She answered a phone call from her own number. The sound of the ring startled her in the dim light of her living room. For a moment, confusion clung to her like a shadow. But something deep inside urged her to pick up the call.

"Good evening," said a voice that was both familiar and foreign—a version of herself speaking with a gentle, wistful tone. "I know you have questions. I’m calling from an evening yet to come, from a path you almost lost."

Her pulse quickened. The notion was absurd, yet every word resonated with a secret truth she had felt in the quiet corners of her mind. This wasn’t a glitch or a trick of technology; it was as if time itself had folded just enough to bridge a conversation between who she was and who she might become.

"Why are you calling me?" she asked, balancing on the edge of skepticism and wonder.

The voice sighed, laden with both regret and hope. "Because there’s a choice waiting for you—a chance to mend a split in your past. Tonight, remember the dreams you once whispered to the stars, and the promises you made to your own heart." Each syllable painted visions of a life filled with passion and undeterred ambition—memories of a forgotten self who leapt into adventure without fear.

In that surreal moment, her surroundings blurred and transformed. The familiar hum of the refrigerator, the soft glow of the desk lamp—they receded into a background of possibility. She recalled a time when every choice was a bold step into the unknown, when every dream burned bright and unchallenged by doubt. The call was not merely a warning; it was an invitation to reclaim that long-lost spark.

Words tapered off into a quiet static, leaving her in a silence that vibrated with newfound resolve. The conversation had ended as abruptly as it had begun, but in its wake lay a simple yet profound directive: rediscover who she truly was and salvage the moments that defined her essence.

As the first hints of dawn broke the horizon, she gathered the scattered pieces of her memories—the scribbled notes, the faded photographs, and the dreams still tucked away in the recesses of her heart. With steady determination, she stepped out into the morning light, carrying with her the mysterious echo of a voice from tomorrow that reminded her that sometimes, the path forward begins with a tender reunion with one’s own past.

Taylor Schwab

@Taydog101

Shattered Reflections

Taydog101