Happy Birthday to the Best Sister One Could Ever Have!

I woke up today to a surprise on my bedside table, with a message on a post-it for me.

"I wanted to beat everyone to it! Happy birthday Melissa!"


A Gift To Be Given
A short story by Nicholas Lam

The time machine fizzled and crackled and out stepped three figures. One was wearing a shirt and a vest that made him look like a pure nut head, another wore a spacey romper complete with circuits running all over his torso. They both looked as if they had just come from a fancy dress party.

The third, of course, was undoubtedly me. I had travelled through time to bring my time travelling clones together for my sister’s birthday, and I must say, they did put in a little effort in finding cool gifts for my sister.

“What did you bring, Nicholas?” I asked Nicholas of the past. I was expecting him to pull out a great antique model of a ship later when Melissa was receiving presents. “Someone left Thomas Edison’s prototype light bulb at a bar, so I found it, but instead of leaking the information to the public, I’m giving it to Melissa.” He whispered like it was a great conspiracy against the public.

“That’s what I did too, but I leaked it on the Internet before I brought it here. Evading crime with time travel, high five, Nicholas!” Future Nicholas said, high fiving Past Nicholas.

I remember stiffening at the thought of Melissa receiving an invention a thousand years old and the same invention, which was still a thousand years in the making. But by now, it didn’t make much of a difference.

Melissa shook Past Nicholas’ present in glee, to which there was a crash inside the box. Melissa froze, putting the gift down beside her gently. Future Nicholas presented her with his present, which she shook, and to her delight, nothing broke.

Then I gave her my gift, and hugged her for a long time. “My gift to you is friendship, Melissa! And as far as I know, it’s awesome to be friends with me!”