The Funeral Photo

I've always loved looking through old photographs. There's something about seeing people and places from years ago that makes me wonder what was happening outside the picture. What were they doing that day? Were they happy? Did they even want their picture taken?

Of course, being me, I also wonder if something in the background went unnoticed.

So that's where we're going today.

Imagine you're cleaning out an old dresser, digging through years of junk somebody probably should have thrown away long ago. At the bottom of one of the drawers, underneath some yellowed papers, you find a Polaroid.

It's a funeral.

You recognize the cemetery immediately. You've driven past it hundreds of times. You even recognize most of the people standing around the coffin. Your parents are there, along with your best friend and a few other familiar faces.

Then you notice yourself.

You're standing beside the coffin, dressed in black, looking like you belong there.

The only problem is you've never been to this funeral.

You turn the photograph over, hoping someone wrote something on the back. Maybe there's an explanation. Maybe you're remembering something wrong.

Nothing.

Then you notice the date written across the bottom.

October 8, 2027.

Well, shit.

That's a year from today.

You look at the picture again, trying to figure out whose funeral it is. Everyone has their heads lowered toward the coffin, and nobody looks particularly happy to be there.

Except you.

You're looking directly at the camera.

And you're smiling.

Now, I don't know about you, but I'd probably be putting that picture right back where I found it. Although knowing me, I'd also spend the next three hours staring at it and trying to figure out what the hell was going on.

So here's today's writing prompt.

Whose funeral is it? How did a picture from the future end up in an old dresser? And why are you the only person who seems happy to be there?

Maybe you know something the others don't.

Maybe you're responsible for whoever is in that coffin.

Or maybe the person being buried isn't actually dead.

I'll leave that part to you.

But here's one more thing to think about.

What if the person who took the photograph is the one lying in the coffin?

Happy writing. 🎃