Alice went to the post office as she does every Saturday afternoon to check on the mail. She was a striking woman, tall, dark, long brown hair, thin, and all around beautiful. Mark was at the post office that day, as he had been for the past three months. Alice was an organized person who refused to deal with any funny business. Ever since she had been established as the head of fashion for the “Killer Kisses” fashion and celebrity gossip magazine, she didn’t have time to be distracted. For her, everything had to be perfect lest her entire life be ruined.
“Good Afternoon, Miss Arian. Key, please.” Alice handed Mark her key without bothering to respond. Not once, other than to learn his name and introduce herself, had she ever spoken to Mark. She didn’t see the purpose in conversing with those lower than herself, other than to give orders. Not even at the office did her rules change.
“Here you go, Miss Arian. Have a good day.” Mark handed Alice a stack of letters, most of them bills and a few postcards from family members, and a package wrapped in brown packing paper. Alice took the pile and left. She put the bundle of mail onto the front passenger seat and then drove to her apartment. Alice, like most business people who resided in New York City, lived in one of the many apartments near the top floor of “Suave Homes”. She took her pile up to her room with her and then sat down in her chair behind her desk.
“Useless, useless, useless, I already paid that, junk.” She ripped all the letters in half, including those from family members. She dropped them in the trash and then picked up the box and a pair of scissors. The box didn’t have a return address so she cut it open without hesitation. It turned out to be an old shoe box. She removed the lid to reveal a small stack of papers with numbers at the top resting on the bottom of the box. Out of curiosity, she read the first one to herself.
1
Dear Alice,
I’m not going to bother to ask how you are or what you’ve been up to considering I’ll never be able to know the answer.
Alice didn’t recognize the handwriting.
Surely, you must be anxious to know what this is all about. Am I right? Well, to put this simply, it’s about you. Oh, Alice. You still haven’t figured out who I am, have you? That’s all right, sweetheart. You’ll know soon enough.
Our story starts two years ago. Can you think about what happened two years ago? That’s right; you were promoted to head of fashion. You thought it was such an honor, and you still do, don’t you? Well, Alice, it’s not. Do you remember the head before you? Do you remember what happened to her? I bet you don’t, because you don’t know. Nobody knows. Well, sweetheart, this box is going to tell you exactly what happened.
Sincerely,
Me
Alice paused, puzzling over the letter. Was this a prank of some sort? If so, she was wasting her time, but then she thought about the old head. She had to admit, she didn’t know what had happened to her. Was the time she would surely have to waste worth finding that out? She decided that it might just be so she pulled out the next letter.
2
Dear Alice,
This isn’t going to be easy for you. I hope you realize that. I didn’t spend hours on my story just for you to read in one, just for you to sit back and watch it unfold in the comfort of your apartment. What number is it anyway? 1013, by any chance? On the 10th floor in the building of Suave Homes?
Alice was shocked. That was exactly her address. How did this mystery woman know that? Did Alice have a stalker?
That used to be my room, Alice. I bet you your boss told you to move there. Did he, per chance, tell you it had the best view over the city? Did he tell you it was worth more than Suave Homes is renting it out for? That’s how he got me to move there.
Again, the woman was right on the money.
I hope you enjoyed room 1013. I know I did. Anyway, I want you to dig down to the bottom of the box I sent you. There should be another box, a smaller one all the way down at the bottom. There’s a set of instructions for you there. Now, as a business woman, as I once was, I doubt you enjoy wasting your time on childish nonsense, but this isn’t childish nonsense, Alice. Trust me; this box could save your life.
Sincerely,
Me
“Now I know this is pointless,” Alice scoffed. “Two letters and still no information?” Alice shook her head but obeyed the letter’s demands anyway. Sure enough, she pulled out a small blue box. It looked like it was meant to hold jewelry but inside was just a small, folded up piece of paper. “This better be good,” Alice muttered, unfolding it so she could read what was written on the inside. Stapled to the inside of it was a folded map. She ripped that off and set it aside momentarily. The letter looked to be in typewriter format.
