Memory Scar from the Future Frame

A smile spread across Michael's face as he stood back to look at the picture. The scene of his friends smiling at their dinner party last week made his small studio brighten with each flashing image.

"I'm so glad I got this moving photo frame. This was just perfect. Absolutely!" He thought to himself.

The picture frame he just hung flashed another scene from the party. In the scene, Otis, the account manager, jumped back and flipped over a table as he spilled his drink on his shirt.

Looking at this scene made Michael laugh.

"This is so great. I don't have to get one photo frame for each picture, I just need to upload my videos and images into this digital photo frame. Boom! It's all here. God knows I can't fit a lot in this small place."

Michael looked at the box his digital picture frame came in. 'Moving Picture Inc could be seen on the label.

Michael chuckled as he thought to himself, "great investment, Michael. This was such a good idea."

Suddenly, a cheery time filled the air. Michael whipped around to see his smartphone flashing on his tiny kitchen table. He walked over to see 'Tina' on the screen.

"Oh hey, perfect timing, Tina," Michael thought before swiping the answer button, "I bet she wants to see this moving picture frame...she suggested it in the first place."

As Michael held the phone to his ear, he instantly heard short sniffles and slow breathing.

"Hello? Tina? How's it going?" Michael asked, a bit confused by the sounds he heard.

A choked up voice replied, " Michael...I just...umm, hi….I need to talk about something serious."

Michael frowned as this wasn't the cheery attitude Tina is known for. He took a deep breath before replying.

"Sure, what did you need to talk about?"

Tina took a short pause before gushing, "Otis has just died, Michael. I really hate to break this to you but it...he…"

Tina sniffled as her voice cracked and she began to cry.

"He was killed in his apartment shortly after the party we had last week. Everyone thought he was just sick since he called off this week but the police just found his body…"

Michael closed his eyes and let out a sigh. He made his way to the nearest chair before replying, "how did it happen, Tina? How did you know it was...murder."

"Otis' wife just called the office this evening to let everyone know. It's just...a shock, y'know?"

Michael sighed again and crossed his legs.

"I know what you mean. It's crazy how things can turn so quickly. Did his wife provide any more details? Like...how did he die or any blues on who did it?"

"Well, no. I believe the police are still doing an investigation. They did say that someone broke into his house, killed Otis, and ransacked his place. His wife wasn't there but you know what? I'm not ruling out that she might have something to do with it."

Michael sat back in his chair.

"Wow, I don't know anything about his wife but I wonder. That is really something I'll leave to the police. I just hope whoever did it gets caught."

Tina paused, sighed, and sniffled before retorting, "I feel the same. There is probably a lot more to this than we know."

Turning around in his chair, Michael gazed at the moving images on his new picture frame before sighing.

"Yeah, that's true. But I have a little piece of Otis here with me now. I'm watching that digital picture frame you suggested. You know, the one that takes images and video clips and puts them into a little memory collage. I was just enjoying it right before you called."

A soft groan could be heard from Tina's line.

"Well, please enjoy it. Tell me about it tomorrow when you get in for work, Mike. I need to rest after this news. Tomorrow is going to be a long day while everyone thinks about this."

"Will do, take care, Tina," Michael said before hanging up the call.

He leaned back in his chair, watching the lights from his digital frame flicker across the room. He was too afraid to look at the digital frame now.

"It's so eerie that this happened as I was just watching him from this video. And what also bothers me is I'll never be able to say...oh gosh!"

Michael jumped from his seat and ran to his bedroom. He dove to his bedside table and pulled a book from the very bottom of the drawer.

He gazed strongly at the book before sighing.

"I completely forgot that Otis lent me this book. The Path to Success Starting With a Cup of Joe. He really recommended that I read it."

Michael sighed again before going back to his living room. The images and video files from the digital frame were still playing.

As he sat in front of the digital frame, Michael had an idea.

"I'm going to read this book tonight and really apply it. I need to do something to honor his memory. I feel like that would be a great way to honor him."

Sitting down near the digital picture frame, Michael began to read the book. Flipping to the first chapter, sighed after a few minutes of reading.

