But when the computer screen lit up, something strange happened. It led to the extraordinary, which I couldn’t quite believe.

It all started on a night back in December last year. I was at university, slumped across my rickety bed, with papers strewn around me. As I tried to categorize my theory, explaining, making sense of it. I was a medical research student. Every day brought on new things, new experiments, new possibilities. Snow fell at the window, like fairies dancing silently, wind whistled through the window pane. I shivered and pulled my duvet round my shoulders as I stared down at the algebra equation for the chemical mixture I had created earlier in the day. It was a jumble of numbers and symbols. It was useless trying, I was never going to succeed.

My computer screen lit up, the box "1 new message" flashed up. I shrugged the duvet off and went over to the computer. I clicked on the box. It was not a normal e-mail; it was all in colour, with animated pictures and music. I sat down intrigued by what I saw. A box appeared and a girl sat inside. It was like a web-cam, but looked different, somehow three dimensional.

The girl had blonde hair in loose curls that fell around her circular, peachy coloured face. She looked about my age and wore a friendly smile. Her eyes were big and brown, and sparkled. She looked like she was sitting in a space age rocket, which was all white.

"Hello, can anyone hear me, Laura?" I was startled, this girl in the screen, who I was sure I had never seen before, knew my name. She continued talking.

"Can you hear me, Laura?"

I hesitantly leaned forward to the microphone on the computer.

"Hi, I can hear you. How do you know my name?" I spoke slowly and clearly. The girl nodded. The web-cam picture was perfect, it was not blurry or breaking up, like my friends had.

"Hi, this is so exciting." The girl smiled and clapped her hands together, then looked at me seriously. "Alright, this is going to sound really weird, but…" she paused. " I’m your great-granddaughter." She looked at me directly. I stared wide eyed at the computer screen. It was ridiculous.

"Let me explain. The year is 2118. My name is Harriet and I am 20 years old. I am at university, studying time travel, which is why this is so exciting. It is an experiment. I researched you online and got in contact with a company which told me your name and e-mail address."

I interrupted her. "What year did you say it was where you are?" I queried in disbelief.

"I’m in the future. You’re history. You’re in 2008, I’m in 2118. Now tell me about yourself and don’t look so surprised, great-grandma."

I laughed, it seemed crazy, un-real, but I thought I’d play along with it.

"Well, I’m Laura, you know that already. I’m 22 and am at university, studying medical research. Tell me about time travelling. No one has discovered it yet." I said.

"Well, it is developing, but slowly. We are communicating now through windows, called CTWs, Complicated Time Windows. Time travellers are permitted to communicate with people from different eras, but you are the first person a researcher has ever spoken to, so far back in time. 110 years to be exact. But, we are not allowed to change history because it would affect 2118."

"Did I achieve anything? I’m currently working on a cancer vaccination." I said glancing at the papers scattered across my bed.

"Yes, this is the best bit I have not told you. You did achieve it; you discovered a vaccination against cancer. I had mine today actually and to think my great-grandmother discovered this.

"Wow, you could tell me my whole life story." I was amazed.

"No. Only what I know. You had a son called James, my granddad. And that is all I know."

"Do you think there’s a resemblance between us?" I asked.

"I do." Harriet replied.

I looked to my bedside table where there was a photograph of me. I had blonde hair in loose curls, peachy skin and the same brown eyes which sparkled like hers. It was possible. There was something similar between my great-granddaughter and me. I had never met her. I never would, but I had somehow spoken to her.

"Oh, and I meant to say, Laura" Harriet said, "Please don’t tell anyone about this, that would be messing with history and would risk changing it."

Harriet, my great-grandaughter in 2118 had given me confidence and inspiration. I was going to achieve. I knew I would. I had to or it would change the future.

Here I was in the present, Harriet in the future and our pasts which affected our presents and futures. Time is a complicated matter: don’t mess with it.