The letter sat on my table, unopened. The envelope had my name and address written in messy, bold handwriting, but no return address. I’d been staring at it for a little over twenty minutes, wondering who would write to me. The only person who ever sends me mail anymore is my grandma, and this handwriting is almost the opposite of her loopy cursive. Finally, I’d come to the conclusion that the only way to identify the sender of the mysterious letter was to open it. Slowly, I picked it up. I gently opened the envelope, careful not to rip it. Finally, I pulled the letter out. 

It was written on a white piece of paper, and didn’t appear at all out of the ordinary. I opened it up and looked at the date on the first line. 

July 12, 2167. 

I blinked twice to be sure I’d read the date right. 2167? I rolled my eyes. Someone was probably pulling a prank on me. Last time I checked, the US postal service didn’t deliver mail from 148 years in the future. Still, I kept reading. 

Dear Great-Great Grandma Maddie, 

Hi! I’m Charlie, and I’m fifteen. I don’t know how old you are when you’re getting this letter. Is Great Grandpa Timmy alive yet? I don’t want to spoil the whole future for you. I guess I should tell you a little bit about me, though, since you won’t be alive when I’m born. I live in West Antarctica, but I’m on Mars for summer break right now. It’s too hot to stay home, so we come here every year. It’s really boring, especially since it’s my fifteenth time coming. We stay with my Aunt Julia, who lives here. I play soccer, but soccer fields on Mars are too dusty to play, in my opinion. I’ve been hanging out with Brian. He’s Aunt Julia’s neighbor, and he’s an android. There aren’t many androids at home because they can survive the heat on most of Earth, so they live closer to the Equator. Brian’s pretty cool, even though Aunt Julia claims he malfunctioned and hasn’t been the same since. He told me he could get this letter to you, and that maybe you’d respond. I don’t know if it’s possible, but I can hope. 

How’s the past? To be honest, I don’t pay much attention in history class. You live in the United States, right? Has President Trump been elected yet? Do you still drive cars? Has Great-Great Grandpa Joey left for World War III yet? Please write back! 

Love,

 Charlie.

I put the letter down and took a deep breath. This had to be some type of joke. World War III? West Antarctica? 2167? I picked up the envelope to throw it away and another piece of paper fell out and landed on the floor. 

I picked it up. It was a photo of me and a baby. I looked a bit older, but it was definitely me. I flipped it over and read the words on the back. Maddie and Timmy, January 2027.