It had started out like any other day. I hit snooze on the alarm three times, each time wishing for only 5 more minutes. I decided to hit the bathroom and cleaned up, trying to figure out how to make the day profitable. I knew that each hedge fund I managed would continue to rise, as long as the market was bearish. However, almost half of the NYSE Top 30 were showing signs of meeting goal, which didn't bode well for me!

I got to work about 15 minutes early, trying to see if the DJIA and the NASDAQ were actively trading, and in which direction. The algorithm I had relied on recommended more investment in the index funds, and focus on the NASDAQ. Rumors of a breakthrough in the tech industry were seeing more speculation for some of the blue chip companies.

The hedge funds all looked okay right now, but if an announcement in the field of quantum physics came before cose of business, it could throw the entire trading floor into an uproar. The trading may go off the scale, and if massive selloffs from non-tech became viral, I could kiss my bonus and possible my career goodbye!

Although the hedge funds were still okay, I suddenly felt dizzy, as if the whole world were spinning out of control. I closed my eyes and laid my head on my desk. When I looked up, I noticed that the clock was showing 5 PM, and my colleague was patting me on the shoulder. I was shocked to see my hedge funds triple what I had seen!

My boss had called our investors, and told them to consider rollovers, since the likelihood of the value increasing was slim. He waved me into his office, and handed me a huge bonus check. The amount was enough to almost retire, and more than enough to send my son to college.

The next week saw me recognized as hedge fund manager of the year, and the firm manager handed me an award and another bonus, since out clientele had nearly doubled. I sent about half of the bonus to my son, and banked the rest in my annuity. Retirement looked great, and with the investments and annuities bringing in more than enough, I decided to get that colonial in Great Neck.

We moved in the next week, and I made sure the property taxes were handled. My son was very happy to help me move, and we had dinner at the Four Season to celebrate. I took him to JFK to return to school for the next semester. I hugged him, and drove home. One month since the day everything had changed, and my life was now comfortable, and my son had a bright future.

When I awoke, I was not in the colonial, but back in my New Jersey brownstone! My son was yelling for me to get up and not to miss the train to work. He told me to not worry about tuition, that his summer job would cover next semester. When I got to work, my colleague told me to try and pray for a miracle of saving my career!

My boss called me in for a conference about 11 AM. I slunk in, and he told me that if the NASDAQ didn't turn around before close of business, he may have to make me a stock broker, and let a recent graduate take my place as hedge manager. I worked tirelessly to get our dwindling clientele to hold their investments, and luckily some decided to invest more.

The NASDAQ did turn around with more investments by the end of the day, and my boss came by and patted me on the back. For now, my position was secure. The next month saw me slowly make small adjustments to the investments, and the hedge funds were stronger than before this all started.

As I shook my boss's hand, he handed me a bonus check. It was not nearly as big as my previous, but enough to buy another semester for my son. The dream of the colonial could wait another year. I would not have a shot at hedge fund manager of the year, but I got a smaller bonus for being top hedge fund manager for the region.

I woke up after New Year, and I was shocked to find myself in a mansion on Long Island. My son came in and showed me the trading activity and hedge fund activity. I looked at the name of the fund at the top of his laptop, and it was mine and his! He was in his mid-20s, and my partner. He called for the staff, and escorted me to breakfast.

He told me the next partner's meeting would be Monday, January 5th. Until then, we were to complete our company's tax return with the CPA firm. We were to meet with them on the 3rd. We went over our agenda for the month and quarter, and agreed it was timely. Today, we were going to a fund raiser at Carnegie Hall, followed by a presentation of "Rent."

The entire day was great. My son was surprised when I seemed to forget the names of some of out oldest friends. Then, it happened. I was just ready to get used to our new lifestyle when I realized that the constant in all of this was my boss. Somehow, he had not changed, even being one of the hedge fund partners. I decided to confront him, and see if I could catch him messing with my life specifically, and the universe in general!

I slid into his office after the partner's meeting, and snooped around. I noticed nothing of the ordinary. Suddenly, I realized that he had been pushing a new NASDAQ account, and the firm was the same one that was rumored to be on the verge of a breakthrough in quantum physics. I observed that he had received several large checks from this firm, and each check had a footnote of "Project Shuffle".

SEC would probably be interested in his checks from the QP firm, and I spoke with my son. He agreed we were probably looking at insider trading. I talked to legal, and they got the necessary permission to audit his activities. QP popped up on his account at least twice a day for the past year, and he had received a monthly check from them.

Legal turned all this over to the SEC, and I led the treasury agents to his office. My son brought our private security force to meet us, and as we entered his office, he was pushing several buttons in his closet. I told him to put his hands on his head. He was sweating, and he began to slowly put his hands up. Suddenly, he hit the enter button on his PC, and I was back at my desk, looking at a normal trading day.

Since the QP firm really did exist, I figured that if his memory carried from one leap to another, he would probably either try to get rid of me, or shift the blame. The only man I knew I could trust was my friend in legal, so I called him and asked him to have tech look into my boss's activities with QP.

At lunch, my boss called me into his office, not aware of the call. He thanked me for a somewhat profitable quarter, and gave me my standard bonus. After the day was over, I arranged to have dinner with Frank from legal. He assured me they had more than enough to call in the SEC. The next day, my boss was being walked out of his office in cuffs, and the CEO thanked me for my diligence, along with Frank and tech.

I was given two weeks vacation for the holidays, and my son asked me how I managed to figure out what was going on. Rather than explaining the whole story, I simply reassured him that I wanted to make sure my son had a future, and that the universe was as it should be!