The Boy Who Played With Dark Matter

by Holy Ghost Writer

  "I hate to wake you," Zeddy's mother began, "but I think the professor has found us a ship that will take us to Jungle Island. We will need to go soon. I know it's hard to remember, but we're fugitives, Zeddy. You have to answer when I call you “Eddy” now. And you mustn't forget that I am Sadie Hutton and the professor is your grandfather, William Hutton. I know it's confusing, but I can't risk calling you “Zeddy” right now. Maybe one day soon I can again safely call you “Zeddy”, but for now it has to be what our new papers say. You are Eddy Hutton, not Zeddy."

  Zeddy nodded in agreement, still too unfocused and fatigued to come up with an answer. He knew she was right. His life had changed so much in the last week, that he could scarcely keep it all in order. His father had mysteriously disappeared. He found out his neighbor was the ancient sorceress, Nimueh. His mother had revealed a secret room in their house, in which was stored an illegal collection of paper books that disproved all the history lessons of the current International Government, or IG. He had visited an amazing place called Zamira, in a dream given to him by a dark matter zutterfly. He had found Professor A. Z. Zenith and learned the professor was his father's partner at work, exploring dimensional portals for the IG. They had all barely escaped being arrested by the International Military Police. He had learned that he had the ability to use dark energy trapped in a Rosetta crystal from Zamira, with the help of Nimueh’s sorcery. And now, he had spent the last three days as a fugitive from the IG, first on a tram to the Mississippian Province; then hiding in this old empty warehouse, trying to find someone who would take them to Jungle Island, where his lost father might be held captive. To say the least, for a small, slim boy his age, this was an incredible week – he was exhausted.

  Zadie, now “Sadie Hutton”, stood up and reached to help her son to his feet. Zeddy knew the time had come to embrace this new identity. It was vital for his own sake and that of his family, including his newly-acquired grandfather, Professor Zenith, or, as his father had called the professor in Zeddy's bedtime tales, “Prophesy”. They were the Hutton family, now. They had to stick together and become the family that their forged papers said they were. There was already a bond growing between the professor and him, and Zadie enjoyed the security of having someone else make sure Zeddy stayed safe. As Zeddy gathered his backpack and duffle bag, he resolved to do whatever he must in order to remember that he was Eddy Hutton, now. One day, if they could find his father and prove that they were innocent of withholding information from the International Government, he could become Zeddy again. For now, however, that would have to wait.

  "I've found a ship that is willing to sail into the eerie waters that lead to Jungle Island," said the professor, now Grandfather Hutton. "I have promised them money upon our return from this trip, and I gave them my antique Rolex watch as the first part of our payment. They are an interesting bunch, but the Captain seems like an honorable man. I like his name, Captain Baldi. It seems so familiar."

  Zeddy had to smile. He looked at his mother, who was also smiling. Baldi was the name of the captain of the smuggler's ship that had rescued Edmond Dantes in his mother's favorite book, The Count of Monte Cristo. He was an honorable man, despite the fact that he was a smuggler. They both hoped, at the same time, that this captain would be the same.

  "Let's be off, now," Zeddy's mother said quietly. "We will pray we have the luck of Edmond Dantes."

  Zeddy laughed out loud as the professor looked at them, puzzled. The professor smiled even though he was not sure how the joke made sense. It had been many years since he had read of Edmond Dantes, and he was not sure he remembered what would make the other two want the luck of a man wrongfully imprisoned for 14 years. Still, he knew they both had the book pretty much memorized, as Zadie read it all the time. So, hopefully, there was luck to be had, after all.

  The three fugitives walked out of the rusty warehouse onto the darkened street. There were no lights on these forgotten streets where they had been hiding. The moon beamed down across them, casting a silvery glow that danced across the leaves of overgrown bushes and trees tossed aside by the salty ocean breeze. As the three walked, hand-in-hand, toward the harbor, Zeddy knew that the time had finally arrived. These were his last moments as Zeddy, at least for now.

