Future Self

With shaking hands, the old woman reached out for the envelope sitting on the table beside her. Just as slowly, she opened it and pulled the folded paper from within. Carefully unfolding it, she held the page close to her face, squinting her eyes a fair bit in order to make out the words.


Hi Emily,
I hope you haven't cheated by opening this before you were supposed to. If you're opening it on time, it should be 2073 and you, we, should be 75. Firstly, congratulations on making it this far. I hope the road hasn't been too rough along the way.


Back here in 2014, we're 16. Do you remember those days, Emily? Life is pretty good right now. Pretty full. I've got a few close friends, but my best buddy would have to be Bandit, hands down. Do you remember him? Our best mate? I've put a photo in of us, just now that I've put in. He might be a big boy, but he's so much fun! He's the best dog, and the best mate ever. He loves to play ball and other times he's real protective and cuddly at others. Other than that, life seems to be taking off sort of. At school, I'm in year 10, which doesn't sound real exciting at all, but it is, sort of though it's sort of hard too.


There's a few things I want to ask though. Did you do what we wanted? Did you make something of yourself? Did you have a good life? Did you get married? Did you have kids? Did you have a family? I hope so, cause that's what I'd like to do with my future. I would hate for my life to go to waste. There's a reason everyone is here, on this earth so even if we don't find what it was we were put here to do, it's still important to at least do something. Make something of yourself so your time here wasn't a complete waste. So, did you Emily? Did you make something of yourself? Did you do something with your life? I hope so. Anyway, all the best,
Emily


The old Emily looked around her room in the nursing home, nodding happily. She'd accomplished what she'd wanted. She smiled at the memories the photos around the room brought back to her. She'd met her husband about 6 months after writing that letter to her future self. Her sweet Tyler. Though he was gone now, only two years before, the memories of their early years together was as clear as if they'd happened only yesterday. And later on, they'd had a family. Jesse had come along in 2023, Arianna 3 years later and Elizabeth two years after that. Since then, there'd been an abundance of birthdays, a few weddings and plenty of grandbabies to love. Yes, Emily thought with a satisfied smile and nod as she looked around at the room once again, she'd done it. She'd achieved what she'd wanted to achieve. She'd made something of herself.


Not too many days later, Emily passed away peacefully in her sleep. But she passed happy. She passed knowing she'd been accomplished. She'd made her mark on the world and they wouldn't forget her yet.

Not Like The Movies

"I thought we'd last forever..."
"I know, I'm sorry Sweetie," her mother said sympathetically, rubbing her back. "That's love though I suppose."
"He just..." Said Anna, "I don't believe it. I don't... don't understand."
"I'm sorry Anna." Her mother said again. "It's not like the movies but that's how it should be."
"Why isn't it?" Anna asked desperately, looking up at her mother with tear filled eyes.
"I don't know sweetheart." Said her mother. "I guess the men in the movies are the ideals."
"So, there won't ever be a movie romance?"
"Oh no Anna. There will be. Just you wait," her mother said, a small smile forming across her lips.


"It's not always like the movies, but when it is, it's rare, so when you find it, hold onto it."
"But how..."
"It'll feel like a fairytale, or like a love story from the movies," said her mother, "believe me, you'll know."
"Will I ever find anyone else?" Anna asked. "I thought... I thought he was the one and then he left..."
"And your heart shattered into hundreds of pieces." Weakly, Anna nodded.
"He's out there Anna, somewhere, and he's looking for you, just as you're looking for him."
"Really?"
"Yes, and when you find him, that's when."
"When what?"
"When it will be like the movies. "


"Anna," her mother said, looking seriously into her daughter's eyes as she took her hands in her own. "I want you to promise me something, ok Flicka?"
"Flicka?" Anna questioned, "promise you what?"
"When you find him, hold on," her mother said. "Because, I found him, and I knew it was him. I could feel it. But I let it go. I let him go. It all just... slipped away. Promise me you'll try at least. I don't want the same heartache I felt when that ended for you, my flicka."
"Ok," Anna said. "But flicka? what's flicka?"
"It's what he used to call me." Her mother said, a little saddened by the memory. "Flicka. Beautiful girl."
"It's not like the movies, Anna, but when it is, it's incredible." Her mother said again after a moment. "So don't let it go."

Stars

Little Michaela looked curiously up at the night sky, her eyes wandering as she looked at the stars, as if she were searching for something.
"Mamma, where do you think they come from?" She asked, tearing her eyes away from the stars above to look at her mother.
"Where does what come from?"
"The stars."
"I don't know," her mother said thoughtfully, following her young daughter's gaze. "But, my Grandmother used to tell me this story when I was little, about stars."
"What did she say?"
"Well, she said that when we've finished what we're supposed to do, here on Earth, we rise up and become stars. Watching over the world. She said my Grandpa was up there somewhere, and one day, she'd join him."
"I like that." Said Michaela. "Do you think they're up there now?"
Her mother nodded, pointing. "See those two right there, how they seem to shine brighter than the others, like they're calling out to us?"
"Yeah."
"I think that's them." As if to agree with her, one star twinkled and Michaela's mother smiled, seeing it. "I see you Grandma, I see you." She whispered, looking up at the twinkling star before she took Michaela's hand to lead her back inside.

If...

