My Short Short for the Day

Ralph slowly sat up.  The sunlight seeping through the curtains provided some light in the room but it was still dim.  Ralph rubbed his eyes and blinked a few times.  His vision cleared enough for him to see he was on the floor of the living room.  He checked himself but didn’t feel any bumps or bruises.  He carefully stood up, brushed his glittery clothes, and checked his black, slicked back hair.  He prided himself on being the most authentic looking impersonator on the Strip.  Last night’s show was a blast.  The crowd roared; he could still hear them cheering.  He did 3 encores and still they had cheered for more.  He smiled as he walked to the window.

The smile quickly dropped as he pulled open the curtains.  This was not his room at the Bellagio.  This was not Vegas, either.  He stared at the view before him, a maze of skyscrapers and flashing lights and flying cars.  Wait, what?  Flying cars?  Ok, this must be a dream.  Ralph pinched himself.  Ouch!  This can’t be real.  Ralph started to panic.  He left the curtains open and turned to face the room.  The furniture had looked normal in the dim light but now, he could see how strange they were.  Nothing looked quite right. 

He looked at the photos, no one he knew but something nagged at him.  He looked at the magazines, they were familiar but strange at the same time.  He flipped through the papers on the kitchen counter, nothing he recognized.  However, underneath he saw what looked like a tablet.  He touched the screen and it lit up.  The date appeared and stared at it so long that the screen went into sleep mode.  He took a deep breath and touched it again.  The date was still the same, Sunday, August 30, 3020.  A thousand years had passed over night.  But how?

Just then the front door clicked and slid open.  Ralph stepped out to look down the hallway.  A man stepped through the door and froze.  The door slid shut and clicked.  The man stared at Ralph.  Ralph stared back.  It was like looking in a mirror, a slightly younger, leaner mirror. 

The man and Ralph spoke in unison, “Elvis has left the building!”