Message to Myself

Sofia had never believed in fate. She’d always dismissed notions of predestination or that the universe had some grand design for everyone. Life, as far as she saw it, was a series of decisions that led down winding roads. She wasn’t the type to overthink them, either. Do what feels right in the moment and move on. That philosophy had served her well — or so she thought.

It was a cool Wednesday evening when Sofia stumbled across the letter. She had just moved into a new apartment downtown, eager to leave behind her last place and the memories it held. The new apartment was smaller but more modern — bare concrete walls, sharp angles, and too much glass. It felt sleek, but soulless.

Her belongings were still in boxes, scattered like landmines across the floor. Sofia set her coffee down and started rummaging through a stack of books, hoping to find her journal. She opened a book she hadn’t touched in years — The Collected Poems of Sylvia Plath — and there it was, tucked between the pages- an envelope, yellowed with age.

There was no address on it. No stamp. Just her name, written in a neat, familiar cursive. It looked like her handwriting.

Heart pounding a little faster, Sofia turned the envelope over in her hands, as if trying to feel its weight in meaning. Who would go through the trouble of leaving this here? She had bought the book herself years ago, in college. No one else had touched it.

Sofia tore the envelope open, slowly, careful not to damage the brittle paper. Inside was a single sheet, folded crisply in half. As she unfolded it, she could see it was handwritten in the same familiar script. And then she read the words—

"Dear Sofia,

If you're reading this, you have a chance to change everything. You don't understand what's happening yet, but you will. I’m you, from a future that doesn’t need to happen. Whatever you do, don’t go to Seattle. I can't explain everything, but that decision will ruin more lives than you can imagine. Trust me — you need to stay. If you go, it will all fall apart.

Sincerely, Yourself.”

She stared at the letter for what felt like an eternity, the weight of the words crushing down on her. Seattle? The letter couldn’t have known that Sofia was moving there next month, for a job that seemed like the opportunity of a lifetime. The job offer was still fresh, the excitement of a new beginning swirling inside her. The decision had been easy — Seattle was the future.

Was this some kind of joke? Who had put this here? Was it a friend messing with her? She’d mentioned the Seattle move to a few people, but this seemed like an elaborate prank.

But it wasn’t funny.

The handwriting was undeniably hers, eerily so. Sofia dropped the letter on the floor as if it had burned her fingers. She stood still, listening to the silence of the empty apartment, but her mind was racing. Her future self? Warning her?

“Ridiculous,” she muttered to herself, shaking her head.

But the unease lingered, creeping into her bones. She tried to focus on the present. The move. The job. She had been excited about the change, about leaving the past behind, about the new life she would build in Seattle. Yet now, everything felt clouded by doubt.

Sofia picked up the letter again, staring at it. What could possibly happen that would be so catastrophic? She wasn’t one to shy away from challenges, and she couldn’t imagine a version of herself so scared that she’d resort to… this.

It had to be a hoax.

She spent the rest of the evening going through her things, trying to shake the weird feeling the letter left in her stomach. By the time she climbed into bed, the rational part of her brain had taken over again. She'd call a few friends tomorrow and figure out who was behind it. It was just a silly prank.

But as Sofia drifted into sleep, the image of the letter stayed with her. In her dreams, she wandered through foggy streets of Seattle, witnessing a series of unsettling visions — a bridge collapsing, a shadowy figure beckoning her, and a mysterious clock ticking backward.

The following morning, Sofia woke to the sound of her phone buzzing. She groggily reached for it, squinting at the screen. It was a text from Yve-Car, her best friend from college.

"Hey, I was just thinking about you moving to Seattle! I had the weirdest dream about it last night. You weren’t supposed to go! LOL. Can’t remember why, but it was creepy as hell. Anyway, miss you! Let’s grab coffee before you leave.”

Sofia blinked. Twice.

A chill crawled down her spine. She stared at the text, her heart pounding in her chest. The timing was uncanny. Yve-Car had never been the superstitious type, much like Sofia herself. The eerie coincidence couldn’t just be brushed off as nothing.

