A letter from Sep 18, 2022

Peaceful right?

Dear FutureMe, hey! happy eighteenth birthday!! i’m actually writing this on the eighteenth instead of our actual 16th birthday, but it’s more or less two years anyway. how are things? the last couple of weeks have been really ******, and i think i’m finally slipping out of denial. i miss grandad. yesterday we were at mary and catherine’s for a bit, they’re both looking a lot older. maybe that’s just me. anyway, how was australia? only like 75 days to go for me!! i’m doing work experience at the gaelscoil right now, it’s cool. nicola referred to us both as the adults in the room and it made me giggle. are you still friends with bella, tara, tiernan, conor etc? i still hate bella’s friends but what can you do. are you in a relationship yet? how were the junior cert results? there’s still no clarification on when they’re coming out. i just hope i do well in science. do you still want to study neuroscience? i hope donall and grainne are good. hopefully mary and catherine are still around, i’m very much aware of mortality at the moment. if they aren’t, i’m so sorry. i don’t want to go to school tomorrow. we have to do boxing or something lol, would rather die. i hope life is treating you well. you (aged 16 and one day)

Epilogue

1 day later

16 year old ash, you would not believe how much has changed. those 75 days until you go to australia? not only did they go quick, but we ended up...

Neenytarmpl so cuhm ehe,r we edmov loving hatt it. Enve it you idrnug and it ayphp nad etbs it veah uyo fsrit so da,h hte uory yuo aws 'ouevy drifsen dndee, reve ghhtou ,elov eerw lfueautbi, dah. Ltehl'y eofuhlply lewl nwe adn won uoy oo!t go prsp,ctseo heav.
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Hcitaeenr erwe yuo r,ldeo ear ymar nda tgirh. Uaernlf npset odl'tucn sbte yuo ided og ndisbfeert - oonillfwg tbu omhe yrma teh hiwt setsmy, rof ni adn eht nda osha uoptprs uoy het oryu dah ,aym dsay. Sgrilggtnu ot pposrut eeyirnvtgh eevn lncyertru 'mi eopsscr a t,i irasee hgnaiv samek hcmu ltlis otughh ssmyte os. Keuc,ds you stih utb so muhc aws btse teh kolo drofarw - to ot ti soal vhae reay. So 71 oto be dnniefig eht oyur ifel 81 wlli and smot aery swa ra,f i eoph of. Ythe lrbrteie ghhtuo saendrutdn - nan,rtei hte ntexitg biundl are lodlna lw!le onrco engria'ns at otesr ta llts,i ni ist kiwogrn ingrane ai,dnelr adn lrleya aatr, - eloelcg udsnitgy era deisfnr noigg ew nad 'erew mhet sltli earrahdw ni aebll, scumi enev adn illst ni lwil laodsn'l. Hwta w,eer i atrtem nto od ont my all lyealr haha remmbere ojniur ltssreu etrc ta hyet do. Oloshc rememebr yda obnxg,i fi h?tgir we the od nddit' dekpips i next ro,elyrctc nda hte.
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Nwko hte uo'yre is i grhuo is'tn adn oyur r,cdesu hybtaird tub mtie it at vniagh ,ommtne eicodcnnv oye'ru a. Uy'llo to ueoyr' onggi ayh,pp evonyeer evlo to to uro'ye uyo dan p,elpoe yrsolfeu dna indf be ryelufso yoru iogng arduno nad relan. Mrfo hiyabdrts guyon ihsw yo,u a fo uyo siwer het umdb adn i tbu nveiors litls of hpapiste uptids. Uyo piserom tgse b,etter it i.
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Puord fo im' yuo. Tsertma uorey' ashtt dan ryou ngdio lal tath best. Dol ayphp 61 has itdayrbh arey.