  They walked for what seemed like an hour, until they came in view of a dilapidated, old ship that looked like something out of a pirate story, or maybe an old war story. Zeddy wasn't sure. It was rusted metal and shaped like a sailing ship, rather than one that used power. There was a giant metal mast and what looked like a sail. It was like stepping back in time.

  "Master Hutton!" a booming voice called. "Welcome aboard the Camilla!"

  As they began to walk the gangplank to the deck of the ship, Zeddy looked back one last time. He waved good-bye to the shadows of the life he had always known, and he turned with resolution to face the life he was about to begin.

  During the long voyage, Zeddy found two rare books named “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” and “Tom Sawyer” and read them with great interest. He was surprised to find a reference to The Count of Monte Cristo, the very book his mother read to him. He fell into a deep sleep and dreamed the strangest dream of his life. He awoke startled by his vivid memory of it.

  “Mom, you won’t believe the dream I just had. It was a combination of the books I read and the past few days, all rolled up together. You talked funny in my dream like a character from those books, and I have a parallel self in my dream.”

  “Really? Can you share it with me?”

  “Sure mom, let me relate the dream the way Mark Twain told his stories; not like I’m talking in the first person, but like an all seeing eye and ear. This dream of mine has dreams within dreams and occurs, back in time, 80 years ago.”

  “Cool. How does it start?”

  When Zeddy was only 6 years old, he discovered an invisible world. He came to know that world as Zamira, or The World of Z.

  How did Zeddy discover this secret world, you may ask?

  It happened on that clamorous day when his father, Zmack vanished along with Zeddy's puppy, Zigger.

  There was a thunderous bang at the front door. "We have taken your husband", Zeddy's mother, Zadie, heard coming, as if from the sky, in a voice that only she could hear.

  Zeddy was frightened by the thunderous bang, so he hid under his parents’ bed, where he noticed a small voice say, "Hello".

  Zeddy didn't think it sounded like anything he heard coming from one of his toys or a TV, so he asked, "where are you, small voice?"

  "Don't be frightened. I am calling you from the World of Zamira, where all words, like that of your family, start with the letter ‘Z’."

  "How can I see you?"

  "Did your father ever teach you any secret Z words?"

  "Maybe, but I can't remember."

  "Your father escaped the Z world 100 years ago and we just got him back here a few minutes ago. Your mom will be franticly looking for him now, but won't be able to find him."

  "How can we get into Z World?"

  "She can't come here!"

  "Why"?

  "Because if she does, she will interfere with our plans."

  "What plans?"

  "Zeddy, who are you talking to?"

  "I don't know mom. I heard a small voice, and it told me about another world where daddy might be."

  Zadie would have been sure Zeddy was making up another one of his tall tales if she hadn't herself just heard a Sky voice.

  "Get your shoes on quickly son. We have to go look for your father."

  "Why, mom?"

  "I'm downright petrified of that booming loud noise that we heard just as your daddy took Zigger for a walk, and I don't see him anywhere out on the street."

  They walked all over Discovery Bay, even out to the dock and paddled their canoe along the Delta passageways to see if he was visiting on one of the neighbors’ docks, fishing for some tasty bass supper.

  "You know, if dad was fishing, he would
take me."

  "Yes, but he wasn’t anywhere else to be found. Where do you suggest we search?"

  Just then, a cell phone rang. "Can I help you?"

  "We found your puppy running loose again. Can't you keep Zigger on a leash?"

  "Oh, I'm sorry. Where is he now? I'll be right over to fetch him.”

  “Zeddy, that old witch down the street caught Zigger again, so I'm more than ever worried about your father now."

  "Maybe daddy's playing a trick on us. You always say I got my mischievousness from dad."

  "Possibly, but he has never done anything like this before. I have an awfully bad feeling. Don't fret now; wipe your tears. I have a letter that I promised I would only open if something like this happened. It should explain everything."

