Month / July 2020

by BiSKITs & Gravy

I Have Mail – Part IV

By: IO

Read Part I [S.L. Jordan], Part II [K. Osorio-Teamer], and Part III [Tony W]

The next day, I woke up thinking about the book in the back of my closet. The book I wrote some time in the future and sent to my past (present) self with a note to read it before today.

    What an odd instruction. How could I know for sure when to send the package so that it would arrive just at this moment? What if I’d sent it too soon or too late? I tried to remember a time in my past so bad I would have wanted to warn my previous self. There were plenty. Probably there were more to come. But if I’m the type of person to not want to know the scary details ahead of time, why would future me put myself in that dilemma? Had my life gotten so comfortable I had to engineer time to create more drama?

    I strode across my bedroom to the closet, digging the package and the book out of the back. I opened it to the title page, inspecting it for clues. The book was not new. The pages were slightly discolored around the edges, especially the corners, where it looked like someone rapidly and repeatedly flipped the pages. Careful not to read any of the text, I opened the book in the middle, intending to crack the spine, only to find the binding already had some give in that spot. I’d done this before. I tipped the book over, holding its covers to see what bookmarks fell out: receipts, gum wrappers, napkins, post-it notes. Nothing. I sent a used book from the future and I’d never read it. Looking again at the package, I saw the address was the same but the sent-from date was withheld.

    The picture was becoming a little more clear. At some point in my future, I write this book. I send it to myself as a message of encouragement, knowing my past self wouldn’t want spoilers. So the book sits in its package for an indefinite amount of time until some event prompts me to send it to my past self. With a cryptic note encouraging me to read it because, even though I don’t like spoilers, I am also childishly curious and try to trick myself into looking at my life’s cheat code. But it doesn’t work. The book sits, until I write it afresh, having no idea if I’m copying what I’ve already written. Then I send the original back to this moment, with this note, hoping for a change. 

    Did I figure this out before or am I changing my future? If I sit and read this now, will I be repeating a pattern or starting a new one? Usually I am the queen of indecision but today, I decided to take a peek at what’s to come. I pulled a piece of paper off my nightstand, a shopping list to use as a bookmark and turned to chapter one. 

by BiSKITs & Gravy

I Have Mail – Part III

by Tony W.

Get started with Part I [by S.L. Jordan] and Part II [by K. Osorio-Teamer]

Dear Self,

I’ve written and rewritten this countless times. I’ve wrestled with whether writing you is the right thing to do. Just by sending this package and writing this note I’m changing aspects of my past. Perhaps I won’t be the same person I am today. In a way this has always been out of my hands because the package arrived for me just as it has arrived for you. As we both know life is almost unbearable when we don’t have options, when we feel trapped by circumstances outside of our control. Because I love you the way I do, I’ve chosen to send this note so that you know that you have options. That you are not alone.

Hopefully knowing this will give you the courage and strength to face what comes next.

All my love,

Your future self

Folding the note and placing it back in the box I couldn’t breathe. My emotions were all over the place. I was angry and afraid of what would happen next. Placing a hand on my chest and taking a deep breath to calm my nerves I asked myself what was so different about this. I lived with fear, anger and uncertainty every single day. These were my normal. Taking another deep inhale and exhale I asked myself what other emotions I felt. Joy, I felt joy and gratefulness that no matter what happened today or for the next twenty-five years it would be alright, I would turn out alright. Not just alright, maybe my life would contain some of what I wished for, that it would be fulfilling, that I would be content, that my refrigerator and pantry would always be full. You know the basics.

I picked up the book again not to read. I wanted to see a photo of me. I wanted to see my eyes looking out at me, that would tell me all I needed to know. More than the eyes being the windows to the soul it’s the expression, the depth of the age lines, the complexion, the youth and vitality of the skin or lack thereof. A photo could tell me so much of who I would become and what I’d gone through, a lack of a photo would do the same. I needed more than the note to alleviate my apprehensions. My future self would know this so there had to be a photo.

Flipping the book to the back I didn’t find what I was looking for. I opened first the front and then the back cover. On the back a smiling yet older me looked out with an optimistic expression in full color. Light makeup enhanced a face that was youthful and fresh. The eyes held a bit of mischief. The smile was closed but more than a curling of the lips. I was happy.

