The light flickers, casting brief coats of darkness on the dim features of the room. Each item has a story, yet most are far from joyful. An old watch belonging to a father who was gone too soon. A book belonging to mother whose habits led her far away from her son.

“What if I had had more time with them…?”

The light blinks again, highlighting more artifacts. A tie given by an old girlfriend, black like her heart. The ring he never had brought himself to selling.

“What if I had waited a bit? Would she have said yes then?”

More flashes, more memories. More times, more people. More “What ifs”.

He watches the old light bulb. He watches it flicker and beam. He watches it burn out and die, darkening the room forever.