I dragged myself out of bed to answer the pounding door. Who the hell would be at my door? The sun isn’t even up yet, I thought. The pounding became more urgent.
“Alright,” I yelled, “don’t get your panties in a twist.” I glanced out the peephole, not recognizing the man standing on the other side. He was an older gentleman, somewhere in his 60’s by his appearance. He carried a fairly worn briefcase.
“Grace, I know you’re there. Please open the door; it’s a matter of life or death.”
“How the hell do you know my name? I’ve never seen you before in my life,” I called through the door.
“Let me in and I can explain everything, but we must hurry.” I hesitated, but I must admit I was intrigued by the man for some odd reason. Against my better judgment, I opened the door. He burst into my living room.
“Quick, close it. No one must know I am here.” I quietly closed the apartment door and slid the lock into place.
“Alright, who are you and what are you doing here?”
“My name is William and I am from the future. I am here because I must warn you about a very deadly mistake you made today.”
“Ok…could you explain a bit more? What mistake do I make that is so deadly?”
“Well, first let me explain how it affects the future so you have a full understanding of why I came here to warn you.”
“Right, I’m calling the police now.”
“No! Aunt Grace, you must listen to me. You cannot die today, for if you do the implications are most dire for the entire world. It is because of you that our country does not start a nuclear war. You are destined to be the designer of a better world.”
“Uh-huh. Why would I believe you?” He set the briefcase on my coffee table and shuffled through it.
“Here, look for yourself.” He handed me a family photograph and pointed to a wizened old woman. “That is you, Aunt Grace, as you are meant to be. You were the first female president and the one who finally brought peace and prosperity to the world. The only reason these photos exist is because I came here to keep you alive today.”
I looked closer at the old woman in the photo. She had the same gray eyes that I saw in my mirror every day. I shook my head in disbelief.
“You get into a cab later today, but you will not leave that cab alive. The cab driver is a suicide bomber and in my history book, he not only killed you, but hundreds of others. Promise me that you will not get into a cab today.”
“That’s crazy. You’re saying I should just take a bus then?”
“No, downtown is not a place you want to be today Aunt Grace. You should call out of work today. Stay home and protect yourself.”
“I could always just work from home today.”
“Trust me, it won’t matter anyways. It is your office building that was destroyed when the cab driver crashed into the first floor and detonated his bomb.”
I reached out carefully with my mind to probe his. I didn’t like to read others’ minds, but sometimes I had to. I needed to know if this man spoke the truth. You’re not the only one with that power, Aunt Grace. I jumped at the sound of his voice inside my mind.
“So my brother passes on our genes then?”
“Yes and he is a wonderful dad. In the past, or I should say now, when you were killed, dad couldn’t live with the grief. Your death just destroyed him inside. If you live, he will not hang himself and in about a year from now, you will meet me for the very first time.”
“Alright, since it won’t do me any real harm to stay home today, I will. Let me call my boss and I’ll just tell her it’s a family emergency.”
“Thank you, Aunt Grace. Now, I must go before I change the future even further.”
“William, can I ask just one question?”
“Sure.”
“Who chose your name?”
“You did. My mother died giving birth to me and it was you that talked dad into naming me after her. Her name was Willa. Now, I really must go.” He faded from sight and I made the fateful call to work.
, Victorian Pharmacy
and Book of the Farm
. I would like to point out that Book of the Farm is not actually the version featured in Victorian Farm. It was reprinted in 3 separate volumes. If you might be interested in purchasing it, please keep that in mind.
