Dimensia

by Steven Thornton, Jr

  *

  My SWAG was that if other colors were combinations of the above colors, might the same principles apply to their meanings? After reading the material followed by some amount of intake, I decided to take a walk around the neighborhood to test these theories of color meaning. Logging off my computer, I grabbed my jacket and continued downstairs. Outside, I walked along the congested sidewalk as it was nearing sunset. The sky possessed a beautiful shade of blue, with pink outlining the distance with the sun laying ever so gently on the horizon. I felt a cool breeze and heard the sounds of Mother Nature all around me. I heard honking overhead and tilted my head to the sky to see a flock of geese numbering in the thirties flying in their famous V formation. They were heading south for the winter and I wished I could go with them. After a moment of appreciation, I continued to walk amongst the people, all with a specific glow visible. They were so illuminating that they were almost as bright as the street lights running parallel to the street overhead. After a few minutes of walking and observing my surroundings, a gentleman struck me as quite interesting. He dressed in what one could assume to have been his work attire, just like someone would dress who worked at a nearby warehouse or factory. His hands were rough with calluses, he was covered in grease and his fingernails were dirty. His boots were definitely broken in to the point of needing a new pair. His hair was salt and pepper with just a hint of retreating brown. He appeared to be in his mid-forties, perhaps early-fifties, mindlessly sitting on a bench. I observed his eyes having bags under them and deep wrinkles on his face, no doubt due to a hard life of physical and strenuous labor. I casually walked up to the man and introduced myself. I opened conversation with a need of directions. I was intrigued by his aura, which was blue. He gave me my needed directions and somehow the conversation developed into a story of when he was my age. He seemed very knowledgeable and trustworthy, which is exactly what I was looking to find. In his story he spoke of a woman he coined "the love of his life."

  "We were to have been wed, but her father hadn't approved of me because I hadn't come from money." My eyes began to water as I listened to this man pouring out his soul. Diving further into his story, he explained his life and of some of the intense hurdles he had faced and conquered. Apparently one of the biggest hurdles in his life was his son. His son came into the world as one in a thousandth percentile, born with Down Syndrome. Ironic to me is that we are all handicapped. His wife, whom he met while serving in the military overseas, had to stay at home with their son at all times for fear that something could happen to him while away. He then paused and looked me squarely in the eyes. His eyes swelled, seeing his mind running over the course of his life. It was like I was able to see the things he spoke of visually as if they were playing out right in front of me. As a tear raced down his cheek, he raised his right hand to dry his eyes trying to mask his unguarded emotion; he grabbed my right leg with a firm grip and said,

  "Son, I feel compelled to tell you, this life we are given doesn't last as long as we think when we're young. While you are young, you should plan for the best but expect the worst. I don't mean that in every aspect, of course. But in life, sometimes we get dealt a bad hand, or things don't turn out the way we think they are supposed to. It's on you to change the outcome, rather than accept what is or isn't there. Always remember, change is the result of action. Life can be predictable. Living life is unpredictable. Don't be consumed with preparing for your life that you forget to have one." Sitting next to this man, I realized the hard life he must have had, but also how he was so loving and caring at the same time. He was not your typical wealthy guy sitting on a bus bench. He was rich in my opinion because I could see his heart, which was gold. I could feel the words he spoke as if they were raindrops of wisdom pouring from his lips. I intently listened, taking in every word and feeling every emotion. I realized how special this guy was and how thankful I was to have had such a truly motivating, inspirational moment in his presence. To think, I would have normally blown right past this guy waiting for the bus and never had the experience of learning something about others and myself! In utter admiration I stood and thanked him for his time, explaining that I had to run to avoid becoming late. This was not the case, but felt I should say that to avoid being rude. I then shook his hand and took off walking. I understood how fortunate I am, we are. Even when we think we have it bad, there is someone a stone-skip away that has it worse. The simple fact that we are alive and breathing, have good health and the ability to function normally, we are blessed and should be thankful. With such thoughts, I began to smile as a warm feeling of contentment washed over me.

