The man who saw tomorrow

Part 3 – The Price of Knowing

Before long, those visions felt less like gifts and more like burdens. He foresaw arguments before they erupted, only to watch himself fail to stop them. He warned merchants of impending thefts, inadvertently sowing distrust among innocent people. He reassured a mother that her child would pull through an illness, only for her to become careless, leading to the child’s decline. The future twisted and turned every time he tried to grasp it.

Then came the vision that shattered him. One late night, while tinkering with his grandfather clock, Elias envisioned himself standing by the river at dawn. Clara, the schoolteacher he had secretly adored for years, stood across from him, tears streaming down her face. “You should have let it happen,” she murmured. Then, she stepped back into the icy water and disappeared beneath the surface.

Elias hardly slept that night. At first light, he raced through the deserted streets, desperate to find her. He spotted Clara exactly where his vision had shown her—by the riverbank, under the soft morning light. Breathless, he pleaded with her to step away from the water. But Clara looked at him, puzzled. “I just came to meet you,” she replied gently. “Your note asked me to come.”

A chill ran through Elias. He had never written a note. Then he noticed the folded paper in her hand, bearing his signature. In his attempt to escape the vision, he had unwittingly brought it to life. Panic gripped Clara as he snatched the letter from her. She stumbled back on the slick stones, and Elias lunged to catch her, but his hands grasped only air. The river claimed her just as he had foreseen.