Stephen had never been the kind of person who lived for adventure. Quiet, reserved, and often lost in his own thoughts, he preferred the comfort of his apartment, a stack of books, and a cup of coffee. But that day was different. That day, the universe had other plans for him.
It all began with a simple bet.
It was a regular Saturday afternoon, the kind where the sun seemed to hover lazily in the sky, and the air felt thick with the promise of something unpredictable. Stephen had agreed to meet his friends at the park for what they had loosely termed as “a game of basketball.” It wasn’t so much a game as it was a way to kill time and prove who could still make a shot without embarrassing themselves too much.
But when Stephen stepped onto the court, he had no idea that his life was about to take a turn he never saw coming.
“Alright, Stephen. Your shot,” his friend Mark called out, the ball bouncing from his hands in an effortless arc before landing in front of Stephen.
He hesitated. The whole game had been more about laughs than skill, but there was a challenge in the air. Stephen wasn’t a bad player—he just didn’t play enough to be great. His friends, however, were a different story. Mark was the self-appointed team captain, always the first to take a shot and the first to claim victory when his team won. Sam, his other friend, was a lot like Mark—confident, competitive, and always hyping himself up.
Stephen, on the other hand, was content to hang back, take a few shots, and stay out of the spotlight. But for some reason, today felt different. There was a charge in the air, like the world had set him up for something bigger than just a casual game.
“Come on, man! You got this,” Sam cheered from the sideline, his voice encouraging, but there was something behind it, something Stephen couldn’t quite place.
Stephen dribbled the ball, then took a few steps back, lining himself up with the three-point arc. His heart began to race—not from nervousness, but from some strange excitement, like an adrenaline rush he wasn’t expecting. The wind blew just enough to shift the leaves in the trees, a quiet whisper amidst the clatter of the game.
He took a breath, squared his shoulders, and without overthinking, launched the ball into the air.
It flew, a perfect arc, spinning slowly, the way a basketball was supposed to. For a moment, time seemed to stretch out. The world fell away. There was no noise, no movement. Just the image of the ball soaring through the air, heading towards the basket.
It felt like the universe had paused.
Then, with a satisfying swish, the ball went through the hoop.
The court erupted into cheers, but they felt distant to Stephen, who was still in a daze. He didn’t know how he had managed to pull that off, but there it was—a perfect three-pointer.
Mark was the first to break the stunned silence, clapping Stephen on the back. “Holy crap, man! That was insane!”
“I—what just happened?” Stephen muttered, barely able to process it.
“You hit the three! From way out there!” Sam laughed, clearly impressed. “I think we might have to call you the new sharpshooter.”
But before Stephen could fully celebrate, something strange happened. As he turned to walk back to the sideline, something caught his eye. Near the base of the trees beyond the court, a flash of light reflected off something metallic.
He squinted, puzzled. Was it just a trick of the sunlight? No… it was definitely something. Curiosity gnawed at him, and he casually walked toward it, his friends still celebrating his unexpected victory on the court.
As he neared the spot, he saw it clearly—a camera. A small, old-fashioned film camera, partially buried beneath the brush. It looked weathered, like it had been there for a long time, but it still shimmered under the sunlight.
“Hey, check this out!” Stephen called to his friends, holding up the camera. They quickly jogged over to see what he had found.
Mark raised an eyebrow. “Is that a… camera?” he asked, clearly confused.
“Looks like it,” Stephen replied. “It’s kinda old, though.”
He wiped some dirt off the camera, turning it over in his hands. It wasn’t anything fancy—no brand name or markings to indicate its origin. But there was something eerie about it, a sense that it didn’t belong here.
“Who would leave a camera like this out here?” Sam asked, eyeing it suspiciously. “It’s like it was forgotten… or left on purpose.”
Stephen shrugged, but a strange feeling crept up his spine. He had always been a believer in the oddities of the world—the unexplained moments that couldn’t be chalked up to coincidence. He wasn’t sure why, but something about this camera felt… off.
“You’re not gonna take pictures with it, are you?” Mark teased, nudging him. “I mean, it’s probably broken.”
Stephen laughed, trying to dismiss the unease bubbling inside him. “Nah, I’ll leave it. Just thought it was weird.”
But as he turned to leave, a sharp click echoed from behind him, making him freeze. The camera had snapped a picture—though no one had touched it.
Sam’s eyes widened. “Did you…?”
“I didn’t touch it!” Stephen said, looking at the camera, which now had an old, faintly yellowed photograph hanging from it. It seemed like a strange coincidence, but the photo was unmistakable. It was a picture of the park—the very spot where they were standing—only, it was taken years ago, when the court was still new, and the trees hadn’t yet grown so tall.
But that wasn’t the strangest part.
The photo was of a person standing near the trees where they’d found the camera. It was a man—someone Stephen didn’t recognize—and he was holding the very same camera.