Dear Alice, it is very important that you follow these instructions right to the punctuation. Every number coexists with a letter and star on the map. Do NOT read ahead. Sincerely, Me.
“This ‘Sincerely, Me’ nonsense is starting to get on my nerves,” she sighed, rolling her eyes. “I practically already know who you are. Why can’t I have your name?” Alice was about to continue but caught herself. What was she doing talking to a piece of paper? Obviously, the sender just wanted to bother her. The box didn’t contain anything of use, but oddly enough, she found herself continuing anyway.
1. You can skip one considering that you didn’t open the instructions until letter 2.
2. All I ask is that you not allow this to get into the wrong hands.
3. Go to Star 3 on your map. Make sure you bring a flashlight, camera, and hand shovel if possible.
Alice stopped, obeying the rules at the top. She unfolded the map and noticed there were only eight stars. “That means only 10 letters. Some of them must be pretty long then,” Alice concluded. She found this odd. Never before had she talked to herself. She scanned the map and found Star 3 positioned over central park. She gathered a flashlight and camera, but she didn’t have a hand shovel. She put those objects into the box, put the lid back on, and then headed back to her car.
It didn’t take Alice long to reach her destination. Once there, she pulled out letter 3 and began to read it.
3
Dear Alice,
Hopefully, you have followed my instructions and are now sitting at central park. I hope you had a hand shovel, because you’re going to be digging. Step out of your car and go to the cluster of trees on the North end of the park. There should be three bushes directly in front of them. Crouch behind the middle bush and snap exactly five photos of the bench in front of the bushes. After you’ve done this, your knees should be partially imprinted into the dirt. Dig towards the front of the left knee imprint until you find a blue lunchbox that might have been buried by a child. Do NOT open the lunchbox.
Alice got out of her car almost reluctantly, but followed the letter’s instructions. She found the trees and got behind the bushes. She took the five photos of the park bench and, sure enough, her knees were imprinted into the dirt. She dug where she was supposed to, ruining her perfect nails while doing so. Thankfully, the dirt was soft and loosely packed. The lunchbox wasn’t buried very deeply either.
After she had the lunchbox, she stood up, whipped herself off, and went over to the bench. She sat down, pleased with her progress into the letter and that, so far, everything had been true. She would’ve felt stupid had she done all of that for nothing. Alice pulled out letter 3 again and finished reading it.
Do you have the lunchbox? Good, very good. Now, go sit down on the bench you were taking pictures of. It’s a comfortable bench, don’t you agree? It was my favorite one. Now you can open the lunchbox. Those pictures aren’t pictures of me, if you were wondering. Anyway, this letter was pretty much pointless for you now. I just need a favor. If you could, send the lunchbox to the address written on the piece of scrap paper on the bottom of the lunchbox. It’s a promise I need to keep, and I have no way of doing that now. Thank you, Alice. You have no idea what that means to me.
Sincerely,
Me
Alice sighed but found the address. She then took the lunchbox to the post office and sent it on its way. “At least you’re being honest,” she figured, talking to the mystery woman yet again. Alice got back into her car and pulled out the map and letter 4.
4. Go to Star 4 on your map. You’ll need exactly $4.18.
Alice looked at the map and saw that Star 4 was her favorite place to have a coffee after a long work day. She knew how to get there easily and drove over. She took her purse and letter 4 in with her.
4
Dear Alice,
This is your favorite place to grab a nice cup of Joe after work, isn’t it? It was mine. Order a small cappuccino, like usual. That is what you order, isn’t it? When the server asks you if you want change, I’d just tell her to keep it. Give her an entire five, and that’ll be her tip. Doesn’t this sound familiar?
