Secrets of Goth Mountain
Page 61
CHAPTER 27
REVELATIONS
Elizabeth ate another delicious oatmeal cookie. “So you have no problems with old man Fenster or Skunk or Dark or Barns?”
“None of that rings a bell, Elizabeth,” said Mark Goth. “Fenster and Barns are names of people in town, but we have no problems with them or anyone else.”
Elizabeth shook her head in wonder. She was sitting at the Goth cabin’s dining-room table, sharing afternoon milk and cookies with Mark, Ann, Mort, Laura, and Johnny Goth, along with Two Bears and Small Bear. All of them were strangers to her, though she knew most of them in her own universe.
“And what of the People?”
“What people do you mean?” asked Johnny.
“Pru? Baldor? Grog? Ned? Fen? What about Thela or Sheera? You men would surely remember them!”
“Nope, never heard of any of them,” said Mark.
“They are a race of super beings in my universe.”
Johnny shrugged, Mark shook his head. “We know of nobody like that,” said Two Bears.
What about humans with powers?” she asked. “Can any of you fly?”
“Sure,” said Johnny, as his body rose several feet to float next to the table. “But it’s no big deal; millions of people can do it.”
“Goths have more abilities than most, but nearly all humans have some measure of psychic powers, Elizabeth,” said Mark. “That’s common knowledge.”
“Not in my world. Only a handful of people have any powers at all.”
“Wow!” said Laura. “I can’t imagine that!”
“Shaman powers are much more rare,” said Two Bears, “and usually found in native Americans and others that live close to nature. Shaman magic leans towards relating to natural powers in other living and non-living things aside from ourselves. We think that the Cube has helped us enhance our natural psychic powers.”
“I never heard of a universe without world-wide psychic powers!” said Mort. “Why, it ain’t natural!”
“Over the last few weeks we have communicated with people of dozens of other worlds,” said Mark Goth. “Psychic powers seem to be common to all of them, and I’ve never seen any of them write of someone called the People.”
“Write?”
“Yes, of course,” said Ann. “Show her, Laura.”
Laura disappeared into the back bedroom for a few moments before returning with a three-foot square marker-board and a camera. “We write messages on this and record messages and replies with a camera.”
“Except for the exchange of doppelgangers nothing seems to penetrate the Cube except visual spectrum electromagnetic energy,” explained Johnny. “Not even telepathic communications penetrate. Only visual communications approaches function, and we’re getting better at that. We’re thinking now of somehow using laptop computers to manage some sort of high speed laser communications.”
“What about powerful evil creatures like Dark? Do you have those in this world?”
“I never heard of beings called ‘dark’ but we do have plenty of evil creatures and forces in our universe,” said Ann, “including some with incredible powers. Is that what you were fleeing when you came here?”
“I wasn’t fleeing my universe. I’m not here on purpose. I got pulled into the Cube against my will.”
“Oh my,” said Ann. “That’s horrible. The Elizabeth you switched with wasn’t happy with this universe and wanted to switch again, of course, though I don’t know if your particular universe will suit her.”
“Can you help me get back to my own world?”
None spoke, but they looked at each other, their expressions grim.
“I can’t communicate telepathically, but I don’t like your facial expressions.”
“Sorry for the telepathy, Elizabeth,” said Johnny. “We’ve been mostly communicating through talking for your sake, but your question jarred us a bit.”
“We’ll try to help you, of course,” said Mark. “But we’ve had indications of several folks trying to get back to where they came from, but no solid indications that any of them have ever been able to do so. Folks can move from one world to another, but they can’t switch back again right after they have switched. The Cube repels the recently switched, as a matter of fact. Also, they have trouble identifying the correct world, since many are nearly identical. People can only switch with their doppelganger, dead or alive, but there may be an infinite number of them corresponding to an infinite number of universes. Returning to your own specific world is highly problematic, I’m afraid. We haven’t seen any, but we have been told that multiple dead bodies are being used to stimulate switching, but even if you switch universes a thousand times, the odds against returning to your home world are likely to be extremely small; perhaps approaching zero.”
“My Johnny wants to find his father Mark and his Uncle Mort, who earlier disappeared into the Cube. That’s why we were at the Cube when I was transported here.”
“So three of you are lost from one universe?” lamented Ann.
“Down but not out,” said Elizabeth. “I got here somehow, and I have to believe there’s a way to get back.”
“You’re really determined to get back, aren’t you?” asked Johnny.
Elizabeth smiled. “Damn right.”
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