TOMORROW IS YESTERDAY

Mr. Forth strolled along the sidewalk, a dapper gentleman with hat and cane, unusual in these times.  The offices of Lieber, Forth and Iger, attorneys at law, wasn't far from his home at all, and so he always walked the distance; and if he felt like mulling over a case before going home to his family, he would detour through the park where he could meditate undisturbed.

He saw a man walking in his direction whom he immediately recognized, but the man seemed not to notice Mr. Forth at all, and was just passing by when Mr. Forth spoke:

“Excuse me, sir,” he said, turning towards the man.  “I believe I saw you in the park yesterday.  Why, yes.  You were sitting on a bench observing me.  I am curious, sir, as to why you should take such an interest in me?”

“Oh?” said the man, with much surprise. “You are quite mistaken, sir.  I've never seen you before in my life.”

“Mistaken, indeed!  Were you not watching me in the park yesterday?”

“I wasn't in the park yesterday, therefore I wasn't watching you.  Certainly someone resembling me was watching you, but it wasn't me.”

Mr. Forth persisted: “I will forget the incident, the intrusion; only admit that it was you gazing at me in the park yesterday.”

“You are sort of mistaken, sir.”

“What do you mean by sort of mistaken?  Is that an admission?”

“I mean only that time flows backwards for me and so I'm totally unaware of your yesterdays.”

Mr. Forth began to indulge the stranger: “I'm baffled.  Perhaps you could elaborate.”

“I was born in the year 2054.  But my life runs backwards in time.  Sure enough each day runs a regular forward course, but when I wake up it's one day earlier by your calendar.”

Mr. Forth, who usually took a perverse delight in the nonsensical mutterings of  madmen, encouraged this poor devil to continue.

“When you wake up tomorrow it'll be August the thirteenth; when I wake up tomorrow, it'll be August the eleventh.  But I can't imagine why I'll be watching you in the park tomorrow.”

Mr. Forth corrected him: “Yesterday.”

“Did I say anything to you at all?”

“No,” said Mr. Forth, “though you certainly seemed wanting to.  You had a very grave look on your face.  Anyhow, I must be going.  Perhaps we'll meet again.”

“That's very doubtful, because I don't recall ever having seen you before.  But apparently I'll see you in the park tomorrow -- only that's already happened for you.”

“Well, goodbye then,” said Mr. Forth, wrapping up the conversation.  

The block being particularly long, Mr. Forth decided to cross the street right there at his convenience, and when he was in the middle of the road, the mysterious stranger blurted out: “Till tomorrow.”

Mr. Forth looked back and tipped his hat with a wry smile, not noticing the speeding truck.  Not noticing anything ever again.



© 2009 Richard Beland

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