For those of you who wish to read this story in one sitting, I've created a separate page for it to make your lives easier.
Also, here are the links if you want to hop to something specific.
Part 1: The Sounding
Part 2: The Blank Slate
Part 3: The Infinite Jest
The Absurdity
Part 4: The Third
After walking around above the universe for what
must have been hours (at least from my perception of time), I’d seen
supernovae remnants, nebulae, and even a black hole.
We spent several long minutes watching the black hole. I couldn’t help thinking that the covert
nature of it, the way it waited in the fabric of space-time while the rest of
the universe continued to operate without being aware of it, was like this place
I now inhabited. Before I began to hear
the sound, I never knew this world was here.
A now I’d been pulled in, and Jester had cut off my only way out. Yet, I wasn’t sure I should be upset about
that.
“The power of the black hole is impressive, but I
wouldn’t recommend thinking about it too much,” Jester warned. Even as she said this, a quick glance showed
that she too was invested in the sight.
Her vibrant green eyes seemed to be descending into the singularity along
with the heavenly objects below. “I’ve
seen worlds inhabited by billions pulled inside. Part of me wonders if they were real. I could never be sure, and I didn’t really
want to know. Having knowledge of that
kind of loss can overwhelm you.”
“I can only imagine,” I muttered.
Jester’s hand was suddenly grasping my elbow
again. “Come on. There’s more to see. We’ll have plenty of time to explore this
room later.”
I blinked uncomprehendingly. “This is our entire universe, right?” There were no visible boundaries around me,
so I could only imagine this indeed encompassed everything of the universe I
came from.
“Of course, it is.”
“And this is only one room?”
Jester nodded.
“It is a lot to take in at first,” she admitted. “That’s why we need to use shortcuts to get
from one room to another. By foot it
would take forever.” She casually opened
another gateway.
“You need to teach me to do that,” I said.
“I will,” she promised, “but one thing at a
time. You need to see more of this place
before I can do that.”
Gripping my hand, she pulled me through to the next
room. I had no idea what to expect, but this
next room still managed to surprise me.
We stood on the edge of a dense forest. Behind me, there was nothing but water. In front of me, two paths originating at the
same point snaked away from one another.
One of the paths was solid dirt without any overgrowth. The other was covered with patches of weeds
and fallen branches. It would be a
difficult one to traverse.
“Where do we go?” I asked.
Jester smiled, though it felt like a nervous gesture. Her eyes had lost the spark I first noticed
in them.
“That’s up to you.”
I hesitated.
Why had her attitude shifted so suddenly? “Is this a test?”
She shrugged one shoulder. “I suppose you could call it that. It’ll tell me if you’re ready to see the
rooms that lie beyond this.”
“And if I fail?”
“Then you need to decide if you want to stay here
based on what you’ve seen so far, or if you’d rather go back,” she replied
softly. As if the prospect of this
decision being made right away worried her.
I looked at the two paths. The one that looked well-worn had obviously
seen a lot of traffic. Had she tested
people before? Who used that walkway?
Then I looked down the other. No one went that way. If others had taken this test and failed,
then they certainly hadn’t gone that way.
Did that make it the right choice?
My mind started ticking over the various
possibilities. I found some semblance of
the analytical mind I must have had in my previous life. Yet, for all the reasons I found justifying
each choice, something felt wrong. No
matter which I chose, it seemed too simple.
For a place this strange, no answer could be that simple.
I took a deep breath as a new option came to life in
my mind. “All right. I think I’m ready.”
Jester watched apprehensively as I stepped toward
the tree line. Instead of setting foot
on either of the paths, I cut down the middle, stepping through the underbrush between
the two. I looked over my shoulder. “Are you coming?” I called out.
When Jester stopped beside me, her grin was wider
than ever. She grabbed my hand again and
held it tightly. I barely knew her, but
then again I barely knew myself. Yet I
knew one thing for certain. I liked the
way her hand felt in mine.
Part 5: Portals
Part 5: Portals
Another brilliant part! I love where the story is going, can't wait for the next part! :)
ReplyDelete