[ WP ] Every time you fall asleep , you are given two options : Continue or Retry . Continue , you wake up to the next day as usual . Retry , you wake up to the day you just had . The catch : your body remains the same even if you retry a day .

At first, I was freaked out. As I'm sure any normal 8 year old boy would be if he went to sleep one night, only to be greeted by large white letters spelling out `` Continue or Retry'' hovering over each other. Out my childish fear of something bad happening, I chose the `` Continue'' option. And that's what I stuck to for the next 5 years, blissfully continuing each day onto the next. 
 
 My father died on the day of my 13th birthday, a car had swept him off the road while he was using the crosswalk. The doctor said he died upon impact. feeling no if not very little pain. Imagine having your mother burst into tears while you're making your birthday wish, her weeping uncontrollably while holding the phone that had caused her so much pain. When I was told just a short few hours later, it had felt like my entire world had just shattered. Much like my mother, I could n't control the rush of emotions that had erupted from my core, I fell to the ground and started sobbing and shrieking. But not for the same reason my mother had, but because I knew I could have prevented it. I understood why my mother tried to comfort me when I kept muttering between sobs that it was all my fault, I understood why she knelt beside me and cried with me that night. 
 
 Then it came to me, I *could* still prevent it. I laid there for what seemed like hours until I was sure my mother had cried herself to sleep, it was then that I made my way up to my bedroom. I crawled into my bed, burying myself beneath the covers, contemplating on whether or not this would end up working, or if I'd have to face the harsh reality of having a deceased father. It did n't take long for the quicksand of slumber to quickly engulf me within its embrace. I peeked from under my blanket to see if it had worked, sure enough the large “ Continue or Retry ” sign was hovering just a few feet away from the foot of my bed. 
 
 The small arrow pointed towards the “ Continue ” option, as it had for the past 5 years. This is would be the part where I ’ d only have to close my eyes and drift back to sleep, but this time would be different. I shifted my gaze towards the “ Retry ” option, causing the arrow to move downward to now point at my newly selected option. At this point, my rib cage served as a bongo and my heart served as the musician. I swallowed in an attempt to moisten my dry mouth, and took a deep breath. Now, all there was to do was sleep. 
 
 
 If you want a part 2, just ask and I'll whip it up! Thanks for the prompt. 
 
 Edit: Part 2 is up! If any of you are interested in reading this story and more, check out and sub to my new subreddit [ r/OlticWrites ] ( https: //www.reddit.com/r/OlticWrites/ ). [ Here's part 2! ] ( https: //www.reddit.com/r/OlticWrites/comments/4qc87u/wp_every_time_you_fall_asleep_you_are_given_two/ )
