On a fine day, with the sun shining brightly, James Clarke was sitting on his balcony, enjoying a cup of coffee, when his phone began ringing.

Annoyed, he muttered, “Who is it now!?” He set his coffee aside and walked into the drawing room, spotting his phone ringing continuously on the sofa. Picking it up, he answered, “Hello, this is James Clarke.”

“Hello, am I speaking to Mr James Clarke?” came a voice from the other side.

“Yes, this is he. May I know who’s calling?” James replied.

“This is David Herald, speaking from the courier service. I’ve received an order addressed to Mr James Clarke from College Will Graveyard.”

James frowned, confused. “From a graveyard? How is that even possible?”

“I don’t know, sir,” the courier agent responded. “Do you have any connection to College Will?”

“Yes, I’m originally from there, though I work here in Houston. But may I ask, who is the sender?” James asked, his curiosity piqued.

“That’s the strange part, sir,” David replied. “The sender is also listed as Mr James Clarke.”

“What? No, no, I’m asking about the sender, not the receiver!” James exclaimed, growing more confused.

“Sir, the sender is indeed listed as James Clarke, and so is the receiver.”

“How can that be?” James asked in astonishment.

“I’m not sure, sir. I just wanted to confirm if you’d like me to dispatch it.”

“Wait,” James said, trying to gather his thoughts. “What’s the date today?”

“It’s October 12th, 2052,” the courier agent replied matter-of-factly.

James froze. “What did you just say? 2052? That’s 28 years from now!”

The agent hesitated. “Yes, sir. I don’t understand it either, but that’s what’s written on the order.”

James, now deeply intrigued, asked, “What’s in the package?”

“It’s a video cassette, sir,” David replied.

After a brief pause, James said, “Alright, please dispatch it. When will it arrive?”

“You’ll receive it tomorrow, sir.”

“Thank you,” James said before ending the call.

The next day, James received the package. Just as the courier agent had said, it contained a video cassette. His heart raced with curiosity as he quickly set up his old cassette player to watch it.

What he saw left him in utter shock. The video showed his own funeral. He saw his frail, old self being given a final bath, then laid to rest in a grave. He watched as mourners gathered; their sombre faces illuminated by candlelight.

But there was something even stranger. At one point in the video, the camera panned to a room where a calendar was visible, showing the date: October 12, 2052 — the same date listed on the order.

James tried to focus on the person recording the video, but their face was obscured, hidden from view. When the video ended, the screen went blank, and a message appeared.

James sat there, staring at the message on the screen: “A gift from your future self. Thank you, James Clarke.”

But just as he started to think it was over, the screen flickered back to life. Another message appeared: “Don’t worry. The future isn’t set in stone. You still have time to write your own story.”

James gasped. What did that mean? Was this video a warning? A chance to change something?

Feeling a mix of excitement and determination, James decided one thing — he would live every day to the fullest, making choices that he would always be proud of.

Published in Dawn, Young World, January 25th, 2025