Past-Present-Future
How do paradoxes work?
Sam remembered the woman in the red dress clearly now that he had two pints and some scotch in him. The alcohol had cleared away the dream world and he was left was an image of trees and sun and the pleasant spring air. Never mind that he had just relived this particular 'dream' quite literally less then four hours ago with his own eyes and a heightened sense of adrenaline.
He was with Annie. He stopped Vic from beating her. So what had changed? Outwardly, nothing had. His child-self had not gone out into the woods to witness the act, but he still remembered it as an adult. How did that work?
"How does that work?" Sam muttered at the bar, but people were use to ignoring his raving mad mutterings. In fact, Nelson only stopped long enough to ask if he wanted another scotch.