At the heart of much speculative fiction (and fiction in general) is a question. What if? On Tuesdays I like to throw one out there and see what you make of it. Do with it as you please. If a for-instance is not specified, feel free to interpret that instance as you wish. And if you find this becomes a novel-length answer, I'd appreciate a thank you in the acknowledgements. 😉
What if someone claiming to be a descendant of yours (grandchild, great-grandchild, great grand nephew, 3rd niece twice removed, etc.) arrived on your doorstep (via a time machine or some such)?
(I wrote these what ifs back in February, before we all got shut in. This one takes on a different meaning right about now. Feel free to answer is as yourself from before the plague or during. Or after. It certainly gives this question a different flavor.)
Weird...time travel always gives me a headache
ReplyDeleteI think it's designed to :)
DeleteI'd be eager to see what he or she has to say. As someone who was nearly a history major, I'd like to know "how it turned out" - whatever "it" is - whether it be the pandemic, or other things that are happening, and just isn't getting coverage. What if the news is bad? Would I want to know? I don't know.
ReplyDeleteThat is a good point. Sometimes it's better not to know.
DeleteI'd have them in and find out the details!
ReplyDeleteI'd never believe it. The Earth is constantly moving through the universe, and they'd have to be able to pinpoint its exact position at the exact moment. A scam, on the other hand, is a much simpler explanation.
ReplyDeleteWell, That would be cool. They would be cousins 3 times removed:)
ReplyDeleteI know I'd want details.
DeleteI think it would be fun to visit with them and try to verify in they truly are related or not. Might get some insight into the future!
ReplyDeleteBetty
Oh my....that would be a hard one, I would want to know all they could tell me about the rest of my life!! Might not be something I would really want to hear. But with that I could help fill them in on their family history. HAHA. But then again, I wonder if they would take me on a trip to the future in that machine....
ReplyDeleteGood question. I did not specify...
DeleteI've spent way too much time working in the court system to trust any random stranger that shows up at my door. Add to that the facts that we don't have kids, my sister doesn't have kids, and Nick is an only child, I'd be calling the police. Sorry! I know that's a really boring answer.
ReplyDeleteNo, not at all. I did not specify that they were truthful...
DeleteInvited them and I would love to have conservation with them
ReplyDeleteI'd say, come in ... and will begin chatting.. I am sure there will be a lot of interesting to hear!!!
ReplyDeleteI would hesitantly allow them in and try to figure out their angle. I would be hard to convince, but I'm always fascinated by why people do what they do, so I would try to figure that out.
ReplyDeleteIt would be a strange lie, so hopefully it'd be the truth.
DeleteMy first question to the relative of the future: So, what's the family gossip about me? :-)
ReplyDelete