The Time Merchant Café serves the finest coffee of any time, so the sign over the shop reads. But good coffee is not all the café has to offer. If the Waiter invites you in, be cautious of his motives, his philosophy is interesting. If you want to view your future, all you need to do is accept the caveat that once seeing your future, it can change. It sounds harmless enough. For some of the people who view their preview, knowing can be a curse, even fatal. For others it can provide a positive outcome, even life-saving. The Waiter has his own reasons for showing you your future. Sometimes it provides a happy ending, although the cost could be questionable. Whatever the ending, the Waiter at the café literally makes a living from the outcome of people viewing their future. The Waiter is quite old and currently has a nice backlog of years making him virtually immortal. Many people accept the preview in the hopes of controlling their destiny only to find out that it has shortened their lives, much to the pleasure of the Waiter at the Time Merchant Café. After you read these stories, would you accept the offer from the Waiter? What would his motives be with you? At least have the coffee; it really is the best coffee of any time.

 

Genre Science Fiction/Fantasy