[ WP ] A machine allows you to have a 15-minute conversation with your one true soul mate , romantic or otherwise . Your match lives 100 years in the future .

Find my soul mate for 15 Minutes eh? I sat before the strange looking radio, skeptical that I would get what I paid for. There was no way such a thing could possibly exist… but then Joan said she found Henry through it… 
 
 “ How do I? ” 
 
 “ It ’ s running. ” 
 
 “ No, I mean, how do I connect to- “ 
 
 “ You ’ ve only got 15 Minutes Mam, you might want to talk to them before your time runs out. ” 
 
 “ Wait they ’ re on? ” 
 
 “ Hello? ” A small voice spoke from the speakers. 
 
 “ Oh my god, I ’ m sorry, I was just trying to… ” 
 
 They laughed. And in the sound of that laugh, I knew. The machine worked just as they said it would. My heart dropped. And it was both beautiful and terrifying at the same time. This was my soulmate. 
 
 “ Hello? ” I responded, “ Quick, what do you do for fun? ” I blurted. This was not how it was supposed to go. I had a whole series of questions prepared. We ’ d learn about each other for the first 5 Minutes, decide if we wanted to meet in the next 5, and make a plan before time ran out. I was prepared to book passage on whatever locomotive necessary to reach them. Had been saving up my entire life for this, little had I known. 
 
 “ Oh, ” she thought about it for a moment. Didn ’ t she know time was wasting? But I couldn ’ t be mad. I loved her already, “ I guess I watch a lot of T.V. ” 
 
 T.V.? What was that? Was it some kind of event perhaps? 
 
 “ I love horses, ” I blurted in response. No this was all wrong, we weren ’ t talking right. 
 
 I glanced at the clock, it was already two minutes in, we didn ’ t have the time! 
 
 “ Where do you live? ” I blubbered, getting far too ahead of myself. 
 
 She laughed again, and I could feel her laughter like a vise in my chest. I wanted to cry, and I couldn ’ t say why. 
 
 “ You ’ re not supposed to give out such information online, ” she responded. 
 
 “ But, how would we meet if not for an exchange of address? ” I blurted out. 
 
 “ Well… ” she answered, “ I mean, the website says you ’ re my soul mate… Do you even live around here? ” 
 
 “ Where is here? ” I asked. Website? 
 
 “ Upstate New York, ” she responded, sounding a little unsure of herself now. 
 
 “ I live in New York proper, Oh! ” I couldn ’ t believe it, she was close, “ But, let me not get ahead of myself, ” I reeled myself in before I scared her off. 
 
 “ I love your accent, ” she said as I was trying to collect my thoughts. 
 
 “ My what? ” Now the she mentioned it, she did sound a bit *off* herself. 
 
 “ Your accent, ” she giggled, “ Are you from somewhere else? ” 
 
 “ New York, born and raised, ” I said proudly, “ My da moved here in 76 and I was born 10 years later. ” 
 
 “ So you ’ re… ” I could hear some kind of clicking through the speakers, “ 30? ” 
 
 “ Thirty-One this December, ” I replied. No need to be ashamed of my age, being single at 30 and all… 
 
 “ And you? ” I asked her. 
 
 “ Oh, Twenty Four, ” she answered, “ born in 1992. ” 
 
 “ Ha! ” I laughed, “ You mean 1892, ain ’ t even made it halfway through the 19 ’ s yet. Don ’ t worry though, I ’ ve done that too. ” 
 
 “ No, ” she responded, “ I meant 19, ” she laughed her beautiful laugh once more, and my stomach began to sour at her words, “ I ’ m not 124 after all. ” 
 
 My chest was tightening again, and it wasn ’ t a happy feeling this time, “ Now why would you go and say that, ” Was she rattled? Was my true love off her gourd? 
 
 “ Say what? ” she asked. 
 
 “ It ’ s not possible that you ’ re born in 1982, ” I answered, my breathing was coming through lungs that didn ’ t want to take in air, “ It ’ s not even 1917 yet! ” 
 
 She was silent for a moment, and then she responded, ” Oh, I get it, this is one of those joke websites then? ” she sounded disappointed, hurt even, “ I knew it was too good to be true, ” there was a lot of rustling around, as if she were moving about. 
 
 “ Now hold on there! ” I didn ’ t want her to go, “ Ain ’ t nobody joking on this side of the radio, ” my heart was racing, my manners were shot, and that rural accent my da always told me to watch was coming in strong. 
 
