The Eternity Card – Part 2

Greetings. You have found the Eternity Card, and it is now linked to your credentials. You may use the card however you please for the next 180 minutes. Your limit is $1,000,000.

You read the text again, shaking your head; surely this can’t be real. If it is, though, the clock is ticking. You decide to go to a local French restaurant you love; it’s normally a bit out of your budget, but this is the perfect way to test the card and decide your next steps. As you’re indulging in a delicious meal, you make a list of things you want to do, starting with the most important first.

1. Pay off house
2. Pay off parents house
3. Book trip to Paris
4. Shopping spree
5. Donate the remainder to favorite charity

Satisfied with your list, you ask for the check. You place the Eternity Card into the tray and your heart thumps in your chest as you wait for the waiter to return. If it declines, oh well, you’re just out an expensive dinner, but if it goes through? As if answering your question, the waiter returns and drops the receipt back off at your table, wishing you a lovely evening. It went through! It’s real!

Practically spinning with realization, you rush out of the restaurant. How long do you have? You glance at the timestamp of the text you received: 5:31 pm. It’s now 6:17 pm; you have 134 minutes to go. Running home first, you plop down at your computer to log in to your mortgage portal. Palms are sweating, heart racing; you can feel it in your ears. You submit the payment; the loading icon is pure agony. It goes through. Your house is paid off. With your jaw on the floor, you have to shake yourself back to reality. 6:39 pm, 112 minutes left.

You dial up your mom, hoping desperately she answers. “Hey, honey! How are you? I was just-“

“Mom! This is urgent, I need you to focus.”

Her tone shifts instantly. “Are you okay, dear?”

“I’m great! I need you to log in to your mortgage portal as fast as you can. I’m going to pay off your house!”

“Pay off the house?” She starts laughing, “Where did you get the money for that? Why our house? Shouldn’t you-“

“MOM! I can explain better later, please, just do it!”

Your mom relents and logs into her portal. You read off the card information and have her submit it. She still tries to ask questions throughout the whole ordeal, but you ignore her. It goes through. Your mom is bewildered and rattles off more questions.

“I’ll explain later, I have to go, bye!” You hang up.

Next, you pull up all the browser tabs you’ve been favoriting for your eventual trip to Paris, but now it is becoming a reality. You book the plane tickets, the hotels, and the excursions you are able to book ahead of time, all a few months out to give your job ample notice. When you’re done, it hits you. You’re finally going to the place you’ve wanted to visit the most. Somehow, that feels even more exciting than not having a housing bill anymore.

Glancing at the clock, 7:31 pm. 60 minutes left. You grab the card, shove it into your purse, and sprint out of your house, making your way straight to your favorite strip of shops. You purchase the expensive handbag you’ve been eyeing for what feels like forever. You stock up on your favorite makeup products and get a brand new top-of-the-line computer. Grabbing gifts for friends and family along the way. Lastly, you stock up on as many groceries as you can fit in the remaining space in your car.

8:12 pm. 19 minutes left. You’re not sure you have time to make it home and make a donation, so you scramble for a number to call. You’re also not sure how to check the remainder of the card balance, but you guess you do probably have at least $100,000 left over.

Ring ring ring “Hello, thank you for calling World Wildlife Fund, how may I direct your call?”

“Hi! Yes! I’d like to make a donation, as fast as possible, please.”

“Oh, okay.” The lady on the line sounded slightly taken aback, but clicking can be heard in the background. “Alright, I have this pulled up. How much would you like to donate, and who may I put as the donor?”

“$100,000, and you can put your name!” A gasp could be heard through the phone. “My name? Uhm- Well, sure, but that’s a large donation. Are you sure you don’t want your name?”

“Nope! I appreciate you. Are you ready for the card info?”

After a bit of back-and-forth, it was complete; the donation went through. After hanging up the call, you sigh in relief. 8:29 pm, 2 minutes left. You settle into the seat of your car and hold the card delicately in your hand, curious what was going to happen when the time limit ran out. The time ticked to 8:31 pm, then suddenly the card got hot and dispersed into a blast of lilac shimmer. It was gone, just like that.

After arriving home, everything you purchased was still with you; you checked, and your trip was still booked, and your mortgage was still paid off. The Eternity Card was real. You pondered who would get it next, and what they would do with it.

…

We’d like to thank Jan for the amazing comment that made this story what it is! What did you think of the story? What would you do if you got the Eternity Card? Let us know in the comments below! Thank you so much for reading!

–Clever & WTF