The Person From The Future

A red note

this time I was up early. They would give me the letter today, I couldn't miss it like I had the last time. It's Saturday, fifteenth of August, 6:00 am. I'm waiting in front of my window. Eyes glued to the street, glancing over from person to person in search for the one holding a red bicycle.

About twenty minutes later I see them and they see me. With a smile they wave.

I wave back and immediately point down towards my door.

They glance up and down a couple of times before crossing the road.

My feet are quick and with a heart racing faster than it should I rush down the stairs towards the front door. I see them, their shadow, it's digging through their bag to deliver mail that is meant for me.

When the letter slips trough the letter box, I slip a post it note back. Followed by a pen and a stack of light red post its.

'wait'

I had written.

The shadow at the other side of the door bends down, probably picks up the stuff that had dropped down and stands still. I swallow deeply, waiting for the next move the shadow would make.

They slip the bag off of their shoulder, drop it on the doormat outside and slide down against my front door to sit down like I was sitting, now both our backs were resting against the Matted glass.

A red post it falls down.

'Okay'

My hands are quick to rip open the envelope and skim over the lines that were neatly written down on red paper. Putting the letter down I take the pencil and stack of blue notes I had put in my lap. In messy handwriting I put my question down.

'So what is your name?'

The note disappears through the letterbox. My head turns around, trying to gauge their reaction. A couple seconds later a note of theirs lays on my doormat.

'Charlie De L'avenir'

I write another note.

'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 red note falls on my doormat.

'It means of the future.'

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

'So basically, you are 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.

'Yeah.'

Another rattle.

'Charlie from the future.'

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

"I have to go now, Hazelton. There are more letters to deliver."

My name left their lips like it wasn't the first time. Would they have said it before?

I cleared my throat.

"Yeah, I'll send you one too. The next time I'll have a letter for you too Charlie."

It came out with stutters, I hadn't meant to say Charlie. I wanted to do the same thing, say their name with the same ease. But the fear of butchering the pronunciation was too big and in the end, I chickened out.

The shadow stands up, lifts the bag off of the ground and slings it around their shoulder.

"I'll keep you to that Alex."

The shadow walked off turned into a blur with the other people outside.

As if nailed to the ground I stayed seated on the floor. They had said my name. I had said their name. A chuckle caused by adrenaline left my lips. I had talked to them. Actually talked.