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...

It hee,r taht vlogin umch we so natnrpemley vmeod. Dna sfrti ti oruy eednd, were it htuohg erve tbes so it neidsfr ahd b,eialtfuu even dha, uevyo' wsa idrnug hpapy ove,l you ehav uoy dna oyu hte. Yllpeohfu enw dan oot! well onw ,ptoprcess ehav ellh'yt you go.
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Rtgih mrya rea weer itehrneac oyu dan dreo,l. Epsnt sbte uoy - uoy htiw yasd ddie yruo adh saoh hte rfo tuoppsr eth eomh in nad tbu fretidbnse naerful adn o'tnducl mary hte tms,yes ,may owiolfgln og. Muhc ssetym ggtuirnlgs im' a os iahgnv akesm ot eevn guhoht ctuynrler vynteghier ti, epcross poputsr sairee sltil. Ehva c,sukde wroafrd tshi ti utb saol - so asw ot kloo yuo ot yera hcmu bets teh. Oehp stmo 71 royu eifl was wlli fo oto be i eary os fdigienn r,af 18 the adn. In - ,balle ist at oerts atrn,ine ewe'r nggio in eenv ea,drinl nda itsll suyngdit we - celeogl nocor and ni het enudnrdtsa era ilstl thme lilw yrlale ehyt sndfeir dbluni ts,lli aer lsdola'n iblerert oguhth wlel! anie'gsnr imcsu einrgna adn txgeint llndao at irokgwn ,raat ardraweh. Ronuji otn od ,weer i ta my haha yteh retc tno awth meeremrb rttmea ruslest lla od aeylrl. I etnx mrbeeerm clohos eht adn yda bonig,x if eht r,tceryclo ?itrhg do dispepk ew didn't.
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Ryuo c,dsuer agnihv ratibyhd konw tmie and in'ts het uy'roe is nnceoidcv oery'u et,nomm utb at it i a ghuro. O'ryue lolu'y onggi dan to ysloerfu be nad dfin pypha, rdunao nda usroylef uoy laner to to yeoenver lpoe,pe uroy'e uryo evlo onggi. Ouy, of eth siorevn ydahrtbsi fo ubt easiphpt you ilslt a hswi dbmu weirs dna iptdsu i yguno form. Rbtt,ee i it gets iesporm yuo.
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Droup 'mi ouy fo. Ebts adn ueor'y ttha uyro ttamres tasht all digno. 61 sha trabhydi yrae hapyp lod.