"Man, the first chapter sure is dry but, maybe it gets better," he thought.

As Michael continued to read, a hissing noise could be heard coming from the picture frame. Michael looked up and gazed at the frame. He instantly turned wide eyed.

A video of a man sitting in his apartment was playing in the frame.

It was Otis.

"What the hell…," Michael thought to himself as his attention stayed on the video, "this wasn't at the party. This looks like another apartment."

The man sat in a brown chair, playing with his thumbs as if waiting for something. He was completely oblivious that Michael was his audience.

Suddenly, a sound could be heard coming from another place inside the frame. A knock on his door.

Otis instantly stood up and quickly walked out of frame in a hurry.

Michael sat and starred. He was still puzzled by this predicament.

Did some type of video file get downloaded into his new frame? Was this some kind of home movie he was watching?

"Didn't I just get news that Otis is…"

A loud slam broke the silence of Michael's thoughts.

Otis' quickly returned to the picture frame, clutching something that looked like a letter.

Strangely, the loud noises didn't stop. From outside the frame, a rough banging could be heard hammering away. Otis seemed to be shaking, looking back and forth at the direction of the noise.

Suddenly, almost appearing from nothing, a man comes into the frame and begins to strangle Otis. Otis struggles with the man as Michael can do nothing but what the scene unfolds before him. The attacker tries continuously to grab an object Otis is holding onto so dearly. Finally, the man will wrestle the box away from Otis, throwing the man on the floor as he tears open the box. The man peers inside the box, gazing as if he had just found a buried treasure. The man’s face transformed from irritated to disgusted. He throws the box on the ground and takes a gun from his pocket.

Otis, lying face down on the floor, is motionless as the man aims the gun.

“No, Stop! Stop right now!” Michael shouted as if the man could hear his pleas for mercy. As the gun was cocked, Michael looked away. The sound of a gunshot rang through Michael’s apartment. Scared to look at the picture frame, Michael bent over with his head in his hands.

“Is this how Otis died? Is this some memory? What the hell…”

Michael froze in his seat as he heard another gun cock, readying itself to be fired, but this time, the sound came from right beside him. Michael looked forward briefly to see a blank picture frame before him. In the gray reflection, the man with the gun was standing right next to Michael in his apartment.

Michael immediately raised his hands in the air.

“I surrender. Please...please don’t kill me…I don’t know what you want but please take what you want. Just please don’t kill…”

The man stayed silent as Michael pleaded for his life. Breathing heavily as he waited for some kind of response, Michael stared forward blankly. The man was almost frozen, as if he were a statue.

Michael quietly cleared his throat before slowly turning around to see the man. Michael gasped.

A tall figure, dressed in a long trench coat stood towering over Michael.

“He...hello, sir? That wouldn’t be you in…”

Before Michael could finish his sentence, he frantically leap from his chair and rolled on the ground, attempting to evade the man.

“Help, please help!” Michael momentarily screamed from the top of his lungs before peering around the room. It was empty.

The only sound that Michael could hear was the beating of his heart. The picture frame had completely stopped. There was only a blue screen, waiting for the next input from the remote control.

“Hello? Is anyone here?...What the hell was that? I could have sworn someone was…”

A raspy breathing once again filled the air from behind Michael. He twisted around in a frenzy to see nothing but air. Michael began sweating and breathing heavily.

Looking back and forth, Michael scanned his apartment for any signs of life. He could only hear the breathing, directly behind him wherever he went.

Slowly making his way back to his chair, Michael couldn’t help but think to himself, “was I just hallucinating? What the hell was I just watching? I must be tired.”

Sitting back in the chair, Michael turned the picture frame on again as the memory of the workplace party started playing from the beginning.

“Oh man. I must be tired. Enough of this, I need to get to bed before I start seeing more things.”

Feeling for the remote control he had dropped, Michael pointed the device at the frame to switch it off. His hand froze in mid-air. In fact, his entire body was frozen stiff. A black gloved hand appeared from nothing, enveloping Michael's hand around the remote.