In fact, it sounded very familiar. That’s how Alice normally went about business when she came to have a drink. There was no funny business and the servers always knew exactly what she wanted. The usual weekend server came over and asked if she wanted to usual. She agreed and gave the girl a five, telling her to keep the change. Less than five minutes later she had a steaming cappuccino in her hands and she started to read again.
I must be creeping you out by now, Alice. Don’t worry. I’m not the one putting you in danger. In fact, I’m trying to help you, but I already told you that. Anyway, this place doesn’t have any particular importance; I just thought it’d be a nice place for this letter. Let’s face it, what I’m about to tell you isn’t going to be easy for you to accept. But keep yourself composed, Alice. You wouldn’t want to embarrass yourself in public, now would you?
Today, you received several letters from the post office, including two postcards. One was from your sister, Anna. When was the last time you talked to Anna, Alice? I’ll tell you. Too long ago. Anna is a pretty good looking woman now, and she’s quite a success too. She has two kids, is married, and has her own restaurant. Wasn’t that your dream, Alice? Weren’t you two going to own a restaurant together?
Alice remembered when she and Anna were little. They had been playing with their Play-Dough set when Alice told Anna that she wanted to own a restaurant. They planned to own it together and call it Double A’s Fine Dinning. It was going to be an all day place with homemade recipes. As she grew older, though, Alice left the restaurant idea behind and decided that she preferred fashion, and that’s just where she landed herself. She hadn’t even thought of Anna and her dreams.
All those postcards you keep ignoring, those are from Anna trying to tell you that she succeeded in her dreams and that she wants you to come check out the restaurant, but you never will, will you? Sadly, you don’t have the time anymore.
"How do you know all of this?" Alice wanted to demand, but she held her tongue. Surely, these letters would answer all her questions later.
You’ve become what you despised, Alice. You’ve deserted you’re family. Don’t try to deny it. You act like they are the worst things to ever exist. Think about it. When’s the last time you’ve visited home? When’s the last time you asked how everyone was doing? Do you know that you have an adopted sister now? No. Don’t even try to blame it on your family, because it’s all your fault. They try and they try to tell you all these little things but you treat them like they’re something bad you misfortunately stepped on. You have no one to blame but yourself.
Now, go ahead and give me your excuses. You’re busy? You just don’t have the time for it? What does it matter anyway? No, Alice. The only excuse you should have is that you’re too stuck up and selfish to care. That’s the truth, Alice. You’re an awful person and you’ll never have the chance to make up for any of that. And for that, I apologize. I wish you did.
Sincerely,
Me
Alice was shocked. Could she really be that awful? "Yes. Yes, I can, because I am that awful." She fought back tears and was forced to leave, unless she wanted to be utterly humiliated. She put another five on the table and left without even touching her cappuccino.
Alice got back into her car and drove around aimlessly, finally allowing the tears to escape. Did she actually have an adopted sister? "I knew Mom felt empty without any kids in the house but did she really go to that extent to have one? And Anna? Anna and I have been best friends since birth! How could I not know these things about my own twin?" Finally, Alice calmed herself down enough that she could pull over and get on to the next letter.
5. Go to Star 5 on your map. Park just outside the building and watch the door very carefully. Pay attention to who you see coming in and out.
Star 5 was in front of a ragged looking apartment building. Beggars sat on the sidewalk, pleading for money. The people walking around looked liked they would mug anyone they saw. The map had taken her into the ghetto of New York.
5
Dear Alice,
Do you recognize this building? I doubt it. In fact, if you’re nearly as successful as you make yourself out be, you shouldn’t. This is where Sandra lives, Alice. Sandra, your personal assistant. You have her on such a low paycheck that she can’t even afford a decent apartment. Do you know what’s worse? Sandra has a daughter and son, Celia and Tanner. They go to that rugged school you always hate driving pass because it’s such an eye-swore. You think it should be torn down, but if you do that, then her kids and a lot of other kids won’t be able to eat at school, they’ll be picked on, teased. All because of you. How do you like that, Alice?
