Tomorrow Ever After

Shaina, a historian from 600 years in the future, travels back with a research group but an error separates her from the others. She lands alone in 2015, far from her intended era, in New York City. The abrupt shift leaves her stranded and scrambling to understand her surroundings while she clings to the hope of reconvening with her team.

Shaina carries a small futuristic device resembling a smartphone that is her only link to the other world. It is partially functional, offering tentative communication and data access but not a full solution to her predicament. She tests it as she tries to contact her group and seek help.

Believing in the inherent kindness of people from her historical understanding, she approaches various strangers for aid. Each encounter ends with rebuffs or indifference, highlighting the cold reality of the era she finds herself in. Her optimism wavers, yet she remains determined to find support.

Milton mugs Shaina on the street, forcing her toward an ATM while the fear of violence overwhelms her. The encounter becomes a turning point, showing how fragile her plan to seek help is in a world unfamiliar with her trust in strangers. She clings to her device as the only tool that might illuminate a path home.

In a startling twist, Shaina's implement decodes the ATM and dispenses money seemingly without limit, suggesting a power her present-day environment cannot explain. Milton is both terrified and tempted by the possibility of exploiting the device, but Shaina seizes control and confronts him. She asks Milton to cooperate rather than flee.

Milton, initially a would-be thief, grudgingly agrees to assist Shaina after realizing the potential of her device. He rationalizes it as a chance to steal more later, yet his involvement marks the first step toward a fragile alliance. The dynamic shifts from threat to cautious partnership.

With Milton’s reluctant consent, his friend and girlfriend join Shaina in her quest to power up the implement and return home. They begin a collaborative, uneasy venture through the city, mixing risk with a growing curiosity about the device. The group’s goals center on escaping to Shaina’s own time.

The group embarks on a series of misadventures across urban landscapes to coax the implement into full operation. They experiment with the device, improvise schemes, and rely on the questionable means provided by their new alliance. Throughout, Shaina’s belief in human kindness often drives the choices they make.

As a historian, Shaina frames the era she’s trapped in as The Great Despair, a time of pain, greed, pollution, and loneliness. The knowledge colors her actions and informs how she interprets others’ reactions. Her historical lens becomes both a guide and a source of disappointment as reality diverges from her expectations.

Shaina continues to act with the expectation that people will be good, despite repeated rebuffs. Her sincerity sometimes inspires a subtle shift in those around her, making some bystanders more caring. Still, the day-to-day harshness of the setting tests her resolve and deepens the tension between hope and frustration.

Her earnest pursuit and kindness gradually cause the people around her to become more caring, even if only in small acts. The group’s actions ripple through their interactions, highlighting a meta-lesson about how hope can influence behavior. The city becomes a living study in humanity influenced by a single historian’s intent.

Although return seems uncertain, Shaina and her companions persevere, driven by the possibility of powering the implement again. The narrative closes on the note that kindness persists and may alter the course of those they meet, even if their original mission remains unresolved. The Great Despair lingers in the back of her mind as a reminder of what is at stake.