I put the book back in the box and took everything to my room where I placed the package in the back of my closet. I would eventually read my book, though not today. Whatever happened today I already contained the insight and wherewithal to make it through. To become the person in that picture I had to do this my way, right?

by BiSKITs & Gravy

I have mail – Part 2

by K. Osorio-Teamer

Catch up on Part 1 by S.L. Jordan here.

The roar of a lawn mower brought me out of my daze. I picked up the package gingerly and shut the door with my foot, eyes glued to the handwriting. I sat at the kitchen table and thanked God I was home alone. The last thing I needed was my mom or brother hovering over my shoulder making this moment even more nerve wracking. 

The box was small. No one ever talked about what items they received, just the life altering letters written by their future selves. The curiosity in me took over and quieted the fear, so I ripped the box open with my nails. Sitting on top of soft violet wrapping paper was an envelope with a terse message written. 

Read this before tomorrow comes. 

I unfolded the wrapping paper to see my smiling and dirt smudged face on a book cover. This book was about me. Written by me. I was not a writer nor had I done anything in my life worth writing about. Yet. The face staring back at me was hardly aged. This picture could’ve been taken today. I even recognized the black and white striped top the book-me was wearing. It was my most comfortable and versatile shirt, so it was usually the first to get worn after laundry day. 

Laundry day was yesterday. I looked down to find that I was wearing the exact outfit book-me was wearing. The top, dark wash jeans, powder blue rosebud stud earrings, and my black fitbit on my left wrist – all with a worn and grimy look as if I had just completed the Tough Mudder. 

The book was titled Adventitious Revolt: The Day That Started It All. I tried to take a breath, but my lungs refused to expand. I picked up MY book and noticed a piece of lined paper sticking out from it’s pages. I opened it to see the beginning of chapter one. 

“It all started with a package. It had been a little over two years since Amazon made it possible to receive packages from the future, but only twenty-five years into the future. To the day.”

I dropped the book and reached for the letter. What the fuck is going to happen today?

by BiSKITs & Gravy

I have mail – Part 1

By S.L. Jordan

Writing Prompt: Amazon has invented time travel and introduced pre-emptive shipping. Today, you receive something completely unexpected from your future self.

It has been a little over a two years since Amazon made it possible to receive packages from the future, but only twenty-five years into the future. To the day. Honestly, the logistics of it all goes over my head. Especially since, my local mail carrier still managed to lose packages in the present day, but in that time I had yet to receive a package.

My neighbor from three doors down, Mrs. Duggins had received an envelope from her future self that included a letter and a sonogram. The sonogram of her husband’s mistress. After 30 years of marriage, Mr. Duggins had impregnated his mistress of five years and filed for divorce. I overheard my mother on the phone with her sister saying how foolish Mrs. Duggins was for leaving him. Any smart woman would have convinced him to have a vasectomy before leaving him.

My mother was such a pragmatic and manipulative woman. She had almost convinced my aunt that taking a second mortgage out on her home to pay for my cousin’s chemo treatment was irresponsible and negligent, until she received a package from my cousin in the future thanking for her taking that risk.

Almost everyone I knew had received a package from their future selves except me. My brother knew he was going to be accepted into some super weird foreign exchange program that he applied for last winter, and at that program he would meet his future wife.

It was a toss up on what news you would receive. I mean, what would you want to tell your past self more? Bad news or good news?

Those were the thoughts that ran through my head as I stared at the package on my door stoop. My familiar loopy handwriting sprawled across the front. The same, but different. Older if that makes sense.

I had been waiting for this. Now I stood frozen at what my future self might have sent.

to be continued…

by BiSKITs & Gravy

1 Year Anniversary

7.1.2019

Four women came together and decided to share their writing. To remix a classic Jay-Z bar, “it was all good just a year ago”.

We want to thank each and every person who has taken to the time to read our work, and share it with others. You are appreciated.

For the month of July, we will be trying something different. As we are writers of different genres, our pieces are usually very different. This month we will be doing a chain story.

The first post will be on 7.6.2020