A Letter From The Future
(Short Story) This is like a never ending summer vacation. My childhood dream has come true.
Last night, I came home late after a long day and found a letter sitting on my desk. The envelop was made of an unusual material which I'd never come across before. The postal stamp was a stamp of Hong Kong with "$500" printed on it. "This has to be a practical joke," I thought, "Hong Kong stamps don't come in $500s." I opened the letter, expecting to find a funny note, possibly from my children. It was a letter in a very familiar hand-writing. I read on...
"Dear Benson, this is me, yourself, writing you in the year 2061. Yes, unbelievable, but true. Since 2050, we had learned how to send objects back into the past, and yes, you (we) are not dead yet, at the age of 100. Quite a few mysteries regarding heart diseases and cancers have been solved. Many of us are living up to 150 years of age now. Still, that doesn't seem to be the limit, as some mysteries behind aging have also been cracked. Last week, I celebrated yet another birthday, the 100th, to be exact. Most of our friends from our drinking and smoking years had died long ago. Of course, so had those who thought exercise meant getting off the sofa to get a drink. The angry and aggressive few amongst us, those who believed the world owed them everything and vowed to take it all back, who enjoyed the surge of adrenaline in rage, had also passed away. Then I realized I was still around because of you, my best mate. Thanks for making the right decisions for me. Thanks for not smoking, not drinking and for staying calm and frugal. I have lived long enough to benefit from modern medicine which has kept us more healthy than ever. Nonetheless, it was what you did decades ago which had helped me most. You thought you did it for you and your family. You actually did it for me. I couldn't help but tell you that it's all worth it. Thank you for starting your daily jog and hanging on with it. I now run 8km everyday before
breakfast. Thank you for spending time to keep up with communication technologies, every morning I give free web-cast tutorials to young people
in Zimbawe. In the afternoons, I read and write, thanks to you for holding onto these habits that cultivate creativity, which still helps me grow and think, even at my age. In the evenings, I review and manage my investments, thanks to you for starting to take responsibilities for your personal finance matters early. The way this is going, my wealth could well be even more sustainable than my health . At night, I meet my friends from various parts of the world over the internet. We talk about various things, from literature to electronic gadgets, and from cars to women (yes, even though we talk much more about cars, we still talk about women). We share a few non-alcoholic low-calorie beers and many laughters. This is like a never ending summer vacation. My childhood dream has come true. I couldn't help but write and thank you for making all these possible for me. Only you, and no one else, could have done it for me. Thanks, pal, and keep up the good work. You won't regret it. Yours truly, Benson."
"You might as well tell me about the Snowman," I laughed at the practical joke. I was really tired and fell asleep shortly after a quick shower.
This morning, my wife found the letter and asked me what that was about. "You tell me," I demanded, thinking she was part of this little conspiracy. "Don't tell me you know nothing," she protested, " you have even signed this."
"This is weird !" I read the letter again and recognised that the hand-writing and the signature, even though more refined, was in fact mine. I spent another hour trying to figure this one out, but did not get any answers. Suddenly, an idea hit me and I was really excited. I asked my wife,"Honey, do you think the old man will write again and recommend some winning stocks?"
P.S. Can anyone please do a hub on "how to send a question into the future"?
