three visitors giggled. Jake answered, "I assure you this isn’t a scam. It is, however, the best job you will ever get." He reached into his pocket, pulled out a card, and handed it over. "If you wish to know more, just give me a call. Trust me, you won't regret it."

​With that, the trio turned and left.

​Closing the door, the boy stared down at the card and pondered his luck. How on earth did I get a job offer? He had searched relentlessly, but every application ended with the same response: 'Unfortunately, we cannot move forward with your application.' Now, out of nowhere, an offer had landed on his doorstep.

​Brimming with excitement, he jumped into the air. "Of course I am going to accept this job!" he shouted to the empty room, arms stretched wide. "It may seem shady and out of the blue, but that doesn’t matter. Starting today, I am no longer JOBLESS!"

​He pulled his phone from his pocket and dialed the number on the card.

​A knock came at the door again. The same three individuals stood outside.

​"Are you ready for your new job?" Jake asked.

​…

​After walking for what felt like an eternity, the group finally arrived at a small building. Behind it sat a massive, round statue with holes pockmarking its surface, made to look like the moon. On it, bold letters read: Odd Jobs.

​The boy stared in shock. The house was tiny, but the moon statue was huge.

​As if reading his thoughts, the brown-haired boy said, "That’s our place. Yeah, it’s huge, but you get used to it over time."

​"I guess..." the boy stammered. "But I was just thinking—how?"

​"Approximately five years," the brown-haired boy answered, reading him again. "Could be longer, but it was made by people who really know their stuff. Name's Hudson, by the way. Nice to meet you."

​Nervous, the boy replied, "Nice to meet you. I'm..."

​"No need," Hudson interrupted. "I already know who you are, Zack. We all do. Now let's go inside."

​They entered the building, arriving at a modest reception desk. Zack looked at the small setup and wondered what the group actually did. He wasn't particularly interested until someone called out, "Zack!"

​They gathered around an inner door. Confused but excited, Zack wondered if following this group was a good idea, but he had come too far to back out now.

​The moment he stepped through the doorway, his mouth fell wide open. "Woah!"

​The space behind the reception area was surprisingly, impossibly larger than it appeared from the outside.

​"Pretty amazing, right?" Hudson asked.

​"Amazing? No, there are no words to describe this! And you're telling me they built all this in five years?"

​"Pretty much, yeah. I had the same expression when I first came in here. Like I said, you get used to it."

​Jake cut into their conversation. "So, how would you like a tour of this fine establishment, Zack? What do you say?"

​"With pleasure! I'd love that," Zack answered without hesitation.

​Jake led Zack on a tour around the facility. As they walked, Zack found everything around him fascinating. The walls, floors, and lights weren't typical for any normal building; they were far more eccentric.

​Along the way, they spotted a dog. Zack loved dogs, so his eyes beamed with excitement the moment he saw it. "Aww, lil doggie!"

​"This is Scratch," Jake said. "Do you want to pet him?"

​Without losing a second, Zack ran over and began scratching the dog. Then, something strange happened.

​The dog spoke. "Don't scratch me there. Go a bit lower, please."

​Zack jumped back, screaming at the top of his lungs.

​Jake quickly reassured him. "I forgot to mention, Scratch is sort of a talking dog."

​"But... how?" Zack gasped.

​"Well, it's kind of hard to explain, but it's his ability, if you know what I mean," Jake answered.

​Ability? Zack thought. He had heard rumors of people possessing special abilities, but he had never met one in person—let alone an animal.

​Before he could fully digest what he had just seen, Jake spoke up. "Alright, let's continue with the tour!"

​They moved on, encountering more strange things along the way: a sentient Artificial Intelligence, bizarrely designed common rooms, a commercial-grade kitchen, and a vast basement.

​Eventually, Zack noticed a door marked LAB, with a sign underneath in bold red letters: DO NOT ENTER.

​Pointed toward the door, Zack asked, "What about this room? What's inside?"

​Jake looked uneasy. Shifting his gaze and wiping sweat from his forehead, he gently pushed Zack away. "Let's not go in there. I'm sure whoever put that sign up had a good reason."

​Before they could turn around, the automatic door slid open. A man wearing safety goggles and a white lab coat stepped out. "What's all the noise about?"

​He turned his gaze to Zack, then snapped back to Jake. "We have a guest? We... we have a GUEST?! And you didn't tell me?!"

​Jake looked away, avoiding eye contact. "It just kind of happened..."