As she scrolled through the social media site, more and more messages popped up from different people.
'RIP...'
'We'll miss you...'
'Never forgotten...'
'Always in our hearts..'
Jess sighed, another person gone. Why was this happening? Why did it keep happening? Truth be told , she didn't know. Nobody did, and it wasn't like the person was there to ask. It was left the latest in a series of unsolved mysteries, all of the same sort.

This person, Tim, she'd gone to school with him, must have. The people she remembered from school were all posting about their memories of him from school. But she didn't remember him. Not really, though the whole situation made her wonder...

Would she get those messages if she went away? Not that she wanted to test the theory, only that curiosity had taken over. She'd never been popular at school. Sort of the opposite, in fact and so she couldn't help but wonder... Would people be  celebrating, glad that she wasn't around anymore or would they be mourning, saying how much she'd be missed, saying how she'd been taken too soon and wouldn't ever be forgotten? Which would it be?

Taking a breath, Jess blinked. She knew she couldn't let herself think like that. She was loved, she was cared about, and that day... It was a long way away now, so far in the future. There wasn't any need to worry herself with what the future would bring. So, before the evil, nagging thoughts could return to haunt h, she pressed the big red 'x' in the corner of the screen, making the window with all those messages disappear.
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Not Yet

The young girl skipped happily around the flower abundant garden, taking joy in the simple things. The warm, sun beating down on her and keeping her warm, picking the flowers to make daisy chains. Young Flora had always dreamt of a place like this and she closed her eyes now, overjoyed to finally be here.


A little way away, she spotted a familiar figure coming closer and the smile on her face grew wider at the sight of him.
"Hello Flora," said her brother, offering a hand as he smiled down at her.
"Hi Sean," said Flora, taking his hand. "What are you doing here?"
"I wanted to see my little sister," he said simply, "is that alright?"
"Yes," Flora said, briefly letting go of his hand so she could hug him close. "I like seeing you Sean."
"That's good." He said, walking along with her.


"Sean?" Flora asked after a while, peering curiously up at her older brother.
"Yeah?" He asked, meeting her young, bright, inquisitive eyes.
"Sean, where are we going?"
"I don't know. We're just walking around in the garden aren't we?"
"What's that over there?" Flora asked, pointing excitedly. Sean followed his sisters gaze to see an unusually bright light shining near a tree. Flora let go of his hand, running toward the light, full of wonder and curiosity.
"Flora, I don't..." he started to call after her, but she was too far away to hear him. "Think that's a good idea," he whispered, a little disheartened to himself as he started to follow after her.


Sean breathed a sigh of relief as he came closer to see their grandmother with her hand out. "No Flora. Go play in the garden with Sean. Go on. It's not your time yet. You can't come here."
"But why not Nanna?" Flora asked innocently. "I missed you, I wanted to see you."
"Oh I know Petal," their Nanna said, "I missed you too, but I'm always there. I promise you, even if you can't see me."
"I can see you." Said Flora. "You're right here."
"I know sweetheart," said Nanna. "But you're asleep. I'll always be in your dreams if you want me to be." She smiled, making Flora smile too. "But now, you need to wake up."

Glimpse

He looked... sort of like a returned soldier, from the days of my grandparents. But he couldn't be. I saw him, he was right there, right in front of me... but then I blinked, and he was gone.


I hadn't noticed the man sitting in the corner of the train carriage up until now, but he must have been there all along. He sat, very still but for the slight rise and fall of his chest as he breathed. He was looking out the window, he seemed rather focused on it, like he wanted to join the birds in the sky. Then I jumped a little as his deep brown eyes met mine. For a moment, only a moment, and then he looked away again. I blinked and the curious man was gone.


I got off the train late that afternoon and I spotted my grandparents waiting for me on the platform. Their faces lit up at the sight of me and I ran for them, feeling completely content as they wrapped their arms around me and pulled me close.
"Hello Love," said my Granddad as he took my suitcase and we walked from the platform, "how was your trip?"
"Good, long.." I said, and suddenly remembered the curious, disappearing man. "Only, there was this man. He looked like he was from another era. He was dressed in the uniforms you see in the history books, from World War Two. But then I blinked, and he was gone. Like he'd never been there at all."
"Hmm..." Said Granddad, glancing briefly at me. Those eyes.... They looked... familiar.. like I'd seen them somewhere before.
"Do you think I was seeing things?" I asked.
"Maybe you were daydreaming Dear." Grandma said, a small smile on her face.


My bedroom door had been left open and as the soft glow of the lights outside the room fell in, so did Grandma and Granddad's voices.
"What Maria said," Granddad was saying... "I think... I think that's what I was telling you about all those years ago."
"The magic story?" Asked Grandma, and I could almost see her eyes lighting up with excitement.
"I think you were there, Love," said Granddad, "when time snatched me away, for an instant. I found myself on the train and there was that strange, lovely, curious young girl there, looking back at me before I got returned to you."
"I'm glad you did come back to me," said Grandma.
"So am I," Granddad agreed, "But, what I didn't realize back then, I'd gotten a glimpse."
"A glimpse?" Asked Grandma, "glimpse of what?"
"Glimpse of the future. Our future. The girl I'd seen, that was Maria. She saw me, when I was still young, for a moment, and she looked exactly as she did when she came to us today. I saw our granddaughter before we knew she existed."