Lack of time, a rushed morning
I woke up too late to take a shower as well as sit down to have a coffee because the kid also needed to be in school before I could leave for the city. I hate not being able to grab a coffee before leaving but sometimes it just doesn't work out. I had to leave for the city so not only have quite a bit of traffic getting there, meaning I had to leave much earlier to make sure I'd be there in time, I just could not afford to relax and wake up slowly today.
The appointment was one in the city that took me a few months to get and the clock was ticking now to get everything done in time. I could not afford to arrive too late because then they will just tell me to get a new appointment and send me away.
The traffic gods were on my side!
As if the universe knew that I really need to have a cup of coffee in the morning to think clearly, I had very little traffic on my way to the city causing me to arrive too early for my appointment. I parked the car in the underground parking and noticed at least 10 cafes where I could grab a coffee to go. I decided to go to "Barista" and looked at the menu. They have all sorts of coffees but I was leaning towards getting a big cup with a few espresso shots and milk. Simple but very delicious.
It was pretty good!
I took a sip and the coffee didn't disappoint, in fact, it was probably the best I had (besides my own, of course) in years. I almost finished the cup before I arrived back at the office where I had an appointment, while crossing the street, I heard a noise in my cup. I wondered if it was just my imagination or if they gave me a cup with something in it. A few meters further there was a brick wall where I placed my handbag to open the cup with both hands.
A capsule!
I had to look twice when I found a shiny capsule in the color gold with a glass see-through middle and clearly contained a tiny note as if it was written by little elves. So small, I could barely read it when I opened it. This is a picture of the note:
Oh my, I didn't know what to think or say, I noticed my appointment would be in a few minutes so I rushed to enter the building and got directed to the correct floor by the security guard. I forgot about the note and capsule while in the building.
Another note
I have no clue how this was possible, someone must have been watching me because when I took my car out of the underground parking, I noticed a small note under my wiper and decided to step out of the car and take it in before it got lost while driving. I noticed the paper was identical to the paper I found in the capsule. How is this even possible? It seemed as if the paper was decades old and now I found two notes at two different locations while being 30 minutes from home.
The note said:
"This Saturday you are invited to a mansion in Falachim to enter a game where the winner takes home 100000 Euros in cash, send a text to +5522553366999 with your location and a driver will pick you up at 7 PM sharp. Dress code: Black Tie."
Is this for real? I looked around and didn't see anyone suspicious, at this point I had no clue if someone was just pranking me or that I had a golden ticket to a game where I could find some serious funds for my future ventures.
I decided to send a text
I could always back out if it didn't feel good when the driver arrived. I would make sure someone could find me by leaving my location open and giving a friend access to the location at all times. When the night fell, I started to dream about game shows and horror movies where the game would be some very scary scene to entertain the local psycho. Yet my curiosity won and I was ready to be picked up one hour before time.
Saturday arrived
My friends didn't agree. In fact, they tried talking me out of it but I was determined I would go and take home the cash. I listened to focus music to make sure my mind was clear and focused that day. I felt ready and when it was time, the limousine arrived at 7 PM sharp. A friendly young guy greeted me and opened to door, in the car were 3 other contestants. I could see they were nervous, they came unprepared.
When we entered the mansion, we were told we only needed to solve one puzzle. The person that solved the puzzle first, takes home 100000 euros in cash. We were told to each open a door and when we entered, it was like entering another dimension, this puzzle was out of this world, probably AI-generated. I got dizzy just looking inside. These colors were nothing like I ever saw before, this is going to be tough.
Exactly 3 hours and 33 minutes later, two of us arrived back into the lobby, how on earth did we solve it almost at the exact same time? Did I win? I got nervous, until.. the confetti and balloons were released, and the winner is... This Is My Life! Congratulations, you win 100000 Euros in CASH!