She dropped the phone and stood up abruptly, pacing her small apartment. She grabbed her keys and left. Fresh air — she needed to think.

Sofia found herself in the park two blocks away. The sun was shining brightly, and people were out walking their dogs, running, or sipping coffee on benches. The normalcy of it all did little to calm her nerves. She sat on a bench under the shade of a large oak tree and tried to breathe deeply, slowing her racing mind.

Was she really considering taking a cryptic letter from “herself” seriously? The answer should have been no, but she couldn’t shake it. There was something about the handwriting, the message, the coincidental dream her friend had mentioned. She replayed the words in her mind — “It will all fall apart.”

But how? And why? She had to know more.

Her phone buzzed again, and she jumped. This time, it was an email notification. She opened it cautiously — it was from the moving company she’d hired to transport her belongings to Seattle.

“Due to unforeseen circumstances, we are canceling all bookings for the next two weeks. Please contact us for a full refund or to reschedule.”

Sofia stared at her screen, dumbfounded. Everything was unraveling.

She took a deep breath, mentally trying to connect the dots. The canceled movers, the strange letter, Yve-Car's dream — none of it should have had any bearing on her decision. It was just life. Coincidences happened all the time. And yet, something deep within her began to whisper that this wasn’t random.

Her phone rang. This time it was her mother, a woman who almost never called.

“Sofia? I know this is going to sound crazy,” her mother’s voice crackled through the line. “But I had a dream last night about you moving to Seattle, and… honey, I don’t think you should go.”

Sofia felt her blood turn to ice. “Mom, what are you talking about?”

“I don’t know! It’s just… I woke up with this feeling like something bad would happen if you left. I can’t explain it, but it was like you were in trouble, and I couldn’t reach you.” Her mother’s voice wavered with concern. “I know it’s just a dream, but it scared me, and I had to tell you.”

Sofia felt the weight of the universe pressing down on her chest. This couldn’t be happening. Her logical mind struggled to rationalize it. It’s just coincidence, she told herself. But another part of her, the one that was growing louder with each passing second, screamed that something was wrong.

What if the letter was real?

“I — I’ll think about it,” Sofia muttered, her voice distant. “I have to go, Mom. I’ll call you later.”

She hung up and stared at the pavement beneath her feet, her heart racing. She had always believed in her ability to control her destiny, but now it felt like the ground beneath her was shifting.

Sofia pulled out the letter again, smoothing the fragile paper in her hands. As she did, a strange sensation washed over her — a cold breeze, despite the warm weather, and a faint echo of ticking clocks.

“If you go, it will all fall apart.”

A thought struck her suddenly. If the letter was from her future self, warning her, then maybe she didn’t need to know why it would all fall apart — just that it would. Maybe that was enough.

But still, Sofia found herself hesitating. Seattle was her dream job, her new beginning. Could she really throw that all away on a cryptic message from… herself?

She glanced down at the letter once more, her fingers trembling. She recalled the forgotten moment in her past — a brief encounter with a stranger who had warned her of something she couldn’t quite remember. Could it be connected?

What if this wasn’t fate or coincidence? What if this was her only chance to change something she hadn’t even done yet?

Sofia crumpled the letter and shoved it into her pocket. The answer was obvious now, even if she didn’t want to admit it.

For the first time in her life, Sofia was about to let someone else — her future self — make the decision for her.

Sofia stood up from the bench, the weight of the letter still heavy in her pocket. She took a deep breath, the cool air filling her lungs as the world continued to spin around her — people passing by, the sound of distant traffic, the rustling leaves overhead. The life she had planned in Seattle was slipping away, just out of reach, and yet... she didn't feel regret. Maybe for once, the unknown was worth trusting. Maybe, this time, she wasn’t meant to follow the road she thought she’d chosen. With one final glance at the letter, she made her decision. She wouldn’t go to Seattle. Whatever came next, she would face it — but this time, she’d listen.