text: John had always been curious about the concept of time. When he heard about the hallucinogenic drug called Tempus that claimed to alter one's perception of time, he couldn't resist trying it. So, one day he took the drug and waited for the effects to kick in. As the world around him began to shift and blur, John found himself transported to a surreal world where time seemed to have no meaning. Suddenly, he saw his best friend, Jake, standing before him. Jake had died two years ago in a car accident, and John had never fully come to terms with his loss. Overwhelmed with emotion, John spoke to Jake about everything that had happened since his death. They talked about old memories, laughed, and even shed a few tears together. As their conversation continued, John remembered that Jake had also taken Tempus before his death. John remembered a bizarre conversation he had with Jake when he was still alive, the last one before the accident. Jake insisted to John over and over again that he was worrying about nothing. Back then he felt like Jake was recalling a conversation that never happened. He assumed Jake was just drunkenly rambling or something. Suddenly, John realized that he had been given a second chance to communicate with Jake and warn him about the accident that would take his life. That Tempus was connecting him in this moment to Jake in that same moment 2 years ago when he had taken Tempus too like a bridge across time. Was this the other half of that conversation that made no sense back then? Fueled by a sense of urgency, John told Jake about the events that would lead to his death and begged him to be more careful. But Jake just smiled sadly and shook his head. "I know all of that, John," he said. "I've seen it all before. I've been given the same chance to change my fate, but some things are inevitable. You can't change the past, and you can't change the future." John managed to laugh through his own tears. He understood that was how Jake always was. Even throughout their childhood together, John remembered how Jake would shrug things off and accept them as just the way things were. He accepted Jake’s outlook and decided to spend this moment reliving their favorite stories together. The time Jake’s bicycle ended up in a tree. The time John shot a firework into the neighbor’s yard and the huge dog they let out after him. On and on the stories and the laughter went, just like old times. As the effects of the drug began to wear off, John watched as Jake faded away, leaving him alone once again. But now he had a newfound sense of closure and acceptance, knowing that he had done everything he could to warn his friend. From that day on, John lived his life with a newfound appreciation for the present moment and the people around him. He now knew that time and friendship are the most precious gifts.