A Collection of Short Fantasy Stories 3
3. “The Meteor Man”
The odds of being struck by lightning at some point in a person’s lifetime are one in 1.9 million. So what would be the odds of being hit by a meteor?
“Those who survive a great disaster are bound to have good fortune afterward.” Is that really true?
In the past, whenever bird droppings landed on my head or I accidentally stepped in human feces on the street, I would buy myself a lottery ticket to drive away the bad luck. You can laugh at me for being superstitious, but actually, many people around me react in exactly the same way!
Ever since I was struck by a meteor and woke up from a coma, I gradually discovered that my body had developed several “supernatural abilities,” such as X-ray vision, the ability to hear what other people were thinking, the ability to activate electrical appliances simply by gripping a power cord with my hand, and even the ability to foresee the future.
But instead of making my life better, these abilities plunged me into a terrifying nightmare. Almost everything around me began to change.
Every day, as soon as I left my apartment, I started seeing things I was never supposed to see, such as female coworkers walking toward me without wearing underwear. I also heard things I was never supposed to know, such as my boss’s female secretary silently cursing him in her mind, calling him a heartless crocodile.
I did not dare reveal these supernatural abilities to anyone around me because I did not want them to regard me as a “freak.”
I decided to break up with my girlfriend of two years. She was the kind of woman who planned everything in advance and kept her life meticulously organized.
I foresaw what my life would be like after marrying her. She would turn me into a flawless money-printing machine, using every possible means to pressure me into climbing the corporate ladder, earning more money, and becoming a successful man.
And then I would receive treatment not much different from that of the sheepdog, Lassie, kept by her family. My daily living allowance would be only ten dollars, and the only property under my name would be the used heavy motorcycle I was riding at the time.
How could I possibly set myself up for that kind of misery?
So, I first lied to her that I was infertile.
But she simply told me that it did not matter. If necessary, we could adopt children after getting married.
When that plan failed, I deceived her again, telling her that I had hereditary amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
She knew that my father suffered from ALS, but she did not know that I had been adopted.
This time, I had finally hit her where it hurt.
She asked me to give her one month to “think it over.”
She disappeared for an entire month and one additional day.
I thought I had finally managed to get rid of her.
But then she suddenly appeared in the lobby of my company and told me that she had thought it through.
She was willing to withdraw all of her savings and accompany me to Europe and the United States to seek out renowned doctors.
That plan failed too.
So I hardened my heart, secretly quit my job, left Taipei, and fled to Shanghai under a new name.
In Shanghai, where I knew no one and no one knew me, I applied for a job as a casino dealer.
The job came naturally to me.
The gamblers who were skilled at counting cards were repeatedly crushed by me. All I was doing was making use of my X-ray vision and mind-reading abilities.
My boss gave me an imposing nickname: “The House Cleaner.”
He treated me like his most valuable asset.
But no one can remain lucky forever.
By accident, I overheard two high-ranking underworld gamblers plotting to kidnap me. They intended to force me to reveal the truth and explain exactly how I had acquired my gambling skills and what my background was.
If I refused to tell them the truth, they would kill me.
So I grabbed a handbag stuffed with cash and fled Shanghai overnight, returning to Taipei.
I immediately found a plastic surgery clinic and had myself “change my face and start a new life.”
With a substantial amount of cash in my possession, I wanted to find a place where I could enjoy a carefree life.
So I went to Taitung and bought several acres of hillside land. I built several wooden cabins and started running a bed-and-breakfast.
Every day, I lived a quiet rural life, working at sunrise and resting at sunset, spending my time farming and reading.
I tried my best not to use my supernatural abilities anymore, gradually forgetting that I was a “freak.”
But one night, my employee, a young Amis woman named Qiuping, saw something strange.
I had just returned from the city when she told me that she had seen a blue glow emanating from my body.
She said I looked like a firefly walking toward her from the far end of the alley.
At first, she thought she was “seeing a ghost.”
I repeatedly warned her not to tell anyone that my body could glow.
To keep her from revealing my secret, I decided to marry her.
I had already seen the future Qiuping.
She really was the kind of boss’s wife who was “tough, capable, and built to last.”
