The Moral Dilemma

The most important rule of time travel for me is to not interfere with what must happen. It is a rule that I have taken to heart. One that I have never had interest in breaking, ever.

No matter what I have seen.

I never ever intervene with the flow of history. Despite how much I really would want to. Or how my knowledge could help someone. Like right now. I'm looking at a distant relative of mine. One that I have grown up hearing stories about all my life. All about the exploits he had done. The people he had helped. As well as the laws he had helped create. And this man was staring at me dead in the face.

His name is Jonah.

And today is the day he is supposed to die from being shot in the gut by someone no one really remembers. While out with his other relatives hunting. I'm not supposed to be seen by him. At all. This wasn't supposed to happen. In fact, I have been very careful to not be seen at all. It has worked in the past. Various times in the past it worked. This time, obviously, it hadn't. Jonah had spotted me as I was walking down the path. Of course he doesn't know who I am. He mistook me for another relative of ours. He called,"Emily? Emily is that you?"

Oddly enough, that is my name. I, obviously, am not the Emily he was thinking of. As the person he was thinking of is his oldest daughter. His first daughter who I was named after. Before I could properly walk away, he grabbed my shoulder and turned me around. Once Jonah realized his mistake, he thoroughly apologized for grabbing me. It wasn't like he harmed me in the slightest bit. So, I didn't really mind at all. I was, however, amazed by getting to speak to him at all. The fact that he looked so much like my Grandpa, too. At least when he was in his fifties. They even had the same dark brown eyes.

It made resisting the urge to tell him about what I knew about him so hard. To tell him that someone is going to murder him in front of his family even more difficult. And made me wish that I could save him from that terrible fate. Just to help Jonah avoid dying and leaving his wife a widow. Leaving his Mother devastated, too.

Since Jonah's her oldest son. Her only son at that. And my heart ached at knowing how heartbroken she was going to be by his death. How heartbroken they all are going to be by this.

And then I remembered my number one rule of time travel. The one that I have fought to uphold this whole time. To not interfere with what must happen in history. Though I wasn't expecting this sort of moral dilemma when I had woken up this morning. And I knew that I had to resist this urge. So I smiled at him as politely as possible. Not wanting him to think anything was wrong with me as I took a step back from him. In a calm voice, I stated,"It's quite alright. You have a lovely day, Jonah."

"You too, miss.",Jonah stated. He turned back around and started walking away from me. Making me feel a little relieved as I watched him leave. Not by a lot. When he stopped in mid-step, I chewed my bottom lip nervously. Why in the Hell wasn't he going home? Going back to my other relatives? Then he turned back to me with a confused look on his face. Have I done something wrong? Did I say something wrong? Jonah asked,"Miss, how do you know my name?"

"I haven't told you it.",he added. My heart dropped as I realized my mistake. And just how much I had screwed up as well. Taking another step back, I grinned wider as I thought of what to say. What I should tell him after this colossal mess up? I'm not sure how I should tell him how I know his name. Then it finally hit me.

"Oh, folks in town are talking about you and someone had a portrait of you.",I lied. Doing my best to keep a straight face during this. Internally hoping that he would believe me. Quietly, Jonah nodded his head at this. Seemingly believing every word of my story. As he is a popular man in town and everyone would know him. Some have even painted his portrait. So them having one of him wouldn't be that far-fetched. Which really made this easier for me than anyone expected.

With this, I turned around and hurriedly started walking away. Trying to get away from my relative before he could ask me anything else.

I just had to leave. Before I mess up this timeline worse than I probably just did. And do something that I know that I really, really shouldn't. No matter how much I desperately wish that I could. And could change things for his wife. Change things for his Mother as well. But, it wouldn't be right. It would be selfish and stupid. I took a deep breath as I got back to my hidden time machine and climbed inside. Locking the door behind myself as I muttered,"You didn't do that for everyone else. It would be childish to do this for just yourself."

"Stop being so selfish."