“Give me that!” he demanded as he chased after her.
“You can’t have it!” she said in a silly voice.
“Give it back! Matt ordered as he chased her around the bed grabbing at it. Melissa continued to laugh as she ran around the bed, staying just out of his reach. Matt leapt forward as he rounded the head of the bed and caught her left leg. Melissa fell onto the mattress, and instantly curled up into an impenetrable ball as he dove on top of her. Then she repeatedly pulled the puppet out from under her stomach to mock him with it, hiding it again before he could get it from her. Frustrated, Matt started tickling her sides as she kicked and bucked like a wild horse. Then she tossed the puppet high into the air so he would stop tickling her. When Matt saw the puppet fly past his head, Melissa rolled out from under him and onto a pile of clothes on the floor. Then she pulled him off the bed and on top of her, and gave him a kiss.
“Would you like to stay here tonight?” Matt asked in an optimistic tone.
“I’m sorry, I can’t. My parents are coming over tonight and we’re all going out to a late dinner. I was planning on telling them about us, if that’s okay with you?” she suggested.
“What are you going to tell them?” Matt asked nervously.
“Well, I was thinking of saying something about you being my boyfriend,” she replied.
“Really?” Matt remarked as his face lit up from her declaration.
“Yeah, I thought you figured that out when I spent the night with you.”
“We weren’t intimate...” he replied hesitantly.
“No, but you gave me the key to your dorm and I assumed that you thought of me as your girlfriend. Perhaps I am mistaken, and you give out keys to all the girls you meet?” Melissa smirked.
“Just the cute ones,” Matt replied.
“You’re funny,” Melissa exclaimed as she gently socked him in the arm.
“Ouch!” Matt cried, pretending that his arm was injured.
“Really?” Melissa remarked as she rolled her eyes.
“So, what do you think your parent’s reaction is going to be when you tell them?” Matt questioned.
“They have always liked you, and they trust my judgment, so I think they will be pleased,” Melissa said reassuringly.
“Your mom likes me, but your dad… you know how protective fathers can be.”
“Don’t worry. I’m only going to casually mention we’re boyfriend and girlfriend to get them used to the idea,” Melissa explained.
Matt nodded in agreement. “By the way, thanks again for helping me clean up.”
“I’m always happy to help you,” Melissa replied.
“I know, but I want to make sure you know how much I appreciate it. Your friendship has always been special to me, and I don’t want you to think I take that for granted,” Matt explained.
“I don’t. You have always been respectful, and even when you do make a mistake, it comes from the right place. What more could I ask for from a mere human?” she joked.
“My only concern is that when a friendship turns romantic, if the romance fails, will the friendship also fail?” Matt questioned.
“It might, but then I ask you... should one sit on the sidelines for fear of failure?”
“No, but one should not be reckless either,” Matt contended.
“Reckless!” Melissa laughed. “Is that how you picture yourself? Stop being so serious, we’ll take it nice and slow.”
“I just don’t want to mess things up,” Matt replied with a nervous smile.
“Worrying about things that have not even happened yet is silly. Just remember, I will always tell you things straight up, you won’t have to wonder what I’m thinking or feeling, and I won’t hint around about things. You may not like what I have to say, but a least you will know where I am coming from,” Melissa stated.
“I will try and do the same, but it’s hard for me to expose too much of what I’m feeling or thinking,” Matt admitted.
“If you trust me like I trust you, then know that you can tell me anything, and I will accept you just as you are,” Melissa promised. Matt nodded and then smiled lovingly at her.
“I do trust you above all else, I’m just not used to talking about my inner workings,” Matt confessed.
“That’s okay, I can usually tell what you’re thinking,” Melissa joked as she glanced over at the clock on Matt’s nightstand. “Oh, I better get back to my place and clean it up a bit before my parents arrive. It’s not as spotless as yours.”
“Thanks for cheering me up,” Matt said with a chuckle.
“Any time,” Melissa replied as she kissed him good-by.
Matt sat on the edge of his bed for a moment reflecting on the dynamics of their relationship. When he thought about it, they shared a deep connection that was based on trust and mutual respect, but there seemed to be some invisible third element that he could not articulate. Whatever it was, no one else had ever made him feel so at ease, understood his inner self, and cared for him the way Melissa did.
Chapter 6
Matt finished cleaning up his room and then started working on his homework. After a few hours of mind numbing essay writing, his eyes started to close and his notebook slid down on his lap. Before he realized it, he had fallen into a deep sleep, and was back in the desert walking towards a familiar looking object hovering near the alkali lake. The next thing he knew he was standing inside of a massive spaceship filled with a thick acrid smelling fog. It was difficult to breathe the pungent air at first, but then his lungs slowly acclimated to the alien climate. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a figure slowly approach him from the dimly lit mist. As the stranger approached, he thought it appeared to be humanoid, which struck him as being peculiar since he was obviously on a space ship and was pretty damn sure it wasn’t of earthly origin.
