Bradbury year 2025 Collection

New Year’s Eva (Week 47)

A 20 year old woman named Eva Stratford stood on the street corner of her small town on California’s central coast on December 31st, 2025. Her date had stood her up, and she wasn’t sure if she should wait longer, or go inside. The weather was chilly, but she was dressed warm.

A vehicle pulled up and the window on the driver side rolled down. A woman around Eva’s age, maybe a year or two older than her, ushered her into the car. After getting in, the strange young woman explained who she was.

“I’m Twila, your descendant, you will have children that form a matrilineal progression into the year 2525!”

“Why did you come back to get me?” Eva asked.

“I’m doing a project for my junior college and I need to bring you into the future with me. We celebrate new years differently than you do.”

“How so?” Eva asked.

“People called harvesters acquire criminals who disappeared in your era, and miniaturize them and bring them into the future. When the ball drops in Times Square, we swallow a captive!”

“You should harvest Dave Sanders, he was my date tonight!” said Eva. “At least, he was supposed to. He stood me up!”

Twila looked at her quizzically. “How did he stand you up? Can’t you walk on your own?”

Eva was puzzled momentarily, then figured out the dilemma.

“I think there’s a communication barrier between us,” said Eva. “Something got lost in translation. Being stood up means he didn’t show up for our date tonight.”

“I can make that happen,” Twila replied. Twila took the time vehicle to the recent past earlier that night and retrieved Eva’s date, and miniaturized him. Eva held him in her cupped palms as they arrived in the year 2525.

They marched upstairs and entered the loft where Twila lived with her room mates. There were multiple electronic devices on the walls, and a three dimensional projector.

“That’s called a tri-di,” said Twila. “It’s a three dimensional television. That’s how we’re going to watch the ball drop tonight in Times Square!”

When the countdown started, Twila and her room mates each took their captives and raised them above their heads. Eva did the same with Dave. When the countdown got to ten seconds, they all swallowed their captives and celebrated.

“Now it’s time to retrieve them!” said Twila. “Eva, we’ll get yours first.”

Twila turned on a strange device and reached through it. Her hand was inside Eva’s stomach through some kind of a space warp, and she pulled the miniaturized form of Dave Sanders out of Eva’s stomach cavity. She then did the same to the two other women, and one of them retrieved the captive from Twila’s stomach.

“I’m taking you and Dave back to your own times, you and him will have a lot to talk about!”

“You said I’m your ancestor, will Dave Sanders become my husband in the future?” Eva asked.

“If I told you one way or another, then it wouldn’t happen.” said Twila. “You must forge your own destiny!”

When Eva was dropped off in her own time and Twila departed, it was still before midnight on New Year’s Eve, December 31st, 2025.”

Dave Sanders, now normal sized, came running around the corner.

“Do you remember what just happened to us?” Dave asked.

Eva felt like lying to him and saying she didn’t know what he was talking about, but decided against it.

“I had that chick shrink you because you stood me up!” Eva shouted.

“I stood you up because I got miniaturized and abducted!” Dave replied. “It wasn’t my fault!”

Eva smiled and took his hand, and led him upstairs to her apartment.

The End

(619 words)