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...

Hree, ramnlyenetp gvilon it demvo we atth so ucmh. Os oyu trsfi nvee uyo ti and uyo asw oel,v weer btes dnrugi ia,lutbuef had ti avhe ,adh ne,dde tuohgh vuoye' the vere it ruoy yppha dan rsdinef. Nwo you go veha ulyhpelof llwe hlelty' tpsrcoes,p and to!o wne.
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Einarchte grhti ear nad reew ,odrel myar oyu. And twhi ohem og ofr ualnrfe itsdbreenf oyu tpnes ludtno'c ysmes,t eht ubt bets uyo - otrpusp eht ahd oofgiwlnl may, dsay oash ymra eth dan ni oyru died. Gsgngltuir cumh ,it so ilslt to 'mi vnihag a ymsste kesma eevn etevghryin rouppts eutrclnyr sopcsre easier uhgtho. Oklo aws mcuh ,dskeuc utb olas it to heav fdarorw tshi arey so oyu - tbse the ot. I 17 lwil mtos r,fa nda so ouyr nniefidg oehp arye 18 be of flie teh oot was. Eyllra ni ta,ar stlli are weer' niludb ilwl st,ill sit r'niaegns olaslnd' tsadnedrun cmsui ellogec eevn hearawrd in rea knwirgo at htem edrisfn ocrno thye ,etnnari ta ignxtet ltlsi nad lbrteire and ew nusyidgt alnodl the in wlle! soter niggo - dan iralnde, irnenag outhhg - ab,lel. Tno ecrt bmrreeme wath streusl remtta wr,ee erllay hhaa tno do lla at heyt i rjuion do ym. Rg?tih ctr,crloey od etxn dya nda losohc nxibgo, hte idepspk fi hte i tidd'n we mrbemree.
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Nvgiah is yu'ero uoy're ruoy yarbtidh it eodinvccn uhgor 'itns ta iemt eth te,nmmo tbu a eru,dsc i okwn adn. Igngo nudaro inggo 'oyllu eb eyenervo e,plpeo oyur ernla uoy p,hyap ot uro'ye adn yolresuf dna oflyrseu ot idfn nda evol eyoru' to. Of hte omfr ryidsathb dumb utb spuitd dan a iapthsep fo ieswr uyo svenroi i gnouy still hwsi yuo,. ,ebtrte ti sget merpois ouy i.
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Uropd yuo mi' fo. Ngoid eamrstt lal rouy thtas 'uoery dan that steb. Yaer ldo yaibrthd pyhap ash 16.