All of us have wanted to, at some point or another, see the future. To have a glimpse of the beyond, penetrate the veiled mysteries of our fortunes. But how many times do we wonder, what does this lead to?
Think about it. Let’s say you were planning on wearing a bright-colored jacket since you thought it was going to be cold today, but later on found out the weather forecasted clear skies and cloudless nights. You’d obviously choose something cooler, and pick out a nice, black shirt.
Later on, while you’re walking away wasted on a warm summer night, a passing truck can’t see you in your shadowy garments and crashes straight into you. You avoided one future, but all that did was lead into something even worse. That’s the problem. No matter what you do, you can’t avoid fate. You can’t run, you can’t hide. One way or another, it catches up. And the punishment for running is thousand times worse.
I learned that the hard way. So take this from me, and don’t try to look beyond. Happier is the man who believes his native town is the world, than the one who aspires to be greater than his nature shall allow.
Dark was the night it all began. The storm thundered outside the tiny library as I scrolled through my phone, looking through my text messages and wondering what to do. My bag, stuffed full of whatever clothes I could pack, lay beside me. Pictures of us together caught my eye, and I wondered why I’d bothered packing them. They’d do me no good now.
She wasn’t going to apologize. She wasn’t going to tell me to come back, that she was sorry. She was gone, and no matter how hard I wished this was all a huge nightmare, I wasn’t going to wake up.
I sighed. Just my luck. The rain continued to pound against the glass windows, trickling down like blood on the transparent sheets. The old library lady was busy watching something on her phone. I put mine away, and browsed the shelves. The library in my little town was pretty small, not much to see except kids’ books and a few best-sellers, all of which I’d read thrice already. I wasn’t even sure why I’d come here.
It had always been a place of comfort for me. The scent of fresh new arrivals, the feeling of the ancient air that seemed to tingle with unseen energy. The whispers of the page as it drew you into a brand-new world, where all your problems lay far, far away.
A cold breeze chilled me to the bone as I held my thin clothing tighter around me. All of my hairs stood on end, and gooseflesh rippled up my skin. My hands felt cold and clammy, fingers stiff with fear. In the distance, I noticed a book. It was thin, and I wouldn’t have noticed it if it hadn’t been sticking out of the shelf a bit.
A part of me was telling me to run, to run far, far away, and never come back. But another was more…curious, to find out what exactly this was. As far as I could tell, the cover was pure black, with some indiscernible writing on the dark surface. I walked up to it quickly, plucking it out of the shelf.
I flipped open the first page, not able to make out what was on the cover. I stared, trying to process what I was seeing.
It was a greeting. A greeting, with my name on it.
It could be a coincidence, right? That was probably the first thought that came to your mind when I said that. Just a coincidence, harmless. I’m being paranoid. I’d think the same, except, how many people in the US are named Drystan?
Not many. It’s not a common name, and the strangeness just gets worse from there.
There was no author name. No publishing page, no boring list of credentials or whatever. Not even a publishing date or copyright-reminder. Nothing. Just a bunch of pages put together in a single book. My interest was piqued, to say the least. A book with my name in it, and nothing else but pages upon pages.
I flipped to the next page.
It looked strongly like a diary entry, except, it was from today. Written in a very familiar, cursive handwriting. Too familiar.
“31st of Jan, 2022. Found girlfriend in bed with someone else, wanted to kill him but kept my cool. She kicked me out of the apartment, heading to the library right now to figure out what to do next. Can’t write much, too tired.”
I flipped to the next page. I stared at the writing before me. I was in shock.
“1st of Feb, 2022. Went to the bar, needed to do some thinking. Someone just came up to me, started talking. We had a few drinks, and I learned he was looking for someone to take on a security job at the asylum nearby. Housing would be provided in form of a cozy cabin by the lake. He seemed desperate, but so was I. I signed up immediately.”
“2nd of Feb, 2022. I started work today. Not much to report, except, again pay’s great. Still feel bitter about the break-up, but I think I’ll get over it. Met a patient there, Sandra. Seems like a great girl, bright and cheerful. I could’ve spent all day talking with her, playing tea parties and crap like that. Just the daily burden of the security officer, right?”
I think we all know what I did afterward. The very next day, I sprinted to the bar. The guy I met was, in fact, pretty desperate. No one was signing up for the security guard job. Something about urban legends about hauntings or whatever. People were scared, but again, as the little book said, I was desperate.
Sandra was a nice girl. I chatted with her for a few minutes during my breaks, and my first impression was that she was pretty damn smart. She was cheeky too, and her comebacks kept me on my toes. I wasn’t sure why she was there; she didn’t like to talk about it. But it was nice.
As for the book, the next day when I came to the library, it was still there. Same place, though I couldn’t remember putting it back. I wasn’t sure if I’d be allowed to keep it, but come on, it was a book that literally told me my future. How could I resist? Life till now, had been a journey of potholes and car accidents, but now I had a GPS. I had a map that would lead to the fortune I needed, and I had to make the best of it.
For months I consulted the book, looking page after page. One thing that I thought was kind of strange was that no matter how far I went, something always happened right before I got to page number fifty-four. My noodles would be done, or a package would arrive at the door, and I’d forget all about it.
Until, that is, yesterday. Page fifty-three was done with. Got a bonus for good work done, talked with Sandra again, and treated myself to a burger and fries. Nothing much, until I decided to look into page fifty-four.
“30th of June, 2022. I headed to Mcdonald’s to get a burger. Thought I deserved a treat after all the work I’ve been doing. Got mugged later on, dude snatched my wallet from me at knifepoint. Knew I should’ve kept away from those damned alleys.”
My blood ran cold but warmed up soon after. Alright, just keep away from any alleys and I’d be fine. Simple enough. I walked out and took the other route home, far away from any alleys. I thought I was in the clear until I decided to reread the page.
It had changed.
“30th of June, 2022. Headed to McDonald’s, decided to take a new route to get back home. Got stabbed in the knee by some maniac while I was reading. The doctors say I’ll never walk again. Damn it.”
I looked up in shock as some lunatic with a knife raced toward me. I regained my footing, kicking him off as he aimed the knife again. I pounced, beating him till my fists were red with blood and then calling the police. Standard investigation, and then he was taken away.
I ran all the way home, only stopping to take a breath when I was safe in my house.
My heart stopped when I read the new page.
“30th of June, 2022. Explosion.”
I don’t know what to do now. I keep looking at anything around me. My phone, my laptop, hell, I’ve rechecked my gas thrice at this point. I have no idea what’s going to happen. I can’t sleep, I can’t eat. Every few seconds, I’m running out of my house cause I swear I can smell something in the kitchen.
I don’t know what to do. I’m posting this here in case the book finds someone else. Please, stay far away from it. Trust me, you don’t want this curse. My laptop’s pretty hot now. It’s pretty aged and old, I’m not sure how long ago I had it checked. I should probably switch it off now, but I can’t.
Please, learn from my mistakes. Don’t try to change the future. All you’ll do is make things worse.