Time Loop

True story.

So I was sitting at my computer, minding my own business, and suddenly, out of thin air, this guy appears in my room. Some completely random guy. Except he wasn't random, he was dressed like me, looked like me. If I didn't know better I'd have said he WAS me. The only difference was that he was carrying what looked like a Palm Pilot and a small piece of paper.

"Who the hell are you?" I demand, understandably startled by his entrance.

The guy blinks and looks confused, then consults his bit of paper. "Hi there, Sam, I am your future self. I have just travelled backwards in time to meet you," he says, obviously reading this straight from the paper.

I am sceptical, of course, but there is no better explanation available, so I say, "Can you prove it?"

"Sure," he says. "Come and stand here." He gives me the Palm Pilot. I see that there are times and dates flashing on it. I have no time to work out what they mean before my "future self" thrusts the paper into my hands too, and points to a green button on the Pilot. "Press that button now. Do it."

I shrug and press the button. There's a momentary blinding flash, and there I am in my living room, with yet another guy who looks awfully like me sitting at the computer staring back at me in shock.

"Who the hell are you?" he demands.

Suddenly, everything clicks into place. I consult the paper. I recite my lines, and send my past self back in time by about thirty seconds with the time machine and the piece of paper. And now here I am, still halfway through the day log I was in the middle of writing.

I think I'm going to have trouble sleeping tonight.

I can't help wondering whose handwriting it was on that piece of paper.

Film version

Time Loop was turned into a short film by Andrew Hookway!