Unable to move his body, Michael only watched as a tall figure began to phase into existence. The tall man with the trench coat appeared again, this time fully visible.

The picture frame, playing the workplace party, suddenly sizzles and begin playing the gruesome murder from before. Michael could not do anything as the tall man stood calmly, watching the murder scene unfold again.

In the scene, again, Otis struggled with the man, fighting for his life and ultimately meeting his end. The tall man watched intently, completely ignoring Michael’s presence.

“Again!” The man growled as he maneuvered Michael’s fingers over the rewind button. Again, the murder scene played. The man stared even more intently at the scene.

“What is he looking for?” Michael thought to himself. completely immobilized.

For a third time, the scene began playing. As if like clockwork, the man stared intently, searching for something from the scene.

“Is he some kind of apparition or some entity living inside my picture frame? He murdered Otis. What will he do to me? Can I even…”

Michael’s right hand, still hanging in the air with the remote, suddenly twitched. Eyes widening briefly, Michael held his breath, trying to hold any emotion that might suggest he has control over his hand. Only a few seconds later, the scene ended.

“Again! Again!” The man yelled forcefully.

Michael froze in space, waiting for the tall man to move his fingers over the remote control again.

As if like a statue, Michael waited and stiffened his body, fooling the man to repeat his earlier behavior. When the man turned around once more to view the scene. Michael jumped to his feet.

Without saying a word, Michael used all of his strength and weight to shove the man straight into the picture frame. The accessory hanging on the wall came crashing down, shattering into pieces. Instantly, the man yelled in pain, disappearing into thin air.

Michael looked at the scattered pieces on the ground. In the debris, Michael noticed a small memory card, the accessory holding all the information from the workplace party. But there was one more thing.

“If that scene played on the picture frame, it must have the scene of that murder also. Picking up the damaged memory drive, Michael ran to his computer to scan the accessory for what he just witnessed.

Suddenly, Michael heard a noise coming from his living room. Jumping to his feet, he quickly ran to see what the commotion was.

Michael froze in his tracks. A man, dressed in dark clothing, was climbing through his window. Gasping at the strange man entering his apartment, Michael leap for a weapon to defend himself. The man was too fast. He quickly met Michael just as he was going to grab a glass vase.

The man and Michael struggled as a strength deadlock went underway as the two men tousled for the upper hand. Michael slipped, falling to the ground as the man grabbed a knife from his pocket. He flipped the knife in his hand, ready to stab Michael on the ground before something caught his eye. A book on the ground intrigued the man enough to slightly distract him. Michael quickly charged at the man’s legs, causing him to fall into the debris on the ground. Using the moment to gain the advantage, Michael grabbed a pillow lying nearby. With all his strength, he shoved the pillow over the man’s face.

Struggling for air, the man flailed his arms in an attempt to fight back. Michael held his grasp firmly on the man’s head. As each passing second drew on, his movement slowly stopped.

Michael continued holding the pillow in place, partly too scared to move and partly too exasperated to allow the man any mercy. Finally, after a minute of holding the pillow in place, Michael stood to his feet. The dead man on his floor lay with a blank expression on his face.

Michael peered at the book that caught the man’s attention. He picked it up and inspected the object that may have saved his life.

“This is the book I loaned to Otis. The Path to Success Starting With a Cup of Joe. What did he want this for?”

Just as Michael began to flip the pages of the book, another paper-thin memory drive fell out of the book, hitting the floor.

“A memory drive? What the hell is this? I haven’t seen it before.”

Again, Michael ran to his computer and inserted the memory drive into his computer. The laptop popped and fizzled before producing the usual screens. After a few moments and clicks, Michael finally came across the contents of the memory drive.

Michael gasped as a short 30 second video of the man who just attacked him. The man sat, laying in the same chair Otis sat, a gaping hole in his chest as blood slowly leaked from his body. As if in a trance, Michael couldn’t take his eyes away from the horrific scene. Slowly and quietly, the video came to a stop. An eternity seemed to pass as Michael lost track of how long he was staring before his smart phone let out a melody.

He glanced at the screen and gasped once more. The ID flashed ‘Otis.’