Cal Barton swept his security card once, twice, three times, but for some reason the red light kept coming on. Frank Carwin walked up to the door. "Hey Cal, how are you doing?"

"I would be doing better if my security card was working."

"Why would it be? You haven't worked at Itech industries for six years.

Cal smiled, "Yea, right. Look I need to get in. Can you just swipe your card?"

"You know only employees are allowed in there."

"Come on. Stop messing around."

"I'm not kidding Cal. Are you all right? You look a little confused."

Ignoring Frank, Cal began to knock on the door.

Stan Carter, the Station manager opened the door. "Hello, Cal what brings you here?"

"Is everyone trying to put one over on me today? You know I work here."

"No you don't. We let you go a while ago."

"What's going on," Cal said in an annoyed voice.

"Look we're busy here. It was really interesting to see you again," said Stan sarcastically as he closed the door.

Cal walked over to his car in complete confusion. Did they just fire me?, he thought. Or is this some weird game.

He climbed into his old Hyundai and drove home in a dreary rainstorm.

# Walking into the house he said, "Trish you would not believe what happened at work to day. But before I get into it, is Clarissa around? I don't want her to overhear what I'm about to tell you."

"Who's Clarissa?"

Cal shook his head and smiled.

"I don't feel like joking around. I'm really not in the mood. Where is she?" He said.

"What are you talking about?

Cal frowned.

"Stop playing games. Where's our daughter?"

"Our daughter," Trish said shocked. "Cal, you know we don't have a daughter. Um¼ are you feeling all right?"

Cal stared angrily at his wife.

"I don't know what you're up to, but this isn't funny," Cal said walking past his wife and heading up the stairs to Clarissa's room.

He opened the bedroom door and saw what looked like an old storage room. Empty boxes lay scattered across the floor. Cobwebs hung freely in the corners of the ceiling and an old broken down desk stood in the place where his little girl's bed used to be. None of her belongings were in this room anymore.

He then stormed out and began looking in all the rooms. She was nowhere to be found. He then leaped down the stairs missing three or four steps at a time.

"Where is Clarissa and what did you do to her room?" Cal yelled.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Trish replied.

Cal gripped his hands around Trish's shoulders. "If you don't tell me where our child is, I'll...."

"You'll what? Hurt me Cal¼ over some kid that doesn't exist. I think you need some help," Trish said walking over to the phone.

"Help! You're the one who needs help. Our little girl's missing. All her things are gone and you won't even acknowledge that she exists."

Cal pushed Trish out of the way and grabbed the phone himself. He dialled 911; however, when he put the phone up to his ear, he realized there was no dial tone.

"Oh, that's just great," he said slamming the phone down. "The phone's dead."

He grabbed his coat and headed towards the front door.

"Cal, please just calm down," Trish said while Cal pushed past her. "Where are you going?" She cried.

He didn't respond to her. He just walked out, hopped in his car and drove to the police station.

# Cal hurried up to the front counter.

"Can I help you?" The officer on duty said.

"My daughters missing¼ I don't know where she is," Cal replied.

"Calm down," the officer said.

Cal caught his breath and nodded.

"All right, the first thing we need to do is fill out an incident report. I'll need your help on some questions, okay?" The officer said pulling out a clipboard along with a pen.

Cal told the officer his name and address. He then began to tell her about all the strange events at his house. He went into great detail about his wife's odd behaviour, and how Clarissa's things were all gone. After finishing the rest of her questions the officer than began to type his driver's license number into the computer.

"Hmm, that's odd¼ I'll be right back," the officer said looking puzzled. She then headed off to the back room. It took about ten minutes before she came back.

"You said in the incident report that you live at 41 Random Street. Am I correct?"

"Yes," Cal replied.

"Well, that's strange because according to the computer, you don't live at that address. And I called the number at that house. The couple that does live there has never heard of you."

"What are you talking about? Of course I live there¼It has to be Trish. I told you she's gone crazy."

"Look, Mr. Barton¼ if that's really your name. This couple said they don't even know any women by the name of Trish."

"I'm telling you that's my damn house. And my kid is missing. What are you all, insane?"

