‘One hundred percent. Just to experience this place will be worth the risk. When do we go?’
‘It has to be tonight. Charlie is always the last to leave and who knows when he’ll get sick again. In all the time I’ve known him this is his first day off.’
‘Understood. Tonight it is.’
Chapter 11
The initiation sequence was linked to a timer via the laptop. Constance suggested a trial run to test Emmy’s extraction method, but the latter was against the idea. The process was dependent on experiencing a particular emotion and in a pure astral state, emotions were extremely vague. Only when they crossed over would she be able to truly feel at a substantive level.
Once outside of their bodies, both women quickly morphed into seamless copies of their human form. Emmy then directed Constance by a series of metaphysical gestures. The usual routine was to seek out a hospice or hospital – anywhere with a high chance of finding somebody on the precipice of death. For this particular trip, Emmy had something a little different planned.
Constance was initially confused as to where she was being led. The energy signatures at their location were not what she had been anticipating. There were a couple of obvious energy sources matching the standard profile for an adult human, but both appeared much too strong to represent somebody close to death. There were other signatures present, but these were much too small to be adult humans. Constance could only guess they may be children, a proposition that made her uncomfortable.
One of the strong energies was interacting with a smaller, weaker energy, and upon seeing this, Emmy gestured that they should move in. Sure enough, just moments later, there was a brief surge centred on the weaker life form before it broke free of its corporeal confinement.
Emmy was first to establish contact and Constance quickly followed. The wormhole opened as expected, but neither woman was able to sense anything from the conduit energy they were using. It was expected that it would be devoid of consciousness, but it seemed to lack cohesive memories too. The scientists could read nothing from it.
After a brief rush, the pair found themselves standing on a deserted beach. There were no people apart from the scientists for as far as the horizon stretched in every given direction. Constance crouched down on bended knee and scooped up a handful of sand, which she carefully scrutinised. She must have held tens of thousands of tiny grains in her palm and yet no two were the same. The detail within this place was indistinguishable from the reality with which she was familiar.
‘Wow,’ she said. ‘This is incredible. It feels so...real.’
‘You experience things here no differently to how you experience them in the material world. Reality is nothing but an illusion anyway, albeit a highly subjective one. This entire place is constructed from our memories or the memories of those we bring with us.’
‘This is wrong,’ said Constance. ‘Why are we the only ones here? After going over your notes, I was expecting, well...people.’
‘You’re right and you’re wrong,’ replied Emmy. ‘Though there are no other people, we aren’t the only ones here.’
She pointed to where the ocean met the sand. A golden retriever was playing in the shallow surf.
‘I never had a dog,’ said Constance. ‘Was it yours?’
Emmy laughed.
‘No, it’s not mine.’
‘So somebody else is here. And whoever it is, the dog is a part of their memory.’
‘The dog is more than just a part,’ said Emmy. ‘I thought you would’ve figured it out by now. What do you think was the place I took you to when we crossed over?’
Constance thought back to the large disparity in size between the energy signatures. She could only think of one reason for this.
‘Some sort of baby clinic? I’m guessing those smaller energies were neonates.’
‘Guess again. I’ll give you a clue this time; the answer is staring right at us.’
Constance looked around in confusion.
‘There’s nobody else here. Just you, me and...’ She started shaking her head. ‘No way. You can’t be serious. Are you telling me that we crossed over with the dog?’
Emmy nodded.
‘That place was a veterinary clinic. Our friend over there was being put to sleep.’
Constance walked down to the water’s edge to get a closer look at the inexplicable canine. Despite being within touching distance of the animal, it did not acknowledge her at all.
‘Why can’t it see me?’ she asked.
‘It’s just an echo,’ replied Emmy. ‘The memories crossover, but the consciousness doesn’t come with it.’
‘I know, I read your file, but that was for humans, not animals. How did you know that dogs would come here too?’
‘I didn’t. It was just a hunch. Back in Tibet we encountered dogs travelling the astral plane. The Chinese used them to hunt me down. I figured if they can do that then it follows they are made of the same energy that we are.’
‘Is that the only reason?’
Emmy paused for a moment. Wondering how much she could trust the woman she had so reluctantly agreed to work with.
‘Okay, I did have one other reason for choosing the dog. I wanted it to be just us. That way, if we come across a place or an event that belongs to neither of our pasts, we’ll have proof that what we have here is more than just an elaborate fantasy of our own creation.’
‘It still wouldn’t prove that consciousness exists in this place other than what we bring ourselves.’
‘I know, but it’s a start.’ She looked down at the dog. ‘So let’s leave this guy behind so we can put my hypothesis to the test.’
She reached out to Constance, before adding; ‘here – take my hand.’
The two touched, but this time there was no reaction. The beach remained.
‘It’s not working,’ said Constance.
‘Close your eyes,’ replied Emmy. ‘Let go of all conscious thought and feeling. Think of nothing but my hand and staying with me.’
Constance did as instructed. She found it much easier to find her centre than she had in her physical body. By shutting down her senses it was as if she ceased to be. She felt light. She felt insubstantial.
