“You’re going to need these. You know you will.” A stranger mutters to me on the street, shoving a canvas bag into my arms before rushing off into the crowded sidewalk.

My confusion overwhelms me as they get swallowed by the crowd of people heading in the opposite direction. It takes me a full minute to come to my senses, when they return, the stranger is already long gone.

What was that? Is the question that consumes my thoughts all the way back to my apartment, not once thinking of discarding the bag. Something about it intrigues me, some sort of mystery to break normality. I let the bag rest comfortably on my shoulder all the way back, as if it was something I left with all along.

Only when I get back do I think about opening the bag, all previous errands I had to run abandoned. I fumble with the key, thoughts of what could be inside have been plaguing my mind all the way home. I’ve lost the focus I had earlier, ignoring the errands I had without a second thought. I feel like a child at Christmas, eagerly staring at a present, hopelessly going over the endless possibilities of what could be inside. I let out an audible sigh of relief when the key finally turns after almost a full minute of fumbling with the lock that I haven’t bothered to fix yet.

I rush inside, slamming the door behind me, knocking several knick-knacks off my bookshelf in the process. I jump at the sound of them hitting the ground, clutching the bag to my chest as if someone were going to rush in and steal it from me. I pick up the two fallen knick-knacks, thankfully unbroken, and put them back into their rightful places. One is a small porcelain goose given by a friend, and the other a crochet pumpkin, perfect for fall.

With the fallen knick-knacks out of mind, I walk over to my desk and dump out the contents of the bag. Only two things fall out: A necklace with a clock as a pendant, and a note that reads “USE IT WISELY.” Why does that handwriting look familiar?

***

It’s been hours, and all I’ve done is stare at this necklace and note. What could it possibly be used for?
The necklace is gold, the matching chain a perfect fit for me, with no clasp to adjust the size. The clock inside ticks away quietly, despite the cracks in the glass and scratches on the polished outside. Inside are roman numerals, the hands pointing to 4:27pm, the seconds hand ticking away without fail. Another smaller clock is inside, listing today’s date. Flowers are etched in the back with gold. On the top is a knob, in order to adjust the time and date.

But the oddest part is the note. I can’t seem to make sense of it no matter how hard I try. How do I “use it wisely” when I don’t even know how to use it? I’ve flipped it over a thousand times, but there’s nothing on the back, no other helpful words on the front.

I’m about to give up, decide that this whole thing is due to some crazy person and my wild imagination getting the better of me when the sun shines through at just the right angle to bounce off the broken glass of the watch and reflect onto the note. It gives me another message: “Come back – 11/26/2072, 2:00pm.”

A wave of deja vu hits me like a slap in the face. I’ve been here before, more than once. I look around, everything I’ve seen maybe a million times now faces me from a new perspective. Family photos hanging on the wall, faces I don’t know looming over me. My books on my bookshelf I’ve never read before but they still sit there proudly. Everything here is familiar and yet unfamiliar. I’ve been in this exact spot in time before, at a standstill staring over this exact necklace wondering whether or not any of this is real.

I guess there’s only one way to find out.

I put on the necklace, setting the time that the note says. At first, nothing happens. But then, I’m in a whirlwind of time. I’m standing in the same spot, but everything around me is changed, years turning into seconds until I’m at my destination and everything stops abruptly. I recognize it instantly, the deja vu having disappeared, I’m right back to where I need to be. Home.

Ahead of me is a mirror, showing myself from just earlier, and I realize what I must do in order to stop myself from living in the wrong universe. The note is gone so I write a new one, with a hidden message, and then go back to save myself.