"No, I wouldn’t like that," Alice answered in her head. She felt guilty just thinking about it, now that she knew what purpose the building served. She wondered if, maybe, that lunch served at that school was the only meal the kids got all day. What did they do out of school?
If you watch very carefully, you’ll be able to see Celia and Tanner running in and out of the building. Celia is the little girl with pigtails in that scraggly, blue dress. Tanner is the boy just a little bit taller than her, just a little bit older. He has brown hair and keeps trying to tickle Celia. Can you see them?
Alice could see them. Celia looked only to be five or six. She had brown hair like her brother and looked filthy and half starving. Alice could hear the little girl laughing, could see her older brother chasing after her. Tanner must have been eight or so and was in an outfit just as pathetic as his sister’s. It was obvious that, in any other school, the siblings probably would have been the laughing-stock of the building. Alice doubted that even the teachers would look upon them with much favor.
There’s another reason why those kids have such a hard life, and it’s your fault too. You know that outfit you insisted Sandra buy for press conferences? That single outfit cost more than what she had saved up to feed her kids for the week. Their only meals that week consisted of school lunch, and whatever their mother managed to find in the dumpsters. Of course, she couldn’t deny you what she wanted. There was never a hope for her.
Oh, you want to take all the back now? Well, you can’t. Let’s get on to the next letter.
Sincerely,
Me
Alice stared helplessly at what she had just read. There was nothing she could do to help those jubilant children? Surely, there had to be something. Suddenly, it came to her. Alice slipped a couple hundred dollar bills from her purse, put them in her pocket, and headed towards the children. “Tanner!” Alice called, running up to the little boy. He froze and stared up at her, obviously afraid. “You’re name is Tanner, isn’t it?” Alice said, just to verify the letter. The boy nodded.
“Yup! And my name’s Celia, but everyone calls me Cici,” the little girl called, coming to her brother’s side.
“Well, that’s great,” Alice told them, bending down to their level. “My name’s Alice. You’re mommy works for me.”
“Oh. You’re MissArian. Momma tells us a lot about you all the time. She says you’re the reason we get to eat at night,” Tanner muttered. Alice almost choked on her next words. "How can Sandra say that? I made it where her children couldn’t eat for more than a week!"
“Yes, yes. I’m Miss Arian, and I have something for your mommy.” Alice handed the money to Tanner and folded his fingers over it. “Now, I want you to run this all the way up to her right now, okay? And don’t tell her who gave it to you, just tell her it’s from a friend and I gave it specifically to Sandra Turner. Did you get all that?” Tanner and Celia glanced down at the money, shocked. Then they nodded simultaneously and raced back into the building. Alice stood up straight and tall and put her hands on her hips. "Beat that, mystery woman. There was something I could do." Triumphantly, Alice strolled back to her car and prepared herself for letter 6.
But, before she did that, Alice had another idea. She drove herself back to her apartment and wrote a letter of her own. As she was writing, she found herself continually grabbing for more paper. Finally, after two hours, she had a stack of papers to put the shoe box to shame. She found a different shoe box in her closet and put the letters inside. Then, she added photographs and a couple of hundreds from her rainy day jar and shoved those inside too. She ran back down stairs and drove to the post office, hoping they were still open. They were and so she sent her box to her mother, thinking that maybe that could help settle the score. Then, once back inside of her black car, she read the instructions for letter 6.
6. Go to Star 6 on your map. Bring a bouquet of roses.
Star 6 was the city cemetery. Alice wondered what the letter would possibly tell her to do at the cemetery. Still, Alice followed the instructions, bout a bouquet of roses, and went to the destination. Just before she got out of her car, she grabbed letter 6 and began to read. The handwriting had changed.
6
Dear Alice,
I know you must be curious to what you’re doing at the cemetery. You’ve never had to visit here before, have you? Don’t fear, Alice. I’ll tell you where to go. Go to the very back of the cemetery where all the children are buried. Now, three rows in front of the children’s section there is an unusually small looking headstone. Go to that one.
