Day 1: The homeless man is standing on a corner holding his hand out. Phil makes motions like he's trying to find his wallet but can't as he walks quickly past. Phil grins wryly and shakes his head. The homeless man groans.
Day 2: The homeless man is standing on a corner holding his hand out. Phil makes motions like he's trying to find his wallet but can't as he walks quickly past. Phil grins wryly and shakes his head. The homeless man groans.
Phil faked looking for his wallet for a shorter time than yesterday.
Day 3: Phil makes a strangled noise and jumps back a bit as he walks past.
Day 4: Phil tells him he'll catch him tomorrow.
Day 34: Phil gives the homeless man a stack of bills, it looks like all the money in his pocket.
Day 38: Phil finds the homeless man lying in an alley at night. He takes him to a hospital, where the man dies. The nurse tells Phil he died of old age. Phil insists on seeing his chart. After pulling back the curtain to the bed where the homeless man died, Phil averts his eyes and the nurse tells him gently that sometimes people just die.
Day 39: Phil takes the homeless man to a diner and buys him a full meal, then gives him his meal as well. He talks, but the homeless man just nods.
Day 40: Phil finds the old man lying in an alley and performs CPR. When the man dies, Phil stares up into the sky and stays still for a while.
Day 41: The homeless man is assumed to be dead, because Phil had to make peace with the fact that there are some things he just can't do before the perfect day could happen.
This is a project for 21W765j, interactive and non-linear narrative, taught by Professor Janet Murray at MIT, spring 1998.