  Meanwhile, Zadie held back her tears to help her son not worry too much, while she remembered a strange promise she had made to her husband that, in case he disappeared, she would open a sealed envelope. She use to itch to open it, but she'd been afraid that he would be angry, and soon she-forgot all about it.

  They quickly went to fetch Zigger, however, the old witch made them stay for tea and cookies. Zeddy forgot that his mom had told him only to pretend to drink the tea, because it was certainly some kind of brew that would cast a spell, so after he half swallowed it , he spit the un-swallowed part out, but it was too late.

  The witch, whose name was Ms. Zitch, laughed, "Hah hah hah! I saw your father snatched up into a cloud through my crystal ball."

  She laughed hysterically, cackling like the wicked witch in the “Wizard of Oz”. “He went up the opposite way that you see lightning come down from the clouds and, right then, I knew that he had that long beard for a reason, and not the fashion statement he feigned."

  "The cookies and tea were delicious", said Zadie,"but we must scoot along now."

  Zigger liked the cookies so much he did three somersaults to beg for one more as we walked out the door in my dream, mom.

  Really, what happened next?

  Ok, let me continue telling the story like Mark Twain would.

  "Good boy!" Zeddy pet his puppy, a rare breed called a Macau. "Where did you learn that"?

  The dog barked but, strangely, Zed could translate that bark into English, which was, "bark yelp howl”, meaning the cookies had something in them that gave him that new talent."

  Zeddy thought, "Wait, I ate some, too," so he jumped in the air, and lo and behold, he, too, could do a triple somersault.

  "Mom, did you see that?"

  "See what?"

  "I did a triple somersault, just like Zigger did."

  "Don't fool with me boy; this is no time to be fooling around. Save that for when we find your dad."

  So, Zed thinks to himself, "I wonder if Ms. Zitch is part of the Z World, since her name starts with a “Z” and she bewitched me and Zigger, so that we can do triple somersaults without mom's notice. Maybe she isn't really a witch like mommy thinks."

  "Mom, why do you think Ms. Zitch is a witch?"

  "Everybody knows that son; even her name says it."

  "Mom, I don't see the logic in it, it just isn't logical. My brother, Zaymack, says that you can easily think you logically came to a true conclusion that is false. I want to be a scientist, and you have to have something more logical than that to go on, to arrive at a conclusion."

  "Son, if there is anything that I've learned it is that where there is smoke, there is bound to be fire. Look at it this way: everyone says that she is a ' witch ' and that is the smoke while her name kindled the fire."

  "That's it mom. That fire is just imagination. Her name set their minds on fire, so the only smoke is that coming out of their imaginations."

  "You got that debating skill from your father and, just like him, you do it in such a way as to not challenge me personally, but even your father never debated anyone about Ms. Zitch being an enchantress."

  "Maybe he likes to laugh at them, because if he corrected them, then there would be no fun in it any longer."

  "Well, that would be like your father."

  Meanwhile, Zadie was searching high and low for that envelope with the strange seal on it.

  That night, Zeddy was afraid to sleep in his own bed, so he said, "Mommy, can I sleep in here, since dad's not home and I'm afraid to sleep alone?"

  "Just tonight, honey, "since she, herself, was afraid to sleep alone, after such a frightening day.

  While his mom was in her big closet digging around for that sealed envelope, Zed decided to crawl back under the bed to see if he could hear that small voice again. Zigger followed, thinking it was a game. They lay on their stomachs looking at each other, then the puppy put his right ear to the ground like he heard something, then started scratching on that spot.

  Zed realized he must be hearing the small voice, so he said, "move aside,” as he pushed himself on the spot and said to the floor, "Is that you, small voice?"

  "I'm not in the floor," the small voice said.

  "Where are you then?" asks Zed.

  "I'm in another dimension,” says the small voice.

  "Do you remember the secret words your father taught you?"

  "No!" How do I know this question isn't a trick?"

  "It is not a trick. Just try to remember, if you want to visit this other world."

  "What is your name?"

  "Zmally. What's yours?"