  The next person that caught my eye was a gentleman sitting outside the coffee shop I normally went to enjoy a morning coffee. As I entered the coffee shop, I ordered my usual, and then added the mixtures to satisfy my taste buds. When my creation was completed, 'Hit the switch. Now come to life.' I grabbed my coffee and headed outside to an empty table positioned next to the gentleman, who coincidently had a red glow.

  The gentleman was well groomed and had a few years on myself. His outward style was trendy. He wore a black leather jacket and a scarf, which he had tied in a knot against his neck. He presented a man of success and seemed to have an air of confidence about him. I opened conversation with the gentleman by commenting on the beautiful starlit night. He smiled in agreement and opened his stance to converse.

  "What do you have planned for this lovely evening, young man?" he cheerfully asked. He crossed his left leg over the top of his right, settling deeper into his chair.

  "Maybe later I'll catch a movie with my girlfriend or something." I replied with a smile.

  "Oh, yes, the harmonious days of dating," he said as he looked out into the distance, as if reminiscing. Seconds later he held up his left hand, revealing his ring finger as he smiled.

  "How long you been dating this girl?" he asked. I looked at him and grinned, inhaling a deep breath.

  "Not that long," I bantered and we both laughed. Glancing down at his watch he reached into his pocket and retrieved his cell phone. He turned to look at me and sighed, expressing his aggravation.

  "Excuse me. I need to call my wife to see if she is almost done shopping," he said in an impatient tone. He rolled his eyes, stood from his seat over-exaggerating the act of standing, and carried on the conversation a few feet away. Absorbing the stage, acts become familiar, moments later he returned to his previous position.

  "This is what you have to look forward to my friend," as he grasped his cell phone in between both hands and shook it from left to right, grinding his jaws with a look of I'm so annoyed on his face. At about that time I felt my phone in the front pocket of my jeans vibrate. I located it and answered to find that Comfort had been cut early from work and was on her way home. I then decided it best to leave and shook the gentleman's hand and began walking toward my place.

  It was approaching nine when I made it to my apartment. I looked up from the street to see if Comfort had beaten me home. Briefly scanning the apartment, then looking into her room I saw that she hadn't. I proceeded up the stairs to my place and flopped down in my bed, closing my eyes to take a brief rest. Then nothing. Nothing being that's all I recall. The next thing I knew it was morning. I must've passed out cold. Rolling out of bed, the sun shined through my blinds and I heard birds chirping from nearby trees. I glanced over to Comfort's room and found her in bed, asleep. Feeling revived and energized, I headed to the sink and grabbed a glass of water. Focusing on a note on the counter. Retrieving the neatly folded note, I read Comforts description of how she had came into my apartment last night and tried to wake me, but decided to let me get some much-needed sleep. I sat the note back down on the counter and glanced at the alarm clock on the nightstand next to my bed. Ten o'clock. Realizing it was Sunday and that I had to be at work by eleven, I decided to grab a quick shower and proceed to work.

 
Fortunately for me, work ended up being so slow that they asked for a couple of volunteers to leave early. Naturally, I jumped on the grenade. In doing so I got off at one-thirty and the rest of the day was mine. Excited as I drove towards my place, I was thankful it had been slow and glad to be finished for the day when I arrived home. Entering my apartment, I walked towards the fridge and found some leftovers I had forgotten about. I felt rejuvenated and alive after devouring them. Then I decided to head over to Comfort's place to see what her plans were for the day. Knocking with my signature rhythm, I saw her exit the bathroom and approach the door. As she slowly opened it I riffed,

  "Good morning love. Turtledove, glove, above, shove. I don't know that's all I got. What do you have planned today?" I asked cheerfully.

  "You're off early, no? By the way, you're weird." Comfort said, consumed with laughter.

  "Well, I wasn't scheduled to work, but now I'm covering a shift because one of the hostesses called in," Comfort said as she let out an overwhelming sigh of aggravation. Forcing a smile, I felt annoyed and somewhat estranged. I felt distanced.

  "I'm sorry for falling asleep last night," I said in apology.

  "No worries. Please squeeze. You can't save someone's life every night, right?" I laughed.

  "Well, would you like to come over to my place and hang out before you head to the slave mill?"