Alice was instantly relieved that she hadn’t been asked to go into the children’s section. She wasn’t sure if she could handle dead children anymore. The small headstone only had two lines on it; the name of the person buried there and the date of birth and death. Still, she was curious to why the handwriting had changed. Now it looked a lot like her own.
Melissa Leeann Douglas. January 14th, 1986 – November 9th, 2010. She was only 24, Alice. So young. This is where you can rest your roses. I’d get down on my knees and make it look like your whispering this letter to her. Did you notice, Alice, that her death date is just two days before you were hired on as the head of fashion? That her death date is exactly two years ago, today? Yes, Alice. Melissa Leeann Douglas was the last head of fashion. They killed her, Alice. And you’re next if you’re not careful, if you don’t obey my directions exactly.
Nobody has ever figured out why Melissa Leeann Douglas died of a heart attack. She was so healthy, but I know. They inserted a needle into her neck and killed her. Then they raped her body and reported the death to the hospital. She was beautiful, Alice. Just like you.
Sincerely,
Me
Alice froze. There had to be more! She flipped over the letter and read what was there.
P.S. I love you.
Rest in Peace, Melissa
It didn’t take a genius to figure out what to do. Alice laid the letter on Melissa’s headstone, stood up, and left. She let out a single tear drop as she was walking away. Not for Melissa, she hardly knew Melissa, but for herself and the life she had wasted.
Alice got into the car and went directly on to letter 7.
7. Go to Star 7 on your map. Read the letter before exiting the car. Do not struggle.
Star 7 took Alice to the entrance of an alleyway. It was getting dark and the shadows made the alley look even worse than it probably was. Alice pulled out letter 7 in hopes for a better explanation. She noticed that, again, the handwriting switched, but it went back to how it was before.
7
Dear Alice,
You’re scared. That’s a good thing. Hopefully, by now, it’s just after nightfall. What I’m going to ask you to do is going to sound crazy but, trust me, it’s going to save your life. You are going to walk down that alley leaving everything else behind. Two strong men are going to kidnap you and drag you into an old, abandoned building. You cannot waste time here, Alice and I repeat do NOT struggle. Do. NOT. Struggle! Trust me on this. Good luck.
Sincerely,
Me
Alice stared at the letter as if it were insane. "She wants me to do what! How can she expect me to do that?" Alice gulped and put her hand on the handle of the car door. “I can’t believe you’re actually insane enough to do this, Alice,” she told herself, but she pushed open the door and followed the letter’s directions to meet her fate. Sure enough, as she reached the back of the alley, to men jumped her. On instinct, she punched the first man hard in the jaw, but then she remembered her orders. She stopped fighting and they did exactly as the letter said they would.
Alice closed her eyes as the men started tying her up. All of a sudden, the door they had just come through was battered down and three police officers came pummeling in. “This is the police! You’re under arrest for kidnapping and raping young women, and for the growing, using, and selling of illegal drugs!” one of the officers shouted. Alice was frozen in place and watched as the men took off, leaving her half-bond. Two officers charged after them, firing stun guns, while the other untied her.
“Thanks, Alice, for helping us out on this one. We owe you one,” the officer thanked her. “Trust me; I’ll keep your name off the records just as you asked.”
“Thank you,” she said, acting as if she knew what was going on. She stood up and then walked out of the building, back to her car. She slid into the front seat, still in shock, and decided to move onto the next letter.
8. Now, go to Star 8 on your map. Go into the warehouse. Do not be afraid. Turn on the light switch.
Alice almost couldn’t believe that she was following the directions to what might be her final resting place. "No, Alice," she assured herself. "There’s still two more stars on the map. They wouldn’t kill you before you get to those stars." With that little bit of reassurance, she went.
