The nickel thief

Prologue

Walking down the side road leading to the park Saturday morning, I hummed along to Coldplay's single playing on my phone. I could feel summer heat on the back off my neck and making regret not wearing a long sleeve shirt this morning.

Coming to the gate to the park I stop and hold it open too let the women with her pram get in first. Before following them in and walking down the worn path that I know by heart. Looking around the park I notice the rather large crowd of people out that day enjoying the beginning of summer with friends and family. Coming to a curve in the path I speed up a bit to reach my favourite place in the quicker.

The sight of the fountain brings a sense of warmth and comfort to go through my entire body, that I could only get by here in its presence. Coming to a stop a foot away from its edge I scrounge around in my front pocket for the nickel I put in there this morning. Finally finding it behind my keys and change I bring it of my pocket and grasp it in my right hand in a fist.

Closing my eyes I repeat the words that I've been saying since I was little every time I came to this fountain to make a wish.

"I wish for the day when my life is full of happiness and not pain"

Raising my right hand with the nickel I hail it into the fountains cold water and finish the familiar old ritual. Standing there with the sun high above me and Coldplay still blasting through my headphones into my ear. I could feel that something felt different this time. I couldn't put my finger on it but it was just a sensation in my gut that something was about too change my life.

With that thought I turned from the fountain and started walking to Jakes home, where I was supposed to be an hour ago. Still with the strange precognition about the future.