‘Open your eyes.’
Constance lifted her lids to be confronted by the most beautiful natural spectacle imaginable. An infinite ocean of starlight gleamed before her, displaying all the majesty of the universe in a glittering glow of light and colour. If God were an artist, this was her canvas. A swirling red nebula here, a twisting blue cluster of stars there. The sight was unmatchable.
‘I wanted you to see this,’ said Emmy. The two women were lying flat on their backs, facing the stars. ‘Before I take you to my town, the place where I grew up, I thought it best to offer you some sort of perspective so you won’t simply dismiss it as some backwater populated by bogans. A sin that I myself have been guilty of on occasion. The vista you see before us stretches out to thousands of light years. When you view life on this scale it evens the score, you might say. We’re all equally miniscule and insignificant. There are no degrees of nothingness.’
Constance tilted her head to the side in order to face Emmy directly.
‘I get it. You want me to leave my ego at the door and not be judgemental. Is your opinion of me really so low?’
‘What do you think?’
Constance sighed. She knew it was going to be tough and that she and Emmy would never become friends, but she was, at least, making some progress in their working relationship. That alone was something for which to be grateful.
The women rose to their feet. They were on the roof of the observatory at Jackson’s Hill, but they did not need to climb down from their lofty perch in order to reach the ground. At the speed of thought, their location shifted to the interior of the building. This time they were not alone. Upon seeing who was with them, Constance had to do a double take. Along with her and Emmy was Charlie and...Emmy!
‘Two o
f you – that’s all I need.’
‘I had no choice,’ replied Emmy. ‘The first time I came here I lost myself in my past. This separation is a necessary precaution.’
‘How did you know it was even possible?’
Emmy shrugged.
‘I didn’t, I guess. Like the dog thing, it was just a hunch.’
She winked at Constance, who was alarmed and also a little disappointed at how lightly Emmy was taking this whole endeavour. The betrayal by her grandfather and then the horrors in Tibet had clearly taken their toll on the once peerless young scientist. When the time came, Constance did not think it would be too difficult to convince the board of Emmy’s diminished competence.
‘So why here; this time, this place – there has to be a reason for it?’
‘I’m testing a hypothesis. When we worked at Jackson’s Hill, Charlie always believed he had to try that little bit harder to prove himself to my grandfather. He often stayed in the lab long after I turned in for the night. Let’s see what happens when that other version of me leaves.’
They watched on as the echoes of Emmy and Charlie finished a conversation and then the duplicate Emmy walked out of the door. The change was instant. As Emmy left the picture, Charlie disappeared.
‘What happened?’ asked Constance. ‘Where did he go?’
‘Nowhere,’ replied Emmy. ‘He was never here to begin with. It was just a construct of my memories. Since I was no longer with him I have no memory of what he did when I left. What we now need to do is to test if this is also the case with people I know who have crossed over. It’s time for us to move on again.’
This time Emmy transported them to the Sly Fox. By local standards it was on what would be considered a busy night. All the booths and tables were occupied. Again, the two women were removed from the immediacy of the scene as another duplicate of Emmy could be seen seated at a table speaking to Charlie.
‘Not the kind of establishment I would’ve pictured you at,’ said Constance. ‘Now I understand why you wanted me to leave my ego at the door.’
Emmy shot her partner a sharp look.
‘Are you sure? It doesn’t sound to me like you understand.’
‘Sorry, I’ll try not to pass judgement.’
‘Good. Now follow me. I want you to meet somebody.’
Emmy led Constance over to a table, which had just a sole occupant.
‘This is Lucy,’ said Emmy. ‘She’s about to show us whether this was a wasted trip.’
A moment later the duplicate Emmy came and sat at the table.
‘Do you mind if I join you?’ she asked.
‘Not at all,’ the girl replied.
After taking a seat opposite, the unreal doppelganger continued; ‘I saw you looking over. I’m not normally this forward, but my friend noticed you were looking too. He sort of encouraged me to come over and talk to you.’
‘Smooth,’ said Constance, a grin spreading across her face.
‘Cut that out,’ the real Emmy snapped back. ‘I’m having second thoughts about you seeing this. Let’s take a walk outside for a moment.’
They crossed the bar and stepped out onto an empty street.
‘You’re inside and it’s empty out here,’ said Constance. ‘I guess your theory about the townsfolk was wrong.’
‘Not at all,’ replied Emmy. ‘This is a quiet town. There’s no reason for people to be wandering the street at night. Just give it a moment and we’ll go back inside. Only then will we discover if my hypothesis is correct.’
A few minutes later, the Emmy from the past came running outside. The tears streaming down her face did little to conceal the heartbreak and anguish she was feeling. Constance’s initial instinct was to offer assistance. Emmy placed her arm across the other woman’s chest to prevent her.
‘Don’t worry,’ Emmy said. ‘What doesn’t kill us only makes us stronger, right? You don’t need to worry about me. It’s in there that we’ve come to see.’