The warehouse looked like it had been abandoned for years. She didn’t like the looks of it but, against her better instincts, she took letter 8 and the flashlight in with her. "At least I know why she wanted me to take the flashlight now." Alice thought semi-optimistically.
She walked into the building and turned on the first light switch she came across. Bright, yellow lights flashed on from the ceiling, forcing Alice to shield her eyes. She dropped the flashlight under the light switch, figuring she wouldn’t need it anymore. Then, she heard a humming noise coming from across the warehouse. She peered towards the sound and saw a large object being covered by a giant, white sheet. She strolled over to the object and tore off the sheet, uncovering something one might see in a science fiction movie. It was a gigantic, metal ring with a gadget the size of a large generator on the side. She was about to fiddle with it when she remembered the letter.
8
Dear Alice,
Did I scare you with that last trick? Oh, don’t worry; it’s nothing to be truly afraid of. I made a promise for you that you were going to help the police bust those guys. Don’t think too hard about it now; there’s work to be done. Now, I’m sure you’ve already uncovered the giant machine at the far end of the warehouse. That, Miss Allison Penelope Arian, is a time machine. This is going to be a very short letter, Alice. All you have to do is follow my directions step-by-step. Understood? Good, let’s get started.
1. Go to the machine’s control center and pull the purple lever towards you as far as it will go.
Alice did and the machine started to hum even louder.
2. Set the numbers (you do that by touching them. Hopefully you’ll be able to skip this step) to 1, 1, 9, 2, 0, 1, 2, 7, 3, 0.
She checked the numbers and they were set, just as the mystery woman hoped. She thought she had known who the woman was, but not she was still clueless. She had become clueless upon seeing Melissa’s gravestone.
3. Now flip the red lever.
Again, she obeyed and the machine began an all out roar. The middle of the ring started to form a puddle of pinks, greens, yellows, blues, and more shades. Some of which she didn’t have names for. She glanced down at the letter to see what was next.
4. Prepare yourself for a gut wrenching journey and step into the now fully powered, extremely colorful, liquid-like portal.
As always, good luck.
Sincerely,
Me
Alice paused before entering the portal. Would she need the other letters on the other side? She decided not to risk it and went to go get them and her purse. She locked her car and then nearly ran back into the warehouse. She braced herself, clutching the objects to her and closing her eyes, and then leaped through the portal.
Alice opened her eyes warily and found herself on the other side of the ring. The power was shut off now but light shone through cracks in the warehouse’s walls. She peered around and then though about the numbers she had put in. 1192012730. 11-9-2012 7:30. “It’s just morning again,” Alice realized. She looked down at her box of letters and then hastily started letter 9.
9. Go to Star 9 on your map. You’ll figure it out.
Star 9 was her office. Alice was pleased that she had thought to bring her purse with her. Now she had the keys to her office. Alice walked out of the warehouse, taking her stuff with her and recovering the machine. Just before she left, she checked to see if the numbers were right. They weren’t so she reset them all besides the time. She figured she would go back to her time through the portal too.
Alice caught a taxi once outside of the warehouse and headed towards her work space. She paid the taxi driver but hesitated before entering the building. She pulled out letter 9 to see what it advised her to do.
9
Dear Alice,
Good job, Alice, you just saved your life. No, I’m not talking to you, Alice; I’m talking to me, Alice. Yes, that’s right. I, you, sent these letters to you, me. Time travel is a curious thing, Alice, very curious indeed. It loops itself around and around, over and over again. I experimented with it, that’s how I know. Let me explain to you what happened before you go spy on yourself.
Later on today, because for both of us it’s morning again, I was kidnapped by those two men who kidnapped you in that alley. I fought, screamed, and was lucky enough to attract the attention of passing by officers. Of course, unlike you, I didn’t have the fortune of them keeping my name off the case. That ruined everything for me, for us, Alice. We lost our job, but in doing so, we gained a new one.