  "Sure, just let me get dressed real quick," she said with a grin, closing the door. I then returned to my place and decided to clean up a bit in the meantime. In the process I saw Comfort headed to my place from across the hall. She knocked, and then let her self-in.

  This afternoon, we hung out and time flew as usual, until it was time for her to head to work. I decided to accompany her. Walking in our usual route to work, with her hand grasped in mine, it wasn't long till we arrived. With a hug and a kiss, we said our goodbyes and I turned to head home. En route I sparked an idea. I picked up the pace and arrived at my place. I quickly ran up the stairs to my apartment and grabbed my car keys and continued downstairs to my awaiting car.

  I had decided to head for the Dimensia Lab. My hope, however illogical, involved Dr. Scott. It was Sunday and I knew my chances were slim, but after processing the deviations of possibilities I decided it was still worth giving it a shot. I hoped he would be at the lab. Across town, after about fifteen minutes of driving, I arrived. I parked in an empty space and I decided to check the building to see if Doctor Scott was present. From my car I jumped with my talent inside the lab. Upon entering the secured entrance, I was greeted by a long hallway with white tile at my feet. The walls to the left and right were white in color. Passing through the hall, I looked up at the ceiling and saw a consistency of recessed lights as I arrived at a junction. I then had to choose whether to go right or left. I looked to the right and saw the familiar picture I had just seen. I looked left and observed a door with what appeared to be some sort of elaborate security system. Deciding to go left, I jumped into the room and there it was. I had seen it in the paperwork that Rob had given me from his computer-hacker cousin. But didn't prepare me for this, it was truly magnificent. Awestruck, gazing upon it for the first time, it was insane. White in color, fifteen feet in width, the same of height, slightly larger in scope then I had imagined. It was round and hollow on one side, with a large chair directly in the center. The arms of the chair were fitted with restraints, with an upper arm that swiveled vertically as well as horizontal. Assuming would cover one's face, visualizing a screen of some sort mounted to the arm. A brilliant machine. I stood amazed, becoming aware of the computers in the room. Computers were everywhere. Scanning the room from left to right, I saw at least eighty different computers. The room itself was dark, except for the machine. The machine, named the "deliverance chair" had its own barricade surrounding it, with lights hanging above in a fixed position. Looking around the uninhabited room, a door opened and in entered Dr. Scott. I was excited, for it was he whom I wanted to speak with. I quickly retraced my train of thought to my current position, inside my car.

  Deciding to step out, I was greeted by a cold howl of the wind as it nearly capsized me. In a turning motion I reached to the back seat and grabbed my jacket, hoping to keep warm. After layering my jacket, closed the door of my car. Feeling instantly warmer, I walked to the top of the hill where the lab was located. As I reached the top of the hill, I decided to sit on the bench out front to wait for Dr. Scott thinking he would be along any minute.

  I glanced at my phone and saw it was approaching seven as I sat on the cold cement bench in front of the lab. It was a chilly fall evening in the heart of Missouri. As I sat there contently, I watched the near by trees. They reminded me of paintbrush tips spread across a white canvas. Influenced by the wind, they appeared to dance. Pumping my feet in hopes of keeping my blood circulating, I exhaled and could see my breath, much colder than I had foreseen. Minutes passed and I now felt my fingers begin to numb. As time passed my body temperature fell and I placed my hands in the side pockets of my jacket. Scanning the local surroundings, a Cardinal flying overhead caught my eye. I looked up and watched with admiration as it peacefully soared through the sky above. I decided to try to jump with my talent to the bird's perspective. In doing so I felt first hand as if I were flying. It was exhilarating. I looked down from above and saw myself positioned directly below, dazedly staring up. I then looked out into the horizon and saw a view that mesmerized me. It was when I looked towards the city, at the approaching sunset that I felt this. I took in the sun's rays as they outlined the buildings and again felt a relaxed and somber. In this breathtaking moment, I truly understood what I had overlooked. I began to see things with a newly found vantage point that was great. After processing the pure beauty and simplicity of the moment, I felt grateful. I then realized I should get back to my current position, not knowing how much time had lapsed.

  Moments later, the front door opened. Having waited patiently for at least an hour, I realized it was Dr. Scott. I quickly stood and began walking in his direction. Within ten or so feet, in recognition of me, the Doctor stopped dead in his tracks.

