What Goes Around Comes Around

After much thought, Mr Lee decided to give it a try. He had almost lost everything. Even his wife of fifteen years has left him. All his friends and relatives have stopped returning his calls. He saw the advertisement when he was finishing his last pack of instant noodles. All the money he had to his name amounted to RM15. This should last him for another two days, if he doesn’t spend it all on gambling. He had absolutely no idea what would happen after that. He was truly at the end of his tether.

He picked up the few remaining coins on the table and stepped out of the house to make that call at a phone booth. Someone picked up after three rings.

“Thank you for calling Loo See Fer Credit Service. How may I help you?”

“Um…I need financial assistance.”

“Please hold the line. Your call will be transferred to one of our representatives.”

He waited.

“This is May Fisto speaking. How may I help you?”

“I need cash.”

“Hold the line and leave your name and address. What you need will be delivered to you in an hour, at six minutes past six. Just make sure that you’re home when he arrives.”

“What about the terms and conditions?”

“The agent will explain everything to you.”

“Okay.”

“Is there anything else that we can help you with?”

“Um, no, that’s all for now, thanks.”

“Well you have a good day too now. Goodbye.”

Me Lee walked back to his house and waited in the living room for the representative’s arrival. He would have loved to watch some television, but the power was cut two weeks ago. So he just sat there and stared at the ceiling. Soon, he dozed off. The knocking on the door woke him up. He looked at the clock and saw that it was exactly six minutes past six. He got up from the sofa and walked to the door. When he opened it, a man in a dark-coloured suit was standing there. The man was carrying a silver briefcase, which was handcuffed to his left hand.

“Hi, Mr Lee. I’m Mr Bee Sel Bab, the representative of LSF Credit Service. May I come in?”

“Oh yes, sure, please.”

Once Mr Bee was in the house, he headed for the sofa and promptly sat down. Then he placed the briefcase on the coffee table and unlocked the handcuffs.

“Look Mr Bee, I would love to offer you a drink, but there’s nothing here that-”

“Don’t worry about that. Let’s get down to business shall we?”

“Okay.”

The representative opened up the briefcase and inside it was a box. It was slightly bigger than a mobile phone. In the centre of the box was a button.

“This, Mr Lee, is the answer to your prayers. When you need the cash, all you have to do is press this button here, and a significant amount of cash will be delivered to your doorstep.”

“Is that it? What are the terms and conditions?”

“Except for one, there is none. Mr Lee, after you have pressed this button, someone will die.”

“I’m sorry but I don’t quite understand what you are saying here.”

“It’s very simple. When you need money, you press this button. After you press the button, the money will be delivered to you within an hour, and someone will die.”

“And will this someone be someone that I know, someone close to me? A loved one, a relative or a friend?”

“No, not at all. This someone will definitely be someone that you do not even know. A complete stranger, and not even an acquaintance.”

Mr Lee found this very reassuring and promptly signed the agreement. After the representative left, Mr Lee sat down and thought for a long time. He kept thinking about how someone will die if he presses the button. What if it’s a young child who’s full of potential? At first, he wanted to return the box to the credit company. Then, he reasoned to himself that perhaps it would be some poor, crippled beggar who would die, instead of an innocent child. The more he thought about this, the less worried he became. He thought about tomorrow and all the possibilities that were waiting for him in the casino. Then, he pressed the button.

As promised by the representative, a large sum of money was delivered to Mr Lee within a hour. After handing over the money, the representative took the box back.

“What will happen next?”

“The box will be reconfigured and given to someone else who needs it.”

“And who would this someone be?”

“It will definitely be someone that you don’t know, Mr Lee. A complete stranger, and not even an acquaintance.”