You see, Alice, we are very smart. That time machine you just traveled in, we built, or I did, because now you’ll never have to. It’ll still exist though, because, as I said, time loops itself. In order for the future of the next loop Alice not to be ruined, you’ll have to send these letters to her. You’ll see her soon enough, you.
Of course, the next one will be you, too, you see? Also, in a sense, it’ll not be you, because you won’t know her anymore than she’ll know you. You, Alice, might be the 50thAlice this box has been sent to, and there’s only one way of knowing whether you were the first Alice, and that is through the 6th letter. What did yours say? I can tell you this, the 1st 6th letter told you to visit Melissa’s grave and to leave a bouquet of roses there. Then it told you to leave and throw that letter away as you were leaving. Is that what yours said? If not, then you are not the first Alice to receive this box.
Perhaps you other Alices will find a way to mark how many of you have received the box, but I’m not going to bother with it. In fact, after the first Alice receives this box, I will, and will not have ever existed. It’s very fascinating because, without me sending this box, the time machine is built and you, Alice, lose your dream job, but with me sending the box, Alice, you keep your dream job and there’s never a need for the time machine other than to help you keep your job. So who built it if my future doesn’t exist in your dimension? I doubt anyone anytime soon will ever be able to fully grasp this looping of time, but I have attempted.
Anyway, Loop Alice Number Whatever, it is time for your final lesson. You see, I did not send this box only to help you keep your dream job, but also to teach you what you’re missing and improve your life. Hopefully, you will accept my lessons, go to your family, and celebrate their lives and yours. Hopefully, you’ll think about your actions and become more of the woman you’ve always wanted to be. Now, go up to your office and watch from a distance of your slightly younger self.
Alice obeyed as always, starting to understand why letter 6 had had different handwriting. It seemed like the Alice who sent the first box was older than the other Alices who had received it. That’d also explain why letter 6’s handwriting was nearly identical to hers.
Alice’s office was on the top floor and had all glass walls so anyone could see what was going on inside. She peered at her former self from behind an empty cubicle’s wall. There were lots of small cubicles around Alice’s office. Younger Alice was talking to Sandra about all the fashion shows they’d have to attend and how Sandra would have to pay for her own airfare. Alice wanted to cry out to Sandra that she didn’t have to do that. That Alice would cover it all, but she didn’t. She had no idea what the consequences for doing that would be.
Younger Alice disgusted Alice. She almost couldn’t believe she had been so naïve. Alice looked down at the letter and read what was there, hoping to be almost done with this journey of hers.
She seems naïve, doesn’t she? You almost hate her, don’t you? Good, because I hate who I used to be. You only have one more letter, Alice. There isn’t much time left for me. I’m old and I still have to go back in time and take the second time machine to the right spot so you can use it.
You’re probably wondering what it’s going to be like, having a time machine open to your disposal. I’m going to tell you this, Alice. You’ll never know. I’ve already disposed of all of my research and work and I’m probably there somewhere in your world before you went back. I’ll wait until I see loop Alice 1 come back and then I’ll destroy the machine. There’s a reason. I’ll tell you in the next letter.
Sincerely,
The Original Alice
Alice put down the letter and shoved it into her box. She went to the elevator, went down, and left the building. It was so much to take in, this loop thing. She wondered why her original self decided to destroy the ability to time travel. She was more than eager to find out and immediately pulled out letter 10.
10. Go to star 10 on your map. Bring extra cash for postage.
Star 10, unsurprisingly, was the post office. Alice took another taxi there and then read letter 10 just outside of the building.