  "What are you doing here, son?" he asked impatiently in his Aussie accent. Seeing fright in his eyes and realizing I had startled him, I couldn't help but grin.

  "Sorry for the inconvenience. It's just. I mean I would really like to talk with you, even if it's only a few minutes."

  "Okay, what's on your mind?" he replied sharply. I sensed a sarcastic tone to his voice as he glanced down at his watch, impatiently acting as if not to be bothered.

  "You have two minutes," he said harshly.

  "Thank-you sir, may I walk with you to your car?" I asked, as he nodded his head in agreement, we walked towards the parking lot.

  "Sir, as I told you before, I am interested in dimensions." I sparked the conversation.

  "Yes . . ." he added facetiously. I smiled, realizing he was kind of annoying.

  "Okay," I said confidently,

  "Let's say I was able to figure out how to access the fourth dimension . . ." He slowly turned towards me,

  "Son . . . " I interrupted,

  "My name is Fisher." Set back momentarily, he rephrased.

  "Fisher, I'm sorry to say, but you really should just give up this fixation, this fantasy you have with all of this, and come to terms with reality." I laughed, aggravated at this point.

  "Okay, just tell me what's in the fifth dimension." His body language changed to cocky,

  "Sorry mate, I can't tell you. Besides, you have to access the fourth to supersede the fifth, naturally apples."

  "Okay, I'll prove it to you," I said, becoming annoyed.

  "Prove what," he asked, clueless.

  "The fourth dimension." Aggravated, I continued,

  "Point out your car."

  "Sorry?" he retorted,

  "Point out your car." I spoke louder and slightly slower t
o get the message through. He regrettably lifted his right hand and pointed to a Lexus SUV, gold in color, located a few hundred yards off in the distance. I focused with my talent to inside the car. I located the middle console and in the compartment I visualized several things. Of the items, I saw a picture of Dr. Scott with his wife and daughter. Beneath the picture I visualized a bottle of Cool Water cologne, in addition to, a pack of Big Red chewing gum. Looking into the backseat, I found nothing I could relay as significant. I then advanced to the trunk where I stumbled upon a soccer ball and a couple of fold up lounge chairs. I then retraced my train of thought to my current position and relayed what I had just seen to the Doctor. Seeing the blood rush from his head, I witnessed the Doctor's face turn pale as lavender. His eyes lit up as he turned towards me, raising his left hand with his index finger extended.

  "There's no way you could have known what was in my car. Unless . . ." seeing him heavy in thought.

  "Unless you managed to break in while I was inside," as he grinned, understanding this wasn't going to be that easy.

  "Okay, I'll do better. If you will explain how to get to your office from the entrance of the Lab I will describe everything you have on your desk, as well as the contents of your desk." He acquiesced, and moments later I relayed the specifics of pictures and pens. I even described the screen saver he had selected for his monitor.

  "So, you're telling me the fourth dimension is the ability to see through things and to be able to look further by focusing on things you see. Similar to remote viewing or a form of guided imagery?" he stated in disbelief.

  "I can also see people's auras. And in my experience I have found that each person has a different aura represented by a color. I also have a theory of what the colors mean or symbolize." I grinned confidently.

  "Okay, let's say I believe you. What do you want?" As the Dr. narrowed his eyes, wheels turning,

  "Well, pretty much, I want to know what exists in the other dimensions." Maintaining a cold stare for a brief moment, he cleared his throat and replied,

  "Fisher, you have no idea what the next dimension is. You should stop now and just appreciate what you have. You have to understand, there is no undoing what has been done."

  "Well, what have you learned about the next dimension?" I asked arrogantly.

  "Trust me Fisher. It's no place you want to go. My partner on this project wanted to know the same. And now he is mad as a cut snake, housed in a mental facility because he thinks he sees spirits." His eyes bulged as he moved his fingers in a wave motion close to his face as if trying to taunt, intimidate or frighten me.

  "Spirits?" I repeated mockingly. Staring one another uncomfortably in the eyes for what felt like thirty seconds, he extended his right arm, anchoring his hand around my left forearm, and strengthened his grip.

