Larry was not an interesting man. He was just under six feet tall, balding, slightly overweight and was addicted to cheap beer, stale cigarettes and the television. He dressed modestly with clothes that didn't make him standout for being too grubby or too uptight. He would often walk by pedestrians on his way to work and they wouldn't even notice him. Just the passing essence of sentience mixed with the same overbearing mindless burden that hung over everyone like a cloud.
It seemed that he would go on like this forever, or his forever (which unbeknownst to him would only be a few more years due to health complications). Until one day he changed his routine ever so slightly. He changed it an infinitesimal amount; an amount that ought not to make such a big difference but you know how changes work. One day you think, "Oh I'll just run this stop sign today no one's here." The next thing you know you've hit a motorcyclist and now you're in jail for man slaughter. Larry's change wasn't to run a stop sign, he didn't even own a car, never saw the use in them when there is a perfectly good public transportation system. I mean it gets a bit sketchy in some places, some nights you have to avoid the vomit and the people who'd stick a knife in your back for the watch on your wrist. Larry never wore watches for that reason. Time wasn't a problem for him, he felt like it dragged by and he always had enough of it. Speaking of things he had had enough of; Larry decided he would try sleeping on his stomach. He had overheard, on the public transportation system he was happy to use instead of buying a car, that sleeping on your belly increased your happiness. Larry thought to himself if that's all you had to do to be a little happier why didn't everyone do it.
So that night, instead of staring listlessly at the television, drinking a couple cans, and smoking a few cigarettes, Larry was so excited to try something new he went straight to bed after taking a shower and eating his dinner. He turned out the light, laid down gently onto his slightly protruding midsection and tried to go to sleep. When he awoke the next day it was already noon. He had slept in and missed going to work. That being said he didn't feel bad about it. He got up and had a leisurely afternoon, he checked the messages on his telephone and discovered that he had one from his office manager inquiring as to his whereabouts and why he had missed work this morning. Larry deleted the message, and felt a rush of freedom and control. He then dressed himself in some casual clothes that he had and went out to see if everyone else was having as nice a day as he was.
On his way across the street he helped a woman pick up some things she had dropped before carrying on his way. He explored a small park that he hadn't known was just a couple minutes walk from his house. He ate at a pleasant little cafe he hadn't known had existed before either. He took the train down to his office and handed in his two weeks notice. He was genuinely happy for the first time in his life. Pedestrians stopped and noticed him cheerily whistle as he almost skipped down the sidewalks. He was so full of joy and had a zest for life he hadn't known was possible when he realized something as well. He had no idea what he was going to do now. Sure, he was happier, but now he wouldn't have a job soon. He looked down at himself and saw the shape his body was in and he wondered how he had let it get this bad. He started to worry about what he could do to keep this happiness going.
As he started across a crosswalk he fumbled for a cigarette to help himself think. He was lighting the cigarette when he was struck by a motorcyclist running a stop sign. He did not die on impact. He lay there, where the impact had thrown him, thirty feet from the collision and felt time slow back down.
Today it had seemed like time had started moving faster and he had realized he didn't have as much of it as he used to think. Funny, he used to not wear watches because he didn't want to be murdered for his possessions, but also because he thought he had time, or he didn't care about it. But then this morning he started to enjoy things, all he had done was sleep on his stomach and sleep in from work and it made time go by so much faster. He had started to worry about how he had wasted his time and now here he lay. Minutes left to waste thinking about how he wasted years. Nothing he could do about it now. He closed his eyes and sighed. As he drifted away he thought he heard sirens in the distance