​The man in the lab coat rushed over, grabbing Jake by the shoulders and shaking him back and forth. "How could you keep this from me, Jake?! You know as well as I do that we never get visitors! And the one time we do, you don't tell me?!"

​Watching the drama unfold, Zack burst out laughing. Surprised, both men turned to look at him.

​The man in the lab coat calmed himself down, walked up to Zack, and extended his hand. "My name is Blake. And you are?"

​"My name is Zack. Nice to meet you."

​"Likewise."

​Zack peered past Blake into the room, clearly curious. Blake smiled. "Do you wish to see it?"

​Jake tried to intervene, but Blake brushed him off, inviting them both inside.

​The lab was filled with complex chemicals, specialized tools, and advanced machinery. Among all the gadgets, one particular device caught Zack's eye. He couldn't explain why, but a strange sense of familiarity washed over him. There was a label beneath it, but the writing was difficult to read.

​"Interested?" Jake asked from behind him.

​Zack nodded. "Sort of. I don't know why, but I feel like I've seen this somewhere before."

​"Really? Well, that's weird, because I don't think something like this is easy to come across. It's a device that deals with time manipulation and stuff like that."

​Zack kept staring at it. "What does the label say?"

​"The Time Cancellation Machine," Jake replied immediately.

​Zack's eyes flickered as he tried to pull up a distant memory, but the thought slipped away. He returned to normal and shrugged. "I can't remember where I heard that name, but for some reason, I thought I did."

​Jake headed toward the exit, resting his hands behind his head. "Alright, lab tour's over. Let me show you the rest."

​After finishing the tour, Zack’s stomach began to rumble, so the two headed off to get some lunch.

​They walked into a nearby restaurant, selected a table, and sat down. Zack scanned the menu, hesitant to order anything too expensive, but Jake insisted he get whatever he wanted. They ordered their meals and enjoyed chatting back and forth.

​When it came time for dessert, Zack looked through the menu again but couldn't decide. Jake offered two choices: "Apple pie or cherry cake?"

​Zack paused, eyes wide, before setting the menu down. "I think the best option is probably the apple pie."

​Jake smiled in agreement. "Good choice." He flagged down the waitress and placed the order.

​When the dessert arrived, the waitress placed it in front of Jake. "One apple pie!"

​"Thank you! What a lovely apple pie," Jake said warmly. He picked up his fork and looked over at Zack, who was still holding his menu. "Come on, dude. You're not going to eat?"

​"No, not really. I'm allergic to it."

​Jake stared at him as if he had said something absurd, then shrugged and took a bite. "Alright. More for me."

​As he chewed, Jake remembered something important. "I almost forgot! After this, we have one last thing to do: your interview. Then we can see if you're fit for the job or not."

​Zack instantly tensed up. His palms grew sweaty, and his heart began to race.

​Noticing his reaction, Jake gave a reassuring nod. "Don't worry. The interview isn't hard at all. It's going to be extremely easy, I promise."

​Instantly, the tension drained from Zack's body. His heart rate slowed, and he wiped his palms on a paper napkin. Smiling, he said, "Thank you so much, Jake."

​With his mouth full of pie, Jake mumbled, "You're welcome."

​Once Jake finished his dessert, they returned to the headquarters and walked down a long series of hallways. Finally, they stopped in front of a heavy door.

​"We will do the interview here!" Jake announced, pushing the door open.

​Zack paused. A plaque on the door read: Interrogation.

​Jake's eyes glinted with energy. He pumped his fist and leaned against the doorway, grinning at Zack. "Let's goooo!"

​…

​Inside, the room was massive. A long red carpet stretched across the floor toward a central wooden table set with two opposing chairs. Mounted on the walls were taxidermy animal heads, a full suit of knight's armor holding a sword, a crystal chandelier, and even a miniature water fountain.

​Zack turned to Jake in disbelief. "Give it to me straight—you guys are secret millionaires, right?"

​Jake laughed. "I wish! But no, none of this belongs to us. It belongs to the owner of the company."

​"Then he must be a rich fellow."

​"Yeah... he must be." Jake stared into space for a moment before clapping his hands together. "Alright, let's start the interview."

​They walked over to the table. Beside them, a massive window offered a breathtaking view of the landscape outside. Zack found himself mesmerized by the scenery until Jake pulled out a chair, prompting him to sit down.