  "Stop while you're ahead. That's the best advice I can give you." He released his grip on my arm,

  "I have to go, but please don't proceed any further, I beg you. Nothing good can come from it." Not knowing what to think, I felt aggravated, doubtful and unsatisfied as the Dr. excused himself and headed toward his car. I felt this way because I was hearing what I didn't want to hear. So I decided to leave and proceeded to my car.

  Driving home I turned on the radio, hoping to hear something that would help me take my mind off the current feeling of being emotionally upset. As I scanned the different radio stations, I heard a lot of country, some country, some more country, hip-hop and a few rap stations. I eventually stumbled across a station that piqued my interest: NPR. The bit was a segment with a female DJ, taking callers and having them share stories of supernatural experiences. How appropriate I mused, speaking of spirits, also that Halloween was around the corner. One caller explained that he and his wife had seen and experienced inexplicable things in their house. The male caller explained in detail of how he and his wife would be sitting on the couch in their living room watching television, and out of nowhere they would hear a glass fall to the floor from the adjacent kitchen. Entering the kitchen to investigate, they found the cabinet door overhead, wide open with the glass that would normally be shelved in the cabinet above on the ground below shattered into hundreds of pieces. In another instance, their fireplace doors violently swung open with the chains that normally keep fire pops from entering the house. All right before their very eyes and ears.

  A different caller, a female, stated that in her nightly routine she would place her car keys on the top of her dresser. Every night, she claimed, she would hear her car that was parked in front of her house honk and see lights flash through the blinds of her bedroom window. It was exactly as if she had pressed the keyless remote lock button. At other times her DVD player would power on. Sometimes her television would power itself off.

  Hearing such reminded me of stories I had personally experienced. I had seen things in the past that I thought were awkward or weird, but had rationalized them as justifiable or circumstantial. One time for instance, the toilet randomly flushed. I had a couple of friends over at the time,

  "Dude, your toilet just flushed and no one is in the restroom?" One of my friends voiced. It was true, and you can imagine it definitely creeped us out.

  However crazy the aforementioned has been, the story that I am about to share is really crazy! One weekend I stayed with my grandmother. She owned three Siamese cats, and every night she would wrangle the cats into the laundry room at the opposite end of the house from my room. Once inside, she would close the door leaving the cats to stay there overnight. She did this because the cats would shed hair, get into things, etc. The door that exited the laundry room led to a two-car garage. At the time, I had my high school buddy Andy over to spend the night. My Grandma had a computer/guest-room that had a bed where Andy planned on sleeping that night. On this night I was hanging out in the computer room with Andy as he downloaded songs. It was getting late, and I had fallen asleep in the guest bed. Andy, by shaking me rather intensely, woke me up in tears frantic, a bit manic.

  "Dude, what's going on?" half-asleep, I asked. Drawing from his state of panic, I thought the house was on fire or a superior race had returned. I had never seen Andy like that; he hadn't stopped crying,

  "Dude, everything's cool. What's going on?" He slowly regained his normal breathing pattern and began to dry his eyes.

  "Okay, I was sitting here in the chair at the computer," as he visually pointed each out. As if I didn't know what a chair or computer was?

  "When I heard the door that enters the house from the garage open."

  "Okay." I added, slightly confused.

  "Well, then I heard the cats going crazy, hissing and scratching and whatnot. I mean crazy. Then, I heard the laundry room door open and close, as the cats seemed to chill out."

  "Got it," I said, listening intently.

  "Well, then I heard footsteps walking across the living room, hearing the floor popping and cracking with every step, headed my way. I'm thinking it's your Grandma checking on us or something, but something didn't feel right."

  "Okay." I added, tracking along, as Andy stood in the center of the room.

  "Well, I heard the footsteps getting closer and closer," to reenact the timing of the steps he crept across the room.

  "It sounded like whoever it was, was headed for this room. Well, when I turned to look at the door, it was closed." I nodded my head feeling anticipation build.