  "Zeddy, but you must have known that because you said my whole family has names that start with “Z”, remember?"

  "In fact, I do remember"

  "How did you know?"

  "Because I am your parallel self in this other world, so when your father was brought into this world, it opened a portal for me to see and hear your world."

  "What will happen if I enter your world? Won't there be two of us, like twins?"

  "Very smart but, no, there won’t be. When you materialize into this world, I will dematerialize from this world into your world and, vice versa, but you need to give me the secret password."

  "I'm not sure that is a good idea, because I might not like your mom or your world and you might not like mine, and they might suspect something."

  "But aren't you curious? Don't you have any sense of adventure?" asks Zmally.

  "Sure enough, I'm downright adventurous, but I don't want to get lost in some other dimension, do you?"

  "Well, at least you can see your father here."

  "Wait a minute! Shouldn't my father's parallel self have shown up here when he was taken?"

  "Your father is different because he is the only one who can only be in one dimension at a time," said Zmally.

  "Why is that?"

  "Because he is ZKing of Zamira here, but there he can strive to be anything he wants. We are having a hard time living without ZKing after 100 years, so our wisest scientist had to invent a way to force him through a magnetic field to bring him home."

  "Wait another minute," Zed says. "That means that you have been without a father since you said that my dad has been here 100 years. How can you be born without a father?"

  "I'll give you that; you are clever to ask that question but, in fact, I do have an even more clever answer."

  "What might that be?"

  "Do you know what ‘Zosmosis’ is, I mean ‘Osmosis’?"

  "Yes, 'the diffusion of fluid through a porous membrane'".

  "How did you know that?"

  "I stumbled across it in the dictionary and paid close attention to that word because it sounded scientific; and I want to be a scientist."

  "Good, so substitute fluid for genes and porous membrane for another dimension and you have the diffusion or replication of genes through another dimension, meaning that whatever your father creates in your dimension is created in my dimension."

  Can my father escape your dimension and come back here?"

  "Yes, as ZKing, he can decree it."

  "Can you ask the scientist who invented the way to force him through that magnetic field to invent a wa
y so that we can both be in the same dimension at the same time?"

  "That may be what resulted in our father becoming just in one dimension at a time, since I heard a legend that says he and his parallel self did just that and merged into one being in the process."

  "Zeddy, whom are you talking to?"

  "Nobody, mom."

  "Well then, we need to get some sleep now. Put your puppy in his bed and close his door, so he won't jump back in the bed with us."

  Zeddy whispered to Zmally, "Good night, I will get back here when my mom's taking her shower, or in the kitchen, cooking."

  "Zood Znight", says Zmally.

  ~Chapter 2~

  The Secret Adventures of Zeddy continue as he relates his dream

  Zeddy dreamed about parallel worlds, and as he awoke, he thought, "I wonder how the dictionary defines the word ‘parallel’", so he stretched and found his pocket dictionary and searched and read” "Parallel - (par e lel) adjective 1. Being an equal distance at every point so as never to intersect. 2. Corresponding. Noun - 1. A surface or line that is parallel. 2. A set of parallel lines 3. Anything that closely resembles something else. Verb - 1. To extend parallel to. 2. To correspond to”.

  Not satisfied, he asked, "Mom can you please Google 'parallel worlds' for me?"

  "Sure son, but first let me finish this missing persons form."

  "Thank you, mom", anxious to hear what the Internet had to reveal.

  "Wow, listen to this! ' While parallel worlds have been explored in novels and movies, there are a growing number of physicists who theorize that parallel worlds most likely exist and a portal between these worlds would therefore be discoverable.' Sounds like those physicists read too much sci-fi."

  "Maybe not, mom! Let's see if we can find the name of one of those physicists and check out his credentials."

  "Zeddy, you are only 6 years old. What are you going to want me to do next? Call him? Then I suppose you'll want to interrogate him. How will that help find your father, please tell me that?"

  "I'm almost 7, mom! Please see what you can find. Search, 'prominent physicists thesis on parallel worlds.' "