 “ You just said it was 1916, ” she huffed, “ That ’ s ridiculous, ” she added, “ I ’ m not in the mood for any games. ” The disappointment in her voice cut like a knife, and it was all I could do not to break down in front of- “ 
 
 “ Two minutes, ” the operator said. 
 
 “ It ’ s not enough time! ” I wailed, “ What ’ s going on over there, ” I almost yelled at the woman in the radio, “ Why are telling me such foolishness? ” 
 
 “ I ’ m not the one being foolish! ” she yelled back, “ They didn ’ t even have the internet in 1916, how could you be talking to me from there? ” 
 
 “ I don ’ t know what this thinger ’ s called, I just as soon woulda called it a radio, ” I answered her, “ but I ’ m here in truth I tell ya, and they said I ’ d hear from my soul mate, an now your saying yer a hundred years in the future. It ’ s not me that ’ s talking foolish. ” 
 
 “ If you ’ re really from the past, write me a letter, ” she challenged me, “ Write it right now and send it to my address: 1811 Rye Street, Coopersville, New York 13326. If you ’ re from the past, I should already have it. She snapped, and I don ’ t ever remember getting a letter since I moved here! ” 
 
 I was frantically scratching the address onto the sheet I ’ d brought for this very reason, but I hadn ’ t been prepared, I wasn ’ t sure I had it, “ Coopersville, ” I said back, “ 1811 Rye Street, Is that it? ” 
 
 “ 30 Seconds, ” the operator interrupted. 
 
 “ Did I get that right? ” I asked, frantic now, I didn ’ t care if she was cracked, I could hear it in her voice, the machine had worked. 
 
 “ I ’ m sorry, I shouldn ’ t have… ” The radio went silent. 
 
 “ Wait! ” I yelled into the mic, “ I didna get your name! ” 
 
 “ Sorry mam, ” the operator intoned, “ She ’ s disconnected. ” 
 
 I fell apart, what had just happened? 
 
 * * * * * * * * * * 
 
 “ I ’ m sorry mam, ” the gentleman at the post office repeated, “ That ’ s not any kind of address I know what to do with, and besides, it ’ s like I said, we don ’ t even *have* a Rye Street… A Ray Street… or any other such combination. You must have got it wrong. ” 
 
 * * * * * * * * * * 
 
 I turned off my computer and flopped back onto the bed. *Uuuuggggghhhh… There goes $ 100 I don ’ t even have. * Who was I kidding anyway. Meet my soul mate… yeah right… And now I ’ d given some crazy rando my address. *Gah! * What was I going to do if she showed up here? 
 
 Getting off the bed, I snatched my jacket from the coat rack by the door and stomped out into the Fall air. Speaking of letters, I was expecting a package anyway, so I might as well stop by my post box. *Why didn ’ t I give her my P.O. Box! That would have been safer! * More and more upset at myself, I made my way to the Post Office and finding the oversized notification in my box, waited in line with it. 
 
 When I reached the counter, the older gentleman behind the counter did a double take at my address, before going into the back to get my package. He came back pushing a cart with several bundles on it, and a box that was obviously wrapped by my mother on top. 
 
 Smiling I reached out to take the box as he placed it on the counter, but before I could turn away, ” 
 
 “ Excuse me miss. ” 
 
 “ Yeah? ” 
 
 “ You don ’ t happen to know who lived in your place before you, do ya? ” 
 
 I laughed, “ Ummm… My dad had it built, so nobody but us has ever lived there. ” 
 
 “ Oh, ” he seemed puzzled. 
 
 “ Why do you ask? ” 
 
 “ Well… it ’ s a bit odd you see… ” he turned back to the cart and grabbed one of the bundles, “ But we ’ ve got these here letters… been around… well… as long as I ’ ve worked here any ways I reckon, ” he thumped the first one onto the counter, “ And I was about the throw them out… but you see, ” he pulled a letter from the top of the bundle, “ It ’ s got your address onnit right here. ” 
 
 > To the ~~Beautiful Woman~~ Voice on the Radio 
 
 > 1811 ~~Rie~~ ~~Rye~~ Rai Street Coopersville New Yorke 13326 
 
 There was no way… My lungs were suddenly finding it hard to draw from the air, and I wasn ’ t sure I wanted to take that letter… But he was offering it to me, so I opened it and read, 
 
 > We may have only had 15 Minutes to talk, well… less than that I reckon…