10
Dear Alice,
This is it, your last letter. In this letter, I’ll wrap up everything and give you your final instructions. Those, of course, are to write letter 6 again so that the next Loop Alice will know about Melissa. Then, you’re to send the box to yourself so that you save your own life. It’s very fascinating, isn’t it? Thinking simply, you’d be led to believe that time just never continues, but that’s not how it happens. Time does continue. That’s why it’s so complex! Maybe there will be a usable time machine in your time, probably when you’re old like me, but I pray not. Now, as I promised, here’s why:
The Warper 1, that’s what I named my first time machine, is currently open to the public for anyone with enough money. I have Warper 2 only available to me. In fact, nobody else knows about. Here’s the problem. For those who do have the large sum of money we charge to use the time machine, they receive the ability to mess with time! I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had to go back and fix the things that other people have messed up. I’m rather lucky that I haven’t been put into that existing but not existing phase yet.
I’ll be honest with you, loop Alice, my original intentions were simply to destroy the time machine, but I figured I could also make you happy while doing that. So, that’s exactly what I did. Congratulations to all Alices, we’ve succeeded in all of our dreams.
Well, truly, that’s all I have to tell you. Don’t forget to send this to the Loop Alice after you. I have no idea what might happen if the loop is destroyed. I haven’t bothered to risk it with anything else. Remember, everything affects everything. Good luck, Alice.
Sincerely,
The Original Alice
Alice felt content with the final letter until she realized she didn’t know how to get back to her time. She flipped the paper over and was relieved to find the answer there.
P.S. In order to get back, set the last three digits to the time after the time you left. I’m not sure when that will be so good luck figuring it out. Oh, and push the purple lever the other way.
“Purple lever other way,” Alice said to herself. Then she went into the post office, wrote out letter 6 on the counter, and placed it in the box. She decided to replace everything the way she had found it, stapling the map again, and discovered that there was an extra letter she hadn’t read before. She pulled it out and read it.
Dear Alices, I am Loop Alice 1. Please tally which Alice you are for future Loop Alices’ reference.
There were 53 tallies already on the paper and Alice marked hers. That meant she was the 54th Loop Alice. Just to show her loop number pride, if that was such a thing, she drew a smiley face at the bottom of the paper. She put that on the bottom of the box, just on top of the blue map box, and then had it wrapped up by Mark. “Thank you, Mark,” she told him, not thinking that later on that day a Loop Alice would walk in and refuse to say a word to him. Just so that he wouldn’t think of her weirdly, she took the box outside and wrote her post box address on it. She dropped it in the drop box and headed back to the warehouse, taking her purse with her.
Alice followed the last letter’s instructions and then stepped through the portal. She found herself on the other side again, this time plunged in darkness. She walked over to where she was sure the light switch was and picked up her flashlight from the ground. She turned it on and waved it across the room, just in time to blind Original Alice. “Argh,” Original Alice growled, shielding her eyes.
“Sorry,” Alice muttered. “I wasn’t expecting you to come out so early. I’m 54, by the way, if you were curious. Of course, that probably doesn’t matter to you, does it? You won’t remember any of the other Alices any more than I knew of them.”
“It’s nice to know I was still pretty quick to figure things out in my young age,” Original Alice answered. “How do you know that, anyway? That you’re 54.”
“We found a way to mark how many Alices got the box. I’m 54, trust me.” Alice smiled at Original Alice. The woman was shorter than Loop Alice 54, probably from old age, and was wrinkly with shocking white hair. “And thank you, Original Alice. I don’t know what you’re going to do after you destroy Warper 2, but you’re welcome at my home anytime.” Original Alice shook her head.
“No, Loop Alice 54. After I get rid of this dang thing, and hopefully my assistant is destroying Warper 1, I’m going to find a nice good lake, take this little pill in my pocket, and disappear. They can find my bones later, when there’s nobody to question the existence of two genetically identical Alices.” Loop Alice 54 nodded and began to leave.
“Thank you, again. Oh, and I’m doing fine, thank you,” she said and strode out, remembering letter 1. She smiled as she stepped into the night’s air and strolled towards her car. “Tomorrow, you start a new life, Alice. Tomorrow, you’re the woman you’ve always wanted to be.” And she kept that promise, just as every Loop Alice before her and every Loop Alice after her did.