My grandpa was the stingiest man who ever lived.

The narrator describes his grandfather as famously frugal, saving everything from plastic bags to sugar packets. So when the old man died and left him a sealed envelope, he expected almost nothing. Inside was only an old, strange-looking coupon.

The coupon offered $100 off an in-store purchase, had no expiration date, and came from a store the narrator barely recognized. Compared to the meaningful inheritances left to other relatives, the gift felt like a final joke.

Curiosity eventually led him to the store, where staff reacted with shock upon seeing the coupon. A manager revealed it was one of five rare “legacy coupons” from a secret company experiment in the 1970s, each linked to life-altering outcomes.

The narrator was told he could redeem it or walk away. Choosing to use it, he bought an old antique camera priced just under $100—an item that felt insignificant but oddly compelling.

Soon after, unsettling events began. The camera seemed to influence reality, making people appear, disappear, or forget him entirely. Mysterious messages and strangers hinted that powerful forces were watching.

When the narrator photographed himself, he was briefly transported to another place. Later discoveries revealed his grandfather had studied the camera for decades, believing it captured not reality, but possibility.

Realizing the responsibility he inherited, the narrator chose to use the camera carefully. What seemed like a cheap coupon turned out to be a guarded key—one capable of changing everything.