“I know you’re an alien and I’m not afraid,” Matt said aloud. The stranger stopped for a moment and its appearance changed from humanoid to a reptilian creature. Matt wasn’t sure if the creature’s appearance actually changed or if it was just the way his mind was interpreting the dream. Either way, Matt could see the creature was fairly tall, had arms and legs, and a long thin tail. It appeared equally adept at walking bipedally or on all fours. As the creature came closer, Matt could see it was covered in light green scales that seemed almost iridescent. Its hands were multi-jointed and its head was slightly pointed, creating a protruding muzzle that was reminiscent of a velociraptor. The creature was intelligent looking and had two large eyes with deep green diagonal slanting pupils. Its body language was nonthreatening and it seemed curious.
The creature stopped a few feet from Matt and stared intently at him with an inquisitive expression on its face. Matt felt a little bit vulnerable and the creature seemed to sense his apprehension and backed up a step.
“Why are you in my dreams?” Matt asked.
“That’s how we communicate with you,” the creature replied.
“What is the connection between my dreams and the Philadelphia Experiment?” Matt asked.
“Your military developed the technology to shift inanimate objects into another dimension many years ago, but now they are on the verge of being able to shift organic matter into this dimension,” the creature explained.
“What does that mean?” Matt asked.
“Your species has advanced its understanding of physics and mathematics to the point where they know there are multiple dimensions. The ability to transfer objects between these dimensions is called shifting. The dimension you call reality is paired with a similar dimension called hyper-reality. The physics of the two have commonality, but they are not identical. Exploiting these difference can be useful, but also has significant risks. Typically a species’ technological and sociological advances occur in sync with one another, but your species technological advancements have eclipsed your maturity. To make matters worse, the technology to cross over into hyper-reality is in the hands of your military, which is incompati
ble with its proper use. There are serious risks involved with shifting into and out of hyper-reality, risks to your species and the many others that you might encounter. That’s why we have returned, to prevent the misuse of the technology,” the creature warned.
Matt started to feel overwhelmed, and the dream suddenly ended. As he sat up in his bed and rubbed his forehead, he noticed a warm sensation emanating from the left pocket of his pants. When he reached in to see what was causing it, he discovered it was coming from the stone he had inadvertently left in there after Melissa returned it to him. Matt immediately pulled the stone out and stared at it. In the darkness, he could see it was glowing slightly and then slowly faded as he continued to watch it. Matt knew that quartz was one of the many minerals that could luminesce under the right conditions, but his pocket wasn’t one of them. Perplexed by the stone’s luminescence, and still feeling a bit jolted by the crazy dream, he wasn’t able to go back to sleep. So, he got out his notebook and started writing down all the details he could remember about his dreams to pass the time. When he was finished, he read back through what he had written and realized that each dream was revealing details about past events and at the same time tying in things to come. Matt couldn’t tell if the dreams were premonitions or just his mind’s way of connecting real life events with the fantasies of his imagination.
Matt set his notebook down, and peered out the window when he noticed the sun shining on the window shade. Then he picked up his cell phone and called Melissa.
“Hello?” Melissa said in a sleepy voice.
“Hi, it’s me.” Matt replied.
“Yes… I recognize your voice. What are you doing up so early?” she questioned.
“I couldn’t sleep after having another one of those strange dreams,” Matt remarked. “How did you sleep?” he asked.
“Fine... no weird dreams or anything, but I did miss sleeping next to you,” she said in a sad tone.
“I missed you too,” Matt acknowledged.
“I’m sorry I wasn’t there, but I can come over tonight if you like,” she offered.
“I would love that,” Matt replied. Then he proceeded to tell her about the dream and the glowing stone.
“Matt, I know you really believe the dreams are real in some way, but please don’t tell anyone about them. When I see you tonight we can talk all about the dreams and try and figure out their significance,” Melissa suggested.
“Okay, and thanks again for listening to me ramble on. I’m sorry if I woke you,” he apologized.
“Matt, I’m always here for you. I love you, and I look forward to seeing you later,” Melissa added before saying good-bye. Matt felt his heart pounding as he replayed the words ‘I love you’ over and over in his head. The rest of the morning he kept dreaming up different ways to say ‘I love you’ back to her until he decided to just let it happen naturally rather than try and plan it.
After Matt finished breakfast, he headed off to Geology class hoping to catch his teacher before the lecture started.
“Hi Mr. Swartz,” Matt said in an apprehensive tone.
“Hey, what’s up Matt?” he replied.
“Do you have a minute to take a look at a rock sample I found?” Matt asked.
“Of course,” Mr. Swartz replied as Matt handed him the stone.
“So, where did you find it?” he asked.
“Near an alkali lake in the Panamint Valley,” Matt replied.
“I’m not familiar with that location, where exactly is that?” his teacher asked.
“It’s in the northwestern portion of the Mojave Desert,” Matt replied.
“What prompted you to go way down there?” Mr. Swartz asked.
“My friends and I were studying the Timbisha petroglyphs for our Anthropology class. The rock caught my eye because it was an erratic, but I’m still not sure what geological mechanism placed it in the desert?”
“Well, you have a keen eye and I’m happy to see that you have been paying attention in my class. It looks like quartz to me, but let’s check the specific gravity and hardness to be certain.” Matt watched as Mr. Swartz carefully weighed the sample and measured its displacement in water. Then he scratch tested it to determine the hardness.
