Tang 1

Jessica Tang
Ms. Gardner
English 10 Period 4
29 Aug 2014
The Plum Tree
Sitting on smooth, sun-soaked rocks by a mirror-like pool, I cast my eye at my
surroundings. The Qinglong Temple, a Buddhist temple we were visiting during a trip to see my
distant family in China, was a still place. The limbs of low-hanging trees brushed the surface of
the water, sending small ripples cascading across its reflections. It was...serene. Still, tranquillity
is not the same as peace, I reflected. What is the true difference between peace and stagnation?
I dont know how long I sat there, but with the falling eye of the sun came shadows
creeping over the water; I was astonished to find fish swimming lazily in the water. I had not
been able to see clearly for the reflection across the pond.
Hearing footsteps, I turned around and was greeted by a short woman whose features
were obscured by the dark. As she moved, I glimpsed the gray-white hair of the old. Hello,
grandmother, I greeted, as is customary in China.
Hello, she returned. Our voice pitch was almost the same. You look quite familiar.
Do I? I asked, curious. My name is Jessica, and you?
You want to be a writer or a Supreme Court justice, dont you.
A heartbeat, then, Who are you? I demanded, and made a few wild accusations.
Unruffled, she proposed a theory I shot down immediately. Only after airing some embarrassing
secrets did I finally admit this woman could be my older self. It seemed extremely silly -

Tang 2
extremely unlikely; and it was very convenient my older self happened to think of this theory so
quickly. Still, with more arguing, I was somewhat swayed.
So, youre...me. From the future. Sixty years in the future. I stared at her for a moment.
Have I - we...I done anything...great?
She smiled at me, a flash of teeth glinting in the dusky light. That depends, she
pronounced with a rather satisfied air, on what you believe is great.
It was a moments work to mentally answer: fame, wealth, bold actions on a global scale.
But it meant nothing if I was not happy. Am I successful? Am I - happy?
I am happy, my older self replied with a piercing look. I have been a great
businesswoman, one of the richest CEOs in the world. But you have not done these things yet.
Havent I? I raised my eyebrows. You are future me; doesnt your mere presence here
guarantee my transformation through the years into you?
Does it?
Doesnt it? I repeated. The questioning of my older self made me rethink, searching for
another explanation. ...Alternate universes, I declared solemnly, thoughts spinning out into
galaxy wide paths in my minds eye. I have the potential to become anything; you have already
used that potential.
I am merely a fragment of a path you can take, and infinite paths lie before you. I am a
possibility - nothing more.
...Then at least one version of me will become you to make this meeting possible.
Perhaps. Time is fluid and changeable. This meeting may simply be a chance collision
between universes, never to happen again no matter which path you take. She paused. There
must be splinters of you - artists, writers, presidents, lawyers, brilliant and successful. And there

Tang 3
are just as many versions of you who have failed to do anything with what they have and will
fade away from memory as rapidly as a mayfly. You can become any of them.
Then...there are versions of me with crippling depression, I said hesitantly.
Ah, youre in that place right now. Dont worry, little sister, youll be alright.
How do you know? I asked. You yourself just said I could fail.
Jeremiah, the prophet, had a futile task; no one heeded his warnings. Does that mean he
failed? Do what you must, and do what makes you happy; this will lead you to personal success
even if not to a financially stable life.
I dont know. I just...do you remember the story of the plums?
Its been 60 years, little sister. Refresh my memory.
Alright. Well...theres a plum tree. Someone comes to the tree and sees these sweet, ripe
fruits. However, he cant decide which plum he wants to eat, so he spends days agonizing over
his decision, until eventually the plums start falling, and hes left with only a few rotten plums
that still havent fallen yet.
My older self laughed; not unkindly, but it hurt all the same. Do you think I knew where
I was going when I was sixteen? she said. But I took action. I stopped being afraid of being
proactive. Indecision will be your downfall; dont be afraid to take a good opportunity even if it
will prevent you from taking other opportunities later.
But...what if I fail in the path I take? Ill have wasted so much
We all make mistakes. Sometimes were just not good enough and thats okay. Even the
saints have sinned; even Moses never made it to the promised land.
But I... Without my successes, there was little to define me anymore.But her advice
was sound; it was my fault for any emotional insecurities I still could not resolve. Okay.

Tang 4
Alternate me smiled, before she glanced at her watch. I have to go soon, little sister, but
before I do... She gestured at our surroundings. This temple is beautiful, isnt it? she
murmured. How many years did it lie in disrepair and ruin before it was restored? Your body is
a temple, so treat it like one. She sighed, the sound nearly lost in the wind. Never trade your
well-being for anothers. Its not worth it.
How do you know?
Ive been there. Set your boundaries and do not compromise. My older self looked
solemnly at me. I had a brief feeling that this moment was significant, as significant as anything
could be - but the moment passed, and she broke the mood with, Anyways, me. Date. Must go.
A date?
Remember everything I told you, little sister. If youre anything like me - and I do think
you are - itll help you later on in life.
I have a date, I echoed faintly. This was bewildering on a level I had not anticipated.
She reached into her pocket, dropped something cold and hard into my hand, and
wrapped my fingers around it. Remember: They throw their shadows before them who carry
their lantern on their back. Dont be afraid to try something new. She pecked me once on the
cheek, and then she was gone. It was if she had never been there at all.
Crouching near the light of the lamp in the pond, I opened up my hand and found myself
looking at a small pit.
To this day, in my backyard grows a plum tree from this very seed.