Dear Present Self
I sat down at my desk, leaned back into my chair and slid my journal in front of me. It looked like any other ordinary journal, black cover, leather bound, semi thick paper, perfect for my fountain pens, and a small tassel to mark the last page.
I opened it to where the tassel was. Today was May 20th 2023. On the top of the page was the date June 5th 2023.
In my handwriting it wrote -
I know that there will be a decision to make between going out or staying in on the date of May 28th. Stay in. Your future self thanks you.
Signed - James
One might think that I was writing to my self pretending to be in the future, but no, these entries appeared when I opened the journal. My future self, somehow was writing back in time to me. Each time I went to open the journal the tassel would move a page and a new entry would be there signed by my future self.
At first Ignored them. They seemed impossible and they didn’t make sense because the events had not happened yet, but as I ignored them, the ideas kept in my mind. I started to notice that the things it was asking me to do showed up. A choice here, a decision there, simple things that I wouldn’t really think about. Then they got more involved as I started to take it more seriously. As I obeyed my future self, success started to roll in, things became a bit complicated, but improved in many areas of my life. It was like I was gaining momentum. Even when I finished a notebook, another one of my notebooks would always be receiving entries from my future self.
I closed the notebook and made a note of what it wanted me to do. Nothing today, we will see tomorrow.
The morning sun spread across my desk and I sat down to see what my future self had to say to me. I had started to get an immense joy of what surprise might be waiting. I opened it to the tasseled page.
I read it.
I read it again.
And again.
It read -
May 15 2023
You must use the knife, third from the right, to kill him. If you use anything else, you will be caught. Immediately call the police, say he attacked you. Do not let him inside. The man with the yellow hat. Stab in right shoulder down to heart. It will reach.
Signed - James
I slid my chair away form my desk and stared at the journal. A message like this had never shown up before. And the date was from my past self, not my future self. How could that be? I mean how could I be getting entries from my future self either? It seemed more probable of a time traveler talking back to me from time that had not happened, but a person from the past?
The doorbell rang and I jumped out of my chair.
“Who could that be” I said aloud and stood up. I glanced one more time at the journal entry before moving towards the front door, past the knives.
I opened the door and an older gentlemen with a wide smile greeted me. I shook my head with a smile. No yellow hat on this guy.
“Good morning sir, I was in the neighborhood looking for some volunteers to help restore the church and cemetery down the road, needs repair badly and we have a few hands, but could always use more” His smile widened and with each word he seemed to lift off his heels in delight. I checked my watch, and ran through my schedule, a bit busy today unfortunately.
“I would love to help, but I am heading out very soon. Maybe another time.” I smiled back and answered. His smile twitched a bit, but he nodded.
“No problem, if I could only bother you for a moment, I would like to wash my hands” his hands moved from his waist and he placed a yellow knit hat on his head and then he showed both of his hands which were covered in dirt.
I froze. His smile disarmed me, I didn’t even notice that he had held that hat in his hands.
The man with the yellow hat.
The journal entry.
I swallowed hard.
“Yes, no problem, one moment, wait here.” I said closing the door moving towards the kitchen.
This was nuts, absolutely crazy. I drew the knife, third from the right.
I heard the door hinge swing slowly. He was entering. I made it back to the door, the man standing just inside, his smile dimmed, but what caught me was his eyes. They looked at me with pure hatred, two soulless pits that sucked all life from those they came upon. He saw me as something else then human. Prey.
I didn’t think, I didn’t hesitate. I followed what the journal said.
I stepped forward and plunged the knife directly into his right shoulder towards his heart. His hands were already around my neck tightening, choking the life out of me, but as his heart pumped empty blood, his grip loosened. He collapsed on top of me.
I scrambled to the phone and immediately called the police.
I told them that he attacked me. They were shocked I was alive. The man with the yellow cap was an escaped mental patient. He was on the wanted list for murder of five different people till he got to me. He would pick a place nearby, say he needed help, strangle and kill those that followed him, or if denied, kill them in their house.
My past self had saved me. But now I wondered. Who were they? My past self, my future self?
Who was I?
This was a prompt that I was given. It was “Some one keeps receiving messages from their future self, telling them to make a specific choice, but then one day they get a different type of message, one from their past self, telling them to do something terrible”
This could of gone in a bunch of different ways, I thought about his past self telling him to kill some one innocent, but if it came from a different time period, there would have to be a chain reason. The thought of following your future or past self is intriguing. If they are commanding you, are you really living your own life? Or another version of yours?