text: My knees are scraped and I have a headache. I hit a car backing out of the driveway my first time behind the wheel. I stub my toe on every corner. I burn my cereal. I still don’t know how to whistle. The closest I’ve been to talking to a girl was during a freshman lab experiment. That one blew up in my face in more ways than one. After failing time and time again in life, I finally realized I’m a hopeless case. So maybe I need some help. Some outside help. A trip to an alleged “witch doctor” seemed extreme at first, but I don’t have many options. Next thing I know the room is shaking and a white glow blinds me as I cover my eyes. Maybe I’m in too deep. A man of about 6 feet steps forward and my eyes feel glued to him. Piercing eyes and chiseled features stare back at me with a calm gaze. This guy was... different. “I heard you could use some help.” His voice was magnetic, and it didn’t take long for me to spill my entire story. He listened carefully and after a moment spoke in an almost uncaring voice. “I’m Michael. Just follow me and I’ll show you what’s up.” If only I knew who I had in front of me maybe I would’ve asked to end world hunger, or bring peace to the world. But I didn’t, and so we hit the bar. “You just gotta walk around like you’re the shit.” I blinked a few times. “What?” He smiled at me and responded. “Yeah, you just gotta imagine that everyone here is beneath you. Anything they could ever do is of complete insignificance compared to a being such as yourself.” I didn’t know if I could do that. I came from a household where you wouldn’t have a good time if you didn’t show respect to others. But I was here because I was desperate, and so I thought I’d give it a shot. A Black woman with curly hair and pretty eyes was my first challenge. I walked up as if nothing mattered and sat down in front of her. “You from around here?” She looked me up and down before responding. “No actually, me and my friends are in a band and we’re performing around here. Thought I’d check this place out.” This was going well. Now to follow Michael’s advice. With complete confidence, I looked her in the eyes and said “Do you think I care?” A second passed and her drink was thrown in my face before I knew it. As she stormed off I stumbled to the bathroom, dejected. Maybe I really was hopeless. No matter what I did, I’d never amount to anything and-- My thoughts were interrupted by a warm body slamming into me as I turned the corner. “I’m so sorry! I’ve been having an absolutely horrible day.” I helped her up, a woman around 5’2 with freckles and fiery eyes. Her elbows were scraped, there was a hole in her jeans and she looked like she was barely holding herself together. “I know the feeling. Wanna talk about it?” It wasn’t what Michael told me to do, but somehow it felt right. Her eyes lit up and she dived into her story. We spent many hours in that bar, talking about our troubles and learning about each other. I never saw Michael again, and thought to myself how glad I was that I abandoned his advice. Michael, having returned to heaven and watching from above, smiled to himself and laughed. (got this prompt off instagram @ writing.prompt.