The Person From The Future

A dm

Saturday, the third of October, 6:24 am. The red numbers on the clock were clear in the darkness of my room. The window was open, the breeze blowing against my bare arms. It littered my skin with goosebumps. The nights started to get colder now the summer was over. Pink colored clouds drifted in the sky above, colored by the sun that was yet to rise.

My phone chimed. I turned my head towards the desk where it laid faced downwards. I picked it up from the wood, the screen turning on by the movement. A notification from instagram. Some @Charles_DL, an account that was unknown to me, had send me a dm.

I furrowed my brows, who would bother to send me a dm? All the people that knew me also knew how little I used social media. Let alone message people on them. So why would someone send me a dm? Not bothering to check the profile my thumb pressed on the notification, opening the app and along with that the message.

'Hey'
'Are you watching the town wake up right now?'

That's what they read. The two short messages, send not even a minute apart. How did this person know I-? My thumbs quickly tapped two short messages back.

'I'
'What?'

Stands on my side of the screen not much later.

'Right, of course'
'It's Charlie'
'You know, from the future'

The messages pop up not long after each other.

A Charlie from the future? I bit my lip while I felt my brows furrow in confusion. I didn't know any Charlie's from the future...

꧁꧂

'De L'avenir?'

I slip the note through the letter box. I hear the sound of a snort through the closed door. A few seconds later another blue note falls on my doormat.

'It means of the future.'

So a foreign name? That's... that is interesting.

'So basically, you're Charlie from the future?'

I pushed the note through the letterbox. Another snort was followed by a laugh. The corners of my mouth twitch at the sound. It sounds nice.

The letterbox rattles.

'Yes.'

Another rattle.

'Charlie from the future.'

The twitching stopped, instead the corners of my mouth pulled themselves up. A smile forming on my face.

꧁꧂

'Charlie, most ugly red bicycle I've ever seen Charlie?'

I ask. The corners of my mouth already twitching at the memory of the poor piece of scrap metal.

'Don't hate my bicycle so much will you? Without it you wouldn't have know me in the first place'

'But yes'
'That Charlie'

It's quiet for a while. Neither of us is typing. I glance outside, the sun had rose some more, not quite past the row of houses across yet.

'How did you find me?'

I ask, only to quickly add another message afterwards. That question sounded too forwards.

'I don't even use social media all that much'

For a while it's quiet again. Maybe I shouldn't have asked? It wasn't that I was bothered by the fact that they had send me a message. Just, surprised?

'I noticed'
'Why else did you think it took me a month to find you?'

Right it had been a month. My thumbs started tapping to send some form of a witty remark to that. Something like 'a person doesn't need social media to survive.' But I didn't have to, there was another message.

'I'm glad I did though'

I For some reason I didn't mind that. Not much later, probably because I hadn't send anything back, a new message popped up.

'So are you?'

I frowned. A change of topic?

'Am I what?'

Their reply came quick.

'Watching the town wake up?'

Oh! I breathed out. Right, the sunrise. The first rays of light now shone past the rooftops. The sky was a warm pink, something resembling close to orange.

'Yeah, I am'

I send.

'Me too'

Charlie send back.

I smiled.

For the first time the noise that came from outside didn't hurt as bad. The talking neighbors, barking dogs and ringing bicycle bells, were more of a background noise somewhere far away. The hopscotch was long gone and the daily papers laid haphazardly on the driveways.

A chime notified me of another message, but I didn't bother. I'd text back later, Charlie would still be there anyways.

@Charles_DL send a message

'I guess you really are

the person
that always watches
the town wake up.'