As they returned to the bar, Charlie literally ran through them like they were as insubstantial as air, which in this crazy reflection of reality, they were. The bar was still full, just as they had left it. The table that the duplicate Emmy and Lucy previously occupied was now empty and beside it Mindy was rebuking three men with barely restrained anger. It was the first time Emmy had witnessed the direct aftermath of her humiliation and she was heartened to see that the landlady had actually stood up for her.
‘Looks like you were right,’ said Constance. ‘There is no way this recreation comes from your memory. Is it possible though, that it could stem from your imagination? I mean, you do have form in that respect.’
Constance could not look the other woman in the eye when bringing up the tulpa so she had shifted her gaze to floor while delivering the accusation.
‘No,’ replied Emmy, ‘this is real. Look at the shocked faces and the way Mindy is laying into those guys. I never would’ve pictured it like this. I always thought they were against me – all of them. I guess I was a little harsh on myself when thinking how other people perceived me.’
For the first time, Constance could see a softer side to Emmy.
‘Where’s Lucy?’ she asked.
‘I’m not sure, but I do know where she’ll be going next. She’ll be alone, too. If we can find her, it’ll confirm that she crossed over.’
Contrary to what Emmy had said, Lucy was not alone when they found her. A translucent mist occupied the space immediately beside the girl. It was indistinct, but every so often a human shape appeared to flicker within
‘Is that an astral traveller – is it you?’ asked Constance.
‘Not quite,’ replied Emmy. ‘It’s Lucy’s father. He died shortly before these events took place. Somehow his spirit, his conscious spirit, bonded with hers. At the time I put it down to a property of the psychic radiation, but I have since witnessed the same happening outside of the contamination zone. I guess love really is the most powerful force in the universe.’
Constance rolled her eyes.
‘Everything has to be down to some higher power with you, doesn’t it? If you put these fanciful thoughts aside you could achieve so much more than you think. Your potential would be limitless.’
‘It is these so called fanciful thoughts that drive my work. If I didn’t believe in love, in the possibility that humanity can transcend the path we’re currently on, I would’ve given up years ago. Probably would’ve settled for an easy life on the lecture circuit.’
‘Touché,’ said Constance. ‘I guess I was asking for that.’
‘If you had asked for it, I doubt I would’ve given it to you. You may also be partly right. Perhaps my work doesn’t always have the focus it deserves, which makes what we achieve here all the more important. Look, here comes a reminder of just what is possible when we put our minds to it.’
She pointed skyward to where another unnatural ball of mist was descending.
‘Now that is me,’ added Emmy.
‘It’s incredible,’ replied Constance. ‘To actually see what we become on the astral plane. It’s not something I ever expected to witness in this way.’
‘Well, you aint seen nothing yet.’
As if on cue, the two energies morphed into a semblance of their human forms. First Lucy’s father and then Emmy. Both sparkled with the kaleidoscopic properties of a diamond. They then took off together, disappearing into the night sky. Lucy was left behind, confirming both Emmy’s greatest hope and her darkest fear. Her lover had indeed crossed over.
Chapter 12
‘Are you okay?’ asked Constance.
Emmy heard the words, but paid them little attention. She was too distracted. Too lost in her thoughts. Unlike in the bar, what she was now witnessing was not a rerun of her memory. She was seeing Lucy in a way she had not seen her before. Except this was not really Lucy at all. Just like the tulpa, it was nothing but a cruel fallacy.
Or was it?
Lucy had crossed over. A part of h
er had travelled through the wormhole and been transported to this place. This distant star, a billion light years from Earth. Who was Charlie, Constance or anyone else to say that the woman opposite was not the true essence of Emmy’s lover? The scientist took a step forward, closing the gap between them to just a foot of separation.
‘Emmy, what are you doing?’ asked Constance. ‘She can’t see you. This isn’t real. It’s just an echo.’
‘We were wrong,’ replied Emmy, still not looking at her astral partner. ‘This is her, this is Lucy – I can feel it.’
Emmy then took the final step, closing the gap to her lover to just inches, before reaching out and placing her hand on the woman’s shoulder. After several seconds passed, she felt something stirring – another connection, but it was not with Lucy. This was something else. It reminded her of the irresistible pull exerted by the wormhole, which had brought her to this place.
She let go, not with her hands but with her heart. She allowed herself to be taken by the pull until she once more found herself in a different place. Her ethereal form had become suspended in a void. Shadows (or were they ghosts?) danced all around her. After a short while, she regained focus and saw that the shadows were more like reflections. Like images projected onto the surface of water. Among them she could make out the form of Lucy. In fact, she soon noticed that all of the projections were Lucy. Dozens, hundreds – maybe even thousands of different incarnations of Lucy Skye were everywhere. Some Emmy recognised instantly, others required a little more imagination. The phantoms varied in age from a baby to the Lucy she had briefly known and loved.
Emmy felt like she was caught in the eye of a storm of people, but these people were all the same individual. Her heart raced as she desperately tried to figure out what was happening. Without giving any thought to the consequences, she grabbed hold of the nearest incarnation of Lucy only to be instantly pulled down another portal.
Diamond Sky Trilogy Box Set: Books 1-3 Page 70