  "Okay, so now staring at the door I watched the doorknob turn as if someone were going to enter, then. The door slowly opened. Dude, keep in mind, it didn't open wide, just a few inches. It barely opened. My heart was pounding, about to explode, when I heard the footsteps entering the room, but no one was there! Serious. I started freaking out. I froze. I was in shock man. Then, all of a sudden, I felt a cold breeze drift past me, as if a window had been opened, it gave me instant chill bumps. I didn't know what to do man, it was freaking freaky.
A few seconds later, if that, I heard the footsteps again, except now walking away. Looking at the door, I watched it slightly open, then close. Again, I listened and heard the floor popping and cracking with each step, walking towards the laundry room. Whatever-whatever, well, seconds later, I heard the laundry room door open and heard the cats go crazy-wild, then, the garage door open and close, then silence. That's when I woke you up."

  "Are you sure you weren't dreaming?" I asked in doubt, finding his story hard to believe.

  "Fisher, I wasn't dreaming if I was awake, right?" Andy said, looking at me in all seriousness. I was still finding his story a little far-fetched, (Cats gone wild?).

  "Yeah, I guess not huh?" I agreed for sake of being friends. After this night, Andy never stayed the night with me at my Grandmas place. Something happened that jarred Andy to the core, but to this day I am unsure exactly what.

  Arriving at my place, I pulled into my parking spot, and proceeded inside. Upon entering I stumbled upon a business card. At the counter, the business card had a striking resemblance to the one I had received from the snake lady. The front of the card was blank while the other side revealed a hand written address. I walked over to my computer to MapQuest the coordinating address, placing the business card in the front pocket of my jeans. After finding the exact coordinates, I printed off the directions and grabbed my cell phone to dial work. After a couple of rings, I heard Comfort's voice.

  "Thank you for calling Circular Square Pizzeria, how can I help you?" Hearing her southern drawl I laughed to myself, and then disguised my voice in a lower octave.

  "Yes, I am looking to order about three hundred pizzas. Is that going to be a problem?" Hearing a pause on the line.

  "Hello sir, I understand you want to order three hundred pizzas, is that correct?" she stated with uncertainty.

  "Yes, that's right, you sound cute. I want you to bring the pizzas to my house," I said in my disguised voice.

  "Sir, I don't know. Is this order for another day or for tonight? And will this be delivery or carry out?" Comfort asked, sounding more assertive, but suspect.

  "What's up?" I said in my normal voice. What followed was a moment of confusion,

  "Fisher?"

  "Don't sound so disappointed," I said in a consuming laugh.

  "How did you get on the line?" she asked, obviously confused.

  "Um . . .I called you at work . . . kind of why-old." There was another brief pause.

  "That's weird. I was talking to this guy that wanted to order like three hundred pizzas or something. I think he was flirting with me, too? I hope we got disconnected."

  "Ma'am, excuse me ma'am. Are you still there? What are you wearing?" I asked in a disguised voice.

  "Yes I am the capital of not funny." She connected the dots and laughed, bamboozled.

  "What do you want crazy-town?" she asked, hearing a smile in her voice.

  "I'm almost off, really funny by the way. Yep, you got me."

  "Well, tonight I won't be able to chill. I have to go see . . . those two ladies again." I said, as a pause developed,

  "Okay." Comfort said, hesitantly.

  "Well be safe, I'm going to be worried about you all night, call me if and when you can."

  "You got it," I replied, and closed our conversation. I then grabbed my belongings and headed downstairs to my car. Outside was cold; I inhaled and exhaled a breath, witnessing the breath floating in the air. I paused, looking through the breath cloud I created, lost in the awareness of it all and proceeded to my car. Of which, the rear window had frosted over, observing writing of some sort on it. After prying open the frosted door, I laid horizontally across the seat on my stomach. Straining my eyes back at the rear window, I finally made out, 'Comfort.' Grinning, I sat up and pulled out my car keys and started my car. After a couple minutes of letting my engine idle to warm, I decided it was time to get the show on the road. I retrieved the directions from my pocket and began the drive, observing the setting of beautiful landscapes that Mother Earth had provided us with. I saw into the buildings, into homes and apartments I passed. I felt great pride in knowing my marginal existence was something I could be happy about. It was something I had lacked for some reason. This was an experience I will never forget, nor ever, ever, live without.

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