He pushed through the glass doors of the office building.
The sky was a dark purple. Already? It was 6PM, in fall. Usually around this time of the season, it would look a little lighter. The streets were still visible, illuminated by the streetlights, but the shadows cast by cars were pitch-black.
Nonetheless, he felt uneasy. This part of the city was notorious for its crime, especially past dusk.
He eased his uneasiness by reassuring himself. His apartment was only a 15 minute walk away from the office.
He walked past the usual convenience stores through the path, before he felt a splitting pain in his left ear. John pressed down on his ear, but that only made the pain worse. His vision started to blur, with flickering blobs of black appearing.
All of a sudden he heard something drop onto the ground harshly. It was him.
He felt his eyelids relax, and everything was black.
/
When he came to, his room was familiar. It was his room he had from high school, when he was still living with his parents. When he looked to the left side of his room, he could see the same purple hue from earlier. It was still dusk, so he couldn't have been asleep for long.
He pushed himself off the bed with his palms. How am I here? Don't my parents live an hour away?
He walked past his mirror to grab the glass of water sitting on the table besides it. But he noticed something from his peripheral vision; his face looked noticeably younger.
John looked back into the mirror.
He looked way younger. He had a buzzcut; the one he'd gotten when he was 14. He immediately checked the date on his old computer, which seemed to turn on way faster than the last time he'd visited. It was 14 years ago.
John pinched his skin, confirming whether or not it was a dream. It wasn't. He had regressed to half his age.