“Alright, with a specific gravity of 2.62, and hardness of 7, it’s definitely quartz. Now I can’t say for sure, but an erratic in the middle of the desert is probably a result of biological activity and not some geological process. That is to say, someone must have dropped it there by accident or for some unknown reason,” Mr. Swartz theorized.
“I thought I noticed it glowing faintly last night when I pulled it out of my pocket. I know certain minerals such as calcite and quartz can do that when the specimen is energized in some way, but I could not find any reason for the quartz glowing since it was just sitting in my pocket,” Matt questioned.
“Well, if you happen to be rubbing the stone, then triboluminescence can cause it to glow. If you were gently heating it, then thermaluminescence might be the cause,” Mr. Swartz suggested.
“It was glowing before I even touched it,” Matt replied. Mr. Swartz rubbed his forehead and then looked at the stone again.
“Quartz and a handful of other less common minerals are piezoelectric, a property in which the crystal can create electrical energy or RF signals when properly stimulated. I know the first CB radios contained slices of quartz tuned to transmit and receive the radio frequencies they operated on,” Mr. Swartz replied.
“That’s really interesting. I didn’t know quartz could do that,” Matt remarked.
“You would have to talk to a physicist who specializes in electromagnetics to confirm whether or not your sample is unique, but it sounds like it might be piezoelectric,” Mr. Swartz added as he handed it back to Matt.
“Thanks for looking at it,” Matt said in an appreciative tone as he put the stone in his pocket.
“You’re welcome,” Mr. Swartz replied with a smile.
Chapter 7
After a long day of classes, Matt returned to his dorm to find Melissa relaxing on the couch and listening to OneRepublic on his radio.
“Hi,” Matt said in an excited tone. “I wasn’t expecting to see you until later tonight.”
“I know, I just thought it would be nice to come over earlier,” Melissa replied.
“So, how did it go with your parents?” Matt asked reluctantly.
“Great, when I mentioned we were a couple, they seemed genuinely happy about it,” she replied.
“Your father was happy?” Matt questioned, knowing he was perpetually grumpy.
“Yes, he seemed pleased, and he even said a couple of nice things about you,” Melissa added.
“And he sounded sincere when he said it?” Matt questioned.
“Yes,” Melissa insisted. “I think my mom must have really hated my old boyfriend Marcus, but she is quite fond of you apparently.”
“I’m relieved that it went well, and I must admit that I never cared much for Marcus either. He was arrogant, selfish, and disrespectful to you,” Matt revealed.
“Yeah, when I got to know him better, I realized how shallow he was and it ended pretty fast after that. You, on the other hand, are generous, intelligent, and loving,” Melissa said with a smile. Matt felt his face flush and he quickly changed the subject.
“I talked to my teacher about the stone today.”
“What did he say? … and by the way, don’t think I didn’t notice how you just changed topics on me,” she smirked.
“Yeah, that wasn’t my most subtle transition was it?” Matt admitted before continuing on. “Mr. Swartz said the stone is definitely quartz, and that it was probably dropped there by somebody, and not the result of geological activity.”
“Did you tell him about our ordeal with the military?”
“No, and I didn’t mention the strange dreams either,” Matt replied.
“Did your teacher say there was anything unusual about the stone?” Melissa asked.
“Not really, he did say quartz was piezoelectric, and could create or transmit RF signals when properly energized.”
“I guess people who believe in the power of crystals might be onto something,” Melissa remarked.
“Perhaps...” Matt wanted to make a joke about hippies, but decided it might seem offensive to Melissa, since she was an anthro major and respected all cultural choices.
“Do you still think the stone was what the military was after when they searched your room?” Melissa asked.
“I’m not sure... the interrogator seemed obsessed with the idea that we took something from the desert, so either it’s not what they’re looking for, or they don’t know what the ‘artifact’ looks like,” Matt replied.
“Maybe that’s a good thing,” Melissa commented as she patted the cushion next to her. Matt walked over and sat down, then glanced over at the binder on her lap.
“What’s up?” he asked.
“I started deciphering the petroglyphs, and so far I have the hunting scene completed. I also started on what appears to be a Ceremony of the Sun. I was thinking that we should try to relate events depicted in the scenes back to their cultural significance for our presentation. What do you think?”
“Melissa! You’ve done most of the work,” Matt asserted.
“Nonsense, we all agreed that I would decipher the petroglyphs, you would write the presentation, and Greg would present it.”
“I remember that, but I wanted to help you decipher some of the pictures since my portion of the project is easy,” Matt remarked.
“Okay, you can help me compare our photographs to the ones in this book,” Melissa suggested as she handed him the large reference guide.
Matt looked at the title, reading it to himself, “Southwestern Petroglyphs and the Myths of the Early Tribes.”
“It says here that ‘petroglyphs depicting an exaggerated head size indicated intelligence, and was often used for tribal leaders and shamans. Those bigheaded people look a lot like the picture Greg took of the lizard looking person,” he pointed out.
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