The Year 2016

Melody was currently finishing her work in the office. It was already nine in the evening, but she was still completing her tasks. They had a project that needed to be finished because it was to be presented by her colleagues the following week.

"Melody, just finish it tomorrow, please, take a break. You'll get sick," said her friend who had just finished her work. This friend of hers was a flamboyant character named Ace Moryell. They had become friends two years ago when Melody was new at work and they hit it off right away.

"I'm okay, best. I just have two pages left, then I'm off," Melody replied while busy with the printer.

"Oh my God, girl! You're surely going to be the best employee of the year! Well, okay then. I'll head out first. I still have to go see my boy," Ace said, then laughed. Melody just laughed along and continued printing the last pages.

When finished, Melody quickly packed up her prints, put them in a folder, grabbed her belongings, and headed towards the elevator. Inside the elevator, she happened to ride with her boss who seemed to be heading home as well.

"Good evening, boss," she greeted, since he was her boss. He only grumbled a response and rode along with her.

When she got out of the elevator, she went straight to the tricycle stand to get a ride home to her rented apartment.

Upon alighting from the tricycle, she immediately headed to the apartment she'd been renting. She had been living there for three years since she graduated from college and moved there to be closer to her work.

Melody was an orphan. Her parents died when she was young, and no relative took her in because they considered her a burden. But there were still kind people in the world, and someone took her in.

She grew up in an orphanage run by nuns, and when she was old enough, she left. But even though she was out on her own, she still checked in and visited them regularly.

Upon entering her apartment, she went straight to the kitchen to boil water for her cup noodles.

The next day, while reviewing her printed papers for any grammatical or typographical errors, her friend Ace Moryell was chitchatting beside her.

"Girl, I saw the most shocking thing on TikTok last night. It's about a girl who has traveled through time from the future. It's really far fetched!" Ace was telling her.

"Ace, are you really going to believe that? Perhaps the girl is just fabricating stories for clout and to get more views, how crazy," Denise, their coworker, inserted.

"Hey! That's true, she has even shown evidence that she's from the future, pictures of places and other things," Ace rebutted.

"Oh please, those are just edited. These days, people are good at editing. Others even edit their idols to make it seem like they are together. They are really delusional," Denise retorted.

"Whatever, if you're not going to believe it, then shut up. You're not even part of this conversation, you just butted in," Ace shot back, and Denise just laughed it off.

Melody chose to ignore them, chuckling to herself. It was indeed preposterous, how could such a scenario even happen? But then again, there are still many mysteries in the world that are inexplicable and difficult to understand.

As soon as Melody finished her work, she cleaned the office before heading home to her apartment. But first, she went to the adjacent cafe and quickly ordered a cup of coffee.

"Sis, do you believe what that girl on TikTok said about her coming from the future?" Across her, two women were deep in conversation. It was about the same topic Ace mentioned in the office earlier that noon, about a woman who time-traveled to their present.

"I don't know, sis. I believe, but I still have doubts, though she presented evidence. But others say it might just be edited," one woman said while sipping her coffee.

"True, it may be edited, but it seems so realistic," the other woman responded. Intrigued, Melody took out her low-cost cell phone and looked it up. She quickly found the viral video.

While watching, Melody felt chills, as if the woman's statements were genuine and the evidence provided was convincing. It had already accumulated 50 million views and 10.2M likes on TikTok. There were many who believed and many who did not. Melody wondered, if it were true, how did it happen?

The woman in the video claimed that while she was walking on the highway, a strong gust of wind suddenly hit her, and when she opened her eyes, the surroundings seemed old-fashioned, and she discovered that she was now in the past, specifically the current year - 2016. Pondering over it, Melody sighed and stood up to leave the cafe.

Melody was walking along the highway towards the taxi stand, aiming to return to her apartment as she still had things to accomplish. While walking, she perceived something unusual. She turned to her side and noticed an old woman struggling to walk. Melody's eyes widened as she saw a speeding truck coming in the old woman's direction. Without a second thought, she ran towards her.

Just before the truck hit the woman, Melody embraced her and they rolled over sideways to avoid the accident. It was a close call, but Melody managed to avoid disaster.

"Oh no, are you okay, ma'am? That driver was so reckless! That was a close call! Melody quickly inspected the old woman for any cuts or bruises. Thankfully, the woman was unarmed, which was a huge relief.

The old woman gave her a smile. "Thank you, dear. I'm okay, you're such a good person. Don't worry, a new life is coming your way." Melody found the old woman's words odd and watched as she walked away until she was out of sight.

Immediately, Melody moved towards the other side of the highway. Suddenly, she felt a force push her, causing her to fall onto the road. The event happened so rapidly, taking her by surprise as she felt her body become numb and her vision blur. Suddenly, a strong gust of wind surrounded her. She couldn't comprehend what was happening; no vehicle had hit her, but it seemed like a powerful force had collided with her.

Melody's vision gradually faded, "Is this the end for me? Will I not be able to fulfill all my dreams?" When the wind ceased, her world shifted. After that gust of wind, she was no longer in 2016.

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