In the lively town of Bergen,norway, there was a boy named leo whom everyone believed was the luckiest guy alive,they nick named him "Lucky leo".
He never missed the bus,he always picked the right answers during exams,he would never get scammed when he participated in ponzi schemes even when others did,when contests were held ,his name always appeared to be among the winners .
People would always say and joke that "luck followed him around like a loyal dog".
Leo had a weird ability,anytime something good we're to happen to someone,there was a golden thread that was between him and the person ,only leo could see this golden thread.If he placed hands on the thread or even a slight touch, he could take on the person's luck for himself .
This ability as well as the process accompanying it ,seemed harmless.
A girl finds a 50$ bill by luck,leo borrows it and finds 100$ bill,imagine.
Once when he was 10 years old , he had one experience where he sat near an lady with a child on the train,he noticed a string between him and her and touched it,the string disappeared.When the lady left,he saw a hundred dollar bill on the seat where she sat.
The golden thread was a demonstration of future luck and fortune, touching it transferred the Fortune to him.
He kept his gift a secret,using his powers wisely and not misusing it ,but such power that inherits good luck all the time becomes addictive.Absolute power intoxicates absolutely.
Leo was winning lottery tickets,he was having successful exams here and there,the kind of luck only comes once a lifetime,but his comes every time .
Life became very easy for him,people usually say "suffer now and enjoy later" but in Daniel's case , suffering wasn't necessary,why take risks when success was guaranteed?.
Leo was using his power everyday,he was inheriting someone's luck almost always .His life was so perfect,he was admired by teachers and friends,his future seemed brighter than anyones .
Yet something weird began happening,one day,he saw his ex girlfriend working at a grocery store,she had dreamed of becoming a nurse in earlier years .
"What happened,I thought you wanted to study nursing at University of Bergen" leo knowingly chimed-in this sentence during a long catch up conversation.
"I didn't get the opportunities I needed",she shrugged.
His heart sunk in,he remembererd borrowing a golden string before her important nursing exam that would determine her faith as a nurse.
At the time the borrowed luck helped him pass an important exam,that everyone in his department failed.
Any borrowed thread deprived something from the person,and left a small absence behind .
A missed chance,a missed successful exams,a failed interview,all because leo touched a golden string.People lost the lucky moments that could've changed their lives,he had immense guilt and the realization that luck could be stolen killed him,this made him pay more close attention.He wanted to stop but didn't know how to .
Leo without his power of borrowed luck was a nobody,he had this ability for so long that he didn't even know who he was or could've become without the ability.
One normal winter day,as leo was on the bus, something caught his eye, a golden rope,thicker than the usual threads or string that he usually saw,the light illuminated from the rope , not just any light ,a golden light,it stretched from an old man sitting near the window .
He had never seen anything like it,the luck connected must be bigger than the usual ones he tapped and unimaginable.
He was anxious,he knew that just a single touch on that rope may make him unimaginably rich,famous ,or even both.untouchable.
The old man sat quietly reading his newspaper.he was about to steal the old man's luck when he had vision ,a sort of premonition,he saw the luck being used to fund education, supporting families, saving businesses and improving many lives.He quickly understood that luck wasn't supposed to be inherited by one person ,but could be used as a channel to help people,create opportunities.
Realizing this, Leo chose not to steal it.whilst about to step down the bus,the old man told him the words" the best type of luck is the one you share".
Those words stuck with leo, with time,he taught him self to control the urge to steal other people's luck.
Although success was no longer guaranteed and life became as stressful as it should be,he still found a way,at least the success he earned through his own efforts felt genuine and meaningful .Along the years he still came across opportunities to tap some luck even in difficult situations,but he still resisted,this was what he trained himself for.He learnt that a life built on honesty and good effort is far better than one built on stolen luck.
#theinkwell #inkwellprompt #fiction #story #contest #proofofbrain #writing #shortstory
