The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate by Ted Chiang

"The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate" is a short story by Ted Chiang that has been nominated for the 2008 Hugo Award for Best Novelette. It is about a fabric merchant in ancient Baghdad who discovers a time portal. Non-Spoiler Summary In A Nutshell: Fuwaad ibn Abbas, long time resident of the City of Peace, is searching for a gift to give a business associate when he discovers a new shop that contains a wide variety of interesting items for sale. After discussing the origin of the items, the shop owner takes Fuwaad into the back workshop to show him his latest discovery in the field of alchemy - a gateway through which one can travel into the future. Fuwaad, obviously intrigued, is regaled with stories of others who have passed through the gate to converse with their future selves. Wiser and more desperate than the people in the stories, Fuwaad comes up with a proposition that he hopes will redeem his soul. Bashaarat looked at me and considered. "I have recently built something that…