For a Single Yesterday

"…For a Single Yesterday" is a 1975 science fiction novelette by George R. R. Martin. It is about a musician in a post-apocalyptic commune who uses a powerful drug to re-live the past.

You are probably familiar with George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series.

Keith is a man who has bad luck. He happened to be visiting a commune during the “Blast” – a sort of nuclear holocaust which wasted the rest of the world – and now he is effectively stuck there for the rest of his life. Sure, life is hard, and lonely and pretty much crappy but at least he has his Chronine – a drug which allows him to re-live the past in extraordinary detail – and that makes it bearable. But when a group of former military men show up and try to make life better for everyone they decide that the Chronine could be put to much better use. But could it really? Check out this groovy tale, man, and like decide for yourself.

Roger Elwood Robert Silverberg (eds)' "Epoch" (anthology, 1975).