​"So, how was it?" Jake asked directly. "Did you enjoy yourself? Can you see yourself working in an environment like this?"

​"It was... amazing," Zack admitted. "Honestly, it still feels like a dream, like I'm in a castle or a mansion. But I guess I'll get used to it."

​"Yup, that's the spirit! Now, next question..." Jake leaned forward, his friendly demeanor suddenly sharpening. "If you were given this job, what is your end goal? What game are you playing at? Or better yet... how long have we been having this conversation?"

​Zack froze. End goal? Games? How long? What does he mean?

​Before Zack could answer, Jake spoke a command: "Auto-close, never open inside: activate."

​Heavy metal shutters slammed down over all the doors and the window view, sealing them completely inside the room.

​"Umm... Jake?" Zack stammered, panic creeping into his voice. "Is this part of the interview? If it is, you've got to tell me."

​Jake stood up from his chair. He didn't answer the question. Instead, he uttered a single word: "Apple."

​Zack's anxious expression vanished, replaced by a cold, knowing smile. "Oh? How long have you known it was me?"

​"From the very beginning," Jake replied smoothly. "From the fake job recruitment to the obvious lies. But what made me absolute certain was the face you made when you saw the device—and your reaction to the word 'apple.' Priceless. I knew right then that you had encountered this before."

​Jake took a step forward. "So answer me: how long, and why go to such lengths—even using hypnosis on yourself?"

​Zack chuckled. "How long? What if I told you we've gone through this a dozen times already? What would you do then? As for the hypnosis, it worked like a charm. And don't worry, I'm certain we'll meet again. You won't remember me, but I'll remember you. Farewell, Jake Hopps."

​Smirking, Zack raised his hand into the air and snapped his fingers.

​Nothing happened.

​He snapped again. And again. Nothing.

​His smile faded, replaced by confusion as he looked at Jake. "What did you do?"

​Jake smiled back. "Oh, nothing much. Just came prepared. Remember that device we talked about earlier?"

​Jake reached into his letterman jacket and pulled out the compact unit from the lab: the Time Cancellation Machine.

​Zack gasped, slumping back into his chair in utter defeat.

​"Now give it up," Jake demanded. "Who do you work for, and what does your boss want?"

​Zack remained silent, glaring at the floor.

​"So, you work for the Reapers, I take it?" Jake added casually.

​Zack's head snapped up, his eyes wide with anger. "How the hell do you know that?!"

​"Thanks for confirming it," Jake said. "Now tell me: what do the Reapers want with Odd Jobs?"

​What is with this guy?! Zack thought frantically. He wasn't like this when I set up the hypnosis! How did he figure this out so fast? What is his actual ability?!

​"I'm waiting," Jake prodded. "Can we speed this up? I don't have all day."

​Desperate, a faint smile returned to Zack's face. If I can't escape right now, all I have to do is stall him. "What do you mean?" Zack lied smoothly. "My boss isn't planning anything against Odd—"

​"You're stalling," Jake interrupted, cutting him off mid-sentence. "Too bad, because no one can enter or leave this room."

​Before Jake could finish his thought, a sudden explosion rattled the walls. A smoke grenade detonated in the center of the room, instantly filling the space with thick, gray haze.

​Through the blinding smoke, Zack's voice echoed, "Well, Jakey boi, this was fun! But I guess it's time for me to go. Until next time!"

​Jake lunged forward through the smoke, but his hands caught only empty air. Zack was gone.

​Jake ground his teeth, staring into the haze. "Shoot!"

​As the thick smoke began to clear, the heavy metal door burst open. Hudson and the silver-haired girl rushed into the room, coughing and waving their arms to clear the air.

​"What happened in here?!" Hudson asked, looking around the empty, smoke-filled space. "How did the Reapers get away?"

​"They had help from the outside," Jake said, setting the Time Cancellation Machine down on the table. "Zack was a plant sent by the Reapers to extract information on our operations. He used self-hypnosis to bypass suspicion, but when things went south, his backup pulled the trigger on a breach."

​The silver-haired girl looked at the open doorway, then turned back to Jake with a worried expression. "What do we do now?"

​Jake smiled confidently, adjusting his letterman jacket. "Did you forget? We are Odd Jobs. We do a bunch of random jobs, and we always get the job done."

​Hearing that, the three smiled at each other.

​Hudson stepped forward, his eyes bright with excitement. "What do we do next?"

​Jake grinned. "I have a plan."

​END