Chapter 53 Chandler’s Tale
In order to
more fully understand this reality, we must take into account other dimensions
of a broader reality – John Wheeler
A.J.
Chandler seated himself on a flatish rock before his campfire and gestured
towards a even more comfortable rock on the other side of fire for Marie’s
use. The fire felt good, warming and
wholesome. It immediately chased away
the morning chill that still embraced the wooded mountain despite the sun’s
location’s declaration of near noon. The
fire was set in a small forest glade not far from the grassy overlook where
Marie had arrived.
“How
did you know where to find me?” Marie asked her host.
“Oh,
that’s an easy one. I found you exactly
where you left from, but in a slightly different universe. Apparently, whenever anyone from our universe
travels across the dimensions…this is where they come the first time, for whatever
reason. My guess, is that it’s safe
here. No people. No Toxies.
No Militant AI presence. And not
that many natural predators. I mean
sure, there. Bear, wolves, probably the odd mountain lion, and such, but
remember… they’ve never smelled anything like us… we’re very frightening on an
almost existential level to the fauna here.
Possibly the flora too.”
“Why
would we come to a safe place, first?”
“Well,
that’s the question, isn’t it? I know
that Rick Strassman has told Stan that with DMT travels, er, what’s that quote,
‘Intention is Everything.’ My guess is
the unconscious of the traveler from our Earth directs them, as they reel from
the quite disorienting effects of trip, to a safe place. But, if you really think about it, other
explanations are just as likely.”
Marie
listened to him. His words, despite the
impossible sound of them, made complete sense to her after her journey across
the Veil. She saw a metal coffee pot next
to the fire.
“I
would kill for some coffee right now,” she said, looking with thirst at the
pot, and then placing her eager eyes upon Chandler.
“That’s
not a very good idea,” Chandler responded.
“It’s not that I’m being a bad host, or selfish, but…if you partake of
any food or drink while you’re in another universe…you have to wait for it to
pass through your system before you can get back home. Rather like the fairy tale accounts of those
spirited away by the Good Folk. Who, by
the way, are simply nasty bastards.
Don’t trust them, if you should encounter them. Totally taken over by the Toxies for millennia
now…fuckers.”
“No
shit.” Said Marie in surprise.
“I
shit you not” he reassured her. “But
don’t worry, there’s none of them here for some reason. Only a very few humans and a few stragglers
or homesick among a race of super intelligent hyperdimensional lemurs on this
world. Both of which are quite rare,
outside of the Pine Barrens and Nepal, or the equivalent of those places.”
“Wait,”
Marie questioned. “I was told that I am
the only human to so far be able to travel there and back across the universes,
or whatever. But, you’re here, and that
whole Ongs Hat business?”
“Very
good,” Chandler acknowledged. “You’re as
sharp as they say. You take after your
grandfather.”
“You
knew my grandfather. Of course! His friends from Princeton!”
Another
smile from Chandler. “Ah, he mentioned
us, then?”
“He
took me by your Ashram once, back in 1986, when I was going hiking and camping
at Bodine Field. Several people waved
and greeted him by name as we drove by on the sand road. I asked who they were. He said: ’Friends from Princeton.’”
“Really? Wow, small world, ay kiddo? I must not have been there. He must have seen
the flags on the old barn That was the sign I was gone: my flag was a Grateful
Dead Tie-Dye. We each had one. Larry Brabant would have never have driven by
the Ashram without stopping if Jenkins or I were there. Interesting.”
“Oh
my God, did he ever come here with you guys?”
There
was a twinkle in Chandler’s eye, “Once or twice, maybe.”
“Jesus! Wait! Jenkins was one of you guys! Holy Shit!
Okay, but I still don’t get how you guys can travel back and forth and
supposedly nobody else can?”
“We
could, but we can’t anymore. I mean we
can go to all sorts of interesting other universes, but we can’t go home,
anymore. Not since you, er, the other
Marie Brabants started leaving other universes.
Once the first one came here, what three years ago, thereabouts…none of
us could get back home. And I’ve been
stuck here in France, greeting various versions of you since then.”
“I
don’t understand?”
“Neither
do we. We’re kind of hoping that
somehow, you, being from Earth I and rending the Veil here, the first human
from our dimension since we got here, will find a way for us to return
home. No pressure, of course. Oh dear, looks like you’ll be leaving any
moment now.”
Marie
looked down at herself. Her golden suit
was glowing with light.
“Safe
travels, Marie. I hope we meet again.”
copyright 2017 Diana Hignutt
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