Past + Future

We open with Ben, alone in his house, wondering what to do with his life, now that his grandparents have given up raising him for a few years. Suddenly, the phone rings. Ben goes to pick it up. When he answers, the person who called reveals itself, a friend of a friend of Ben who just moved into the neighborhood so “he” can be near Ben if he ever needed him. He then suddenly reveals that he knows of an event that will happen to Ben that will change his life forever - he will, in five days, reunite with his estranged mother. Ben asks how he knows this, and the caller then reveals that he is in fact the “future” Ben. Ben, scared by this reveal, puts the phone down and gets frightened of his now revealed future. The phone rings again, and when Ben picks it up, it is uncle who has called him. He mentions that they have never met, but has known so much about him since the day he was born. He reveals that in the past, Ben was given to be raised by his grandparents for some time until his mother and father divorced, leaving the grandparents to deal with custody of the child. He reveals that he is, in fact, the “past” version of Ben himself and is aware of the future that Ben is about to have. He warns him that when he meets his estranged mother, prepare for a consequence beyond anything he ever imagined. Ben thanks his “uncle” for the warning and hangs up. He realizes that now a decision has to be made, whether to let the events happen or do something to change them. We are left open-ended to figure out what decision he makes, as the story closes with a flashback image of his mother smiling.