My Time Over

In a dilapidated council flat bedroom, Mark (15) wakes to a voice in his head and he freaks the fuck out. Once he’s calmed down, the voice informs him it is his future self there to help. With no idea how to deal with that, Mark resorts to a tried and true teenage method of problem-solving; he ignores it. On the way and at school, his future self annoyingly narrates and reminisces about things from his past perspective. Despite his best efforts to ignore the future voice, a shocking secret about his teacher causes Mark to blurt it out in front of the whole class. When chastised and questioned by said teacher, Mark hides how he came by the information for fear of being labelled “mad” like his estranged and mentally ill father. Mark’s outburst earns him his first-ever detention. In desperation to keep his future self quiet, Mark concedes to help with a small “fix”, an insignificant (and puerile) act of revenge/prank setting up Mark’s only now-sorta-friend to take the fall. In the aftermath and the greater-than-expected repercussions, Mark wants to confess to prevent his now-sorta-friend’s threatened expulsion but his future self convinces him to wait for the “time ripple” to catch up. He’s sure it’ll be fine. The multiple outbursts at his future self throughout the day have not gone unnoticed by the less-than-understanding and kind element of the pupil body. Leaving school, Mark is taunted and mimicked as a “nut job”. Dejected, Mark pleads with his future self to leave him alone. He does but in a huff. Mark comes home to an empty flat, his mum at her second job. As he microwaves himself baked beans, his future self returns to lament the sadness of microwave meals and warns of the dangers of instant macaroni cheese in making you fat. Fed up, Mark tries to ignore his future self yet again. Watching TV, his future self bemoans modern film and music until Mark can’t take it and throws his beans against the wall. “Leave me alone!” His future self warns him he’ll be alone sooner than he thinks and to remember Mother’s Day before he goes silent again. When Mark’s mother calls to check on him, with a cough, he queries her about contact from his father. With no information given, Mark tries the last phone number he had with no luck. He returns to watching TV and is spurred to worry by an advert for lung cancer. He begins to spiral, did his future self know he’d see that advert? He pleads to his future self: Will his mum be okay? His future self returns in his own sweet time. He’s cryptic but asks; “shall we fix our life?”