"I don't know what you're story is, but I do know that I can charge you with a criminal offence for filing a false investigation."

Cal took in a deep breath, shook his head and walked towards the exit.

"I don't know what's going on... but I will figure everything out," Cal yelled back.

# Cal drove home and arrived at the front door of his house. He tried opening the door but it was locked. So he took out his key and tried fitting it into the keyhole. He jiggled the key and turned the knob, but nothing he did opened the door.

"What the hell is going on?" He mumbled.

He knocked on his door. However when the door opened, it was not his wife that faced him. It was a big guy, about six feet tall with a huge gut.

"Yea, what do you want?"

"Who are you and what are you doing in my house?" Cal demanded.

"Your house," the man laughed. "What are you on drugs, buddy?"

Cal just stood there dazed for a couple seconds.

"Where's my wife?"

"Look, I've already talked to the cops on the phone, and I don't know where your wife or house is, but it sure ain't here."

Cal bit his lip and clenched his fists.

"Listen, this is 41 Random Street. I have lived here with my wife and kid for five years. I am not going to let some psycho tell me this isn't my home."

"Hey, I was being nice. But if you don't get the bleep out of here, the next place your family will be seeing you, is in the hospital."

"Go ahead, beat the shit out me. What the hell do I care?" Cal replied laughing. "What else do I have to lose? I've already lost my whole life in the last few hours, anyway."

The man at the door looked at him and shook his head.

"You're really screwed up, man."

"Yeah... man," Cal said.

"Look, if you don't get off my property, I'll call the cops on ya," said the man slamming the door in Cal's face.

Cal just stood there looking at the door for a few minutes. He then turned around and walked around the neighbourhood for an hour, trying desperately to figure out what had happened to him.

"Why has my life been erased?¼ Why me?" Cal screamed as a tear streamed down his face.

"Because I thought it was funny," a soft voice replied from the sky.

Cal stood there shocked. He then scanned the sky, only to see a tint of blue and some fluffy clouds.

"Who are you?" Cal yelled out.

Then suddenly he saw the clouds take the shape of a woman's face and fluffy white lips began to move.

"I am the writer," the voice said.

"Ok," Cal said confused. "What is happening?"

"You are a character in my story," the voice replied.

"A character... what the," Cal began to weep in his hands, "I am going mad," Cal, mumbled.

"No, Cal you're not," the voice said.

"Then why give me a job, a family and a house, only to take them away?"

"Because, the story wouldn't be very good if I didn't," the voice replied.

Cal stood there, contemplating what to say next. "Well that's it!"

He sat down on a park bench and said, " I'm not going to be your puppet in this sick little game anymore. I'm just going to sit here for the rest of my life. Not doing a thing!"

"Come on Cal, you can't just sit around. It wouldn't make a very interesting ending, now would it?"

"I don't care about your damn story. I don't even care if you make a boulder fall from the sky and land on me¼ there's no way your going to get me to move from this spot."

"No way?" the voice asked.

"You heard me."

A man in a black raincoat walked up to the bench. It was Frank. "Hey, how you doing?"

Cal didn't respond.

"I didn't want to say anything today, but Stan said that you're getting that promotion you wanted at work after all. That's great, eh?"

Cal sat there expressionless.

"So I guess I'll see you tomorrow."

"No, I don't think you will Frank," Cal replied.

A few seconds later, out of the corner of his eye, Cal saw Clarissa and Trish. His little girl ran up to him and gave him a big hug; "I missed you so much Daddy. Will you play with me?"

"No, sweety. Not today," Cal replied.

"Look you can have your house back too, what else could you possibly want Cal?" The voice asked.

"What's the point? You will just take it all away again."

"All right, you win. If you leave the bench I promise, I won't take it all away again."

"Will I live happily ever after?"

"Yes, I suppose you can," the voice responded.

Cal sat there for along time before he answered back again. After getting seemingly bored he said, "Well...if you throw a brand new Jag in, then I guess you have a deal."

"Fine Cal, the Jag's all yours."

So Cal left that bench. He drove to his home in his brand new Jaguar. He tucked his daughter into bed and slept beside his beautiful wife. And according to his demands, he even lived happily ever after.