Laura Peters sighed as she looked over the pile of paperwork on her desk. Being an accountant during tax season was always labor intenisive. Brushing a stray brown hair from her eyes the 43 year old stretched and groaned. “Ugh this is intolerable.”
Laura checked the clock, seeing it was already 5 p.m. Groaning she realized it would be another long night of work. “Hey Laura feeling alright,” Laura turned and smiled seeing her friend Kaitlin Monroe standing in the doorway. “Yeah,” she sighed. “The McNair account is all messed up. Probably going to be here another couple hours at least.” Katilin sighed as she looked at her friend. “Yeah my accounts aren’t looking to promising either,” she sighed brushing her honey blonde hair back. “I was going to grab a bite to eat. You want me to grab something.”
Laura smiled and nodded. “Sounds great, what you getting.”
“I was thinking Italian....maybe chicken parm?”
“Make it two then,” Laura smiled handing her friend a $20. Kaitlin smiled, pocketing the money. “Oh hey,” she said turning. “This came in the mail addressed to you. Any idea what it is?”
Laura paused as she looked at the rather dreary and small package in her friends hand. “No clue,” she muttered. “Just leave it on the desk, I’ll look it over in a minute.”
Kaitlin nodded, placing the package on Laura’s desk and leaving the office. Laura listened as the door to the office opened and closed, leaving her as the only employee left in the building. Sighing she returned to her work, rubbing her tired eyes. After a few moments she couldn’t help but let her eyes wander to the package on her desk. Curious she grabbed it in order to take a closer look.
“Odd,” she muttered looking at the brown wrapping paper. “Wasn’t expecting anything. Who sent this anyway?” Turning the package over in her hands she couldn’t find a return sender on it. All she could see was her name and address. Curiously she now carefully opened the brown paper. As she did she saw a small non descript box. Opening it carefully she now peered inside.
“Huh weird,” she mumbled. Laura now gazed down at two small glass dice sitting in velvet holder. The dice, while very pretty, didn’t appear very special. Laura could only think of the decorative dice she had seen at a casino gift shop she had been to several years ago. It had been one of the last vacations she had been on with her husband. A husband who had cheated on her and dumped for a younger woman. Since then Laura had thrown herself into her work. She had no time for dating, no time for men and no time to appreciate life. Laura’s life was now simply work, with the only person she could even consider a friend being Kaitlin.
Sadly Laura sighed as she gazed at the dice. Thinking of her failed marriage always upset her. Thinking back on things she realized she wasn’t the greatest wife the first time. Laura was so work obsessive that she didn’t put the effort in to her marriage. Whenever her husband wanted to spend time with her she said she was too busy with work. She kept pushing him off and remaining distant. After 4 years of marriage it got to Be too much for him. While she was angry he cheated on her she could understand, after all her husband wanted a partner not someone to just live with.
“Stop that Laura,” she mumbled. “No use thinking about past mistakes.” Shaking the thought from her head Laura now picked the dice up to take a closer look at them. She couldn’t help but admire the craftsmanship of it. The dice felt almost weightless in her hand. Oddly she noticed a faint glimmer that seemed to be emanating from the dice. Thinking back to her night in the casino Laura smiled as she began to shake the dice. “Cmon seven,” she smirked. Rolling the dice on her desk she watched them clatter on the oak eventually landing on seven.
“Woohoo,” She’s smirked, having gotten that out of her system Laura shook her head turning back towards her computer. Before she could begin her work again somethings caught her eye. Glancing to the side she could see the dice glowing brighter then before. Frowning she looked down noticing the dice begin to vibrate, befor she could act they seemed to almost explode, causing Laura to fall from her chair. Scrambling backwards Laura now gazed up at an ethereal looking woman that seemed to be floating above her desk.
“Greetings,” the woman said. “I am the spirit of die. A spirit of youth. You have rolled the die and taken possession of them. For releasing me I shall return from you that which has been lost.”
Laura opened and closed her mouth, too shocked to say anything to the spirit floating in her office. As she continued to gape the spirit smiled waving its arm she in a broad motion. “Forty three years you have walked this earth,” the spirit said. “Now this number is but thirty six. Each roll of the die shall return more of what has been lost.”
Before Laura could say anything else’s the spirit vanished just as quickly as it appeared. Laura blinked and looked around the room. As she tried to stand an odd sensation crept through her body. Looking at her hands Laura could see a golden light suddenly appear around them. Laura watched in awe as tiny globes of light seemed to float off her body. In only a moment the light passed leaving her quite confused.
“What was that,” she gasped as she slowly stood up. Adjusting her skirt and blouse Laura now gazed down at the dice on her desk. Looking back at the package she’s now noticed a small, yellowed piece of paper next to the box. Cautiously she picked it up and read.
“The dice before you are the Regressing Lots,” She’s read. “The power of the spirit within allows the holder to regain their lost youth. Be warned, every throw of the dice regains more of one stop youth.”
“That’s crazy,” Laura whispered, still what if the dice could do that. Glancing around Laura noticed a small mirror in her office. Cautiously she made her way towards it, as she gazed at her reflection she looked for signs that perhaps she was younger. “No,” she gasped. “It can’t be!”
Laura’s eyes fell on her long brown hair that hung to her shoulder. Laura had been troubled by the fact that some grey hair had begun to invade her thick chocolate hair. Laura knew exactly where these hairs were and her eyes immediately went to the spot. As she ran her hands through her hair she noticed the grey was nowhere to Be seen.
“Am I...am I younger!?!?”
Laura now thought carefully about what the spirit of the dice had said. She hadn’t rolled a seven on the dice and the spirit said it would return her youth. The spirit had said she was 43 and would now be 36, doing some quick and easy math she realized the dice had made her seven years younger. Shocked Laura now picked up the dice and placed them back inside the box they had come in.
“That’s insane,” she whispered. “That kinda of thing can’t happen. Can it?”
Laura’s now searched the package for an address, the idea of becoming younger while intrigueing was just too much. She’s needed to find out where the dice came from and she needed to return them.