Into the Ether

by Andrew Bardsley

  After another short attempt at snoozing, Ahava got up from the queen size bed and walked into the en-suite bathroom. Getting undressed for a shower, Ahava examined at his upper body in the bathroom cabinet mirror. He recently had lost a lot of weight but still was significantly overweight. Ahava was in his late forties and had suffered from being overweight throughout his adult life. His hair was in a short style and since the last decade had been white and gray, showing his age early. He had broad shoulders and was around average height. Generally, he was not a fit or active person, and even had had some significant health issues over the last couple of decades that he had lived in Australia.

  After showering and performing his other daily ablutions, Ahava walked back into the bedroom to get dressed in jeans and a T-shirt. This was his standard dress attire for a casual Friday, and in fact, any other day he could get away with it. He enjoyed wearing casual clothes and only dressed up if it was required or, as was more often the case, if his wife encouraged him. She often did this by affectionately saying she would not be seen with him in the clothes he was in.

  He kissed his wife before leaving the bedroom. The bedroom was in the second story of their house, with the kitchen and living rooms downstairs. Ahava went to the downstairs to prepare for work. Generally, on a workday, Ahava was always quick in leaving the house, as he liked to be moving to the next thing without any periods of waiting. Ahava found himself generally impatient to be placed or doing some activity. Boredom was not something that he enjoyed, but being overstressed was also something that he hated. On a date with his wife, before they had been married, they had done four different activities in one night. This was largely because at the end of each activity, Ahava had asked, ‘What do you want to do next?’ In hindsight Ahava was sure that this must have been exasperating for Kate by the end of the night.

  Packing his laptop bag for work with his wallet, keys, and tablets he walked the kitchen to grab breakfast. Recently he had started trying liquid breakfasts. Ahava found them not as appetizing as regular food, but at least they had a certain simplicity. Chris and Sam were both already awake in the living room. As Ahava walked by he noticed that they were both either playing games on their laptops or watching an animated TV series on the computer.

  “Morning,” Ahava said to his two sons. They both grunted an incoherent reply, without looking up from their screens. This was not an unusual response from his sons at this time in the morning and he waved as he walked off. Last, he picked up his phone, put it in the laptop bag and started moving toward the front door.

  He had just walked out of the front door toward ‘the large red car’ (as he called it on his Trans Perth parking application) when his phone made an unusual notification sound. Beep. Beep. Beep. Ahava looked around, bemused, as this was not the normal notification sound that he had set for his phone. He fished the mobile phone out of his bag and checked the screen to see what application was causing the sound. On the front of the phone was:

  Initializing the History System, 1% complete.

  Nothing else was on the screen and the background was the same blue color as the dreaded Windows error screen, now a remnant of old operating systems. Puzzled, he tried to flick to another screen on the phone but got no response. Pressing buttons to escape the application caused nothing to happen, except now the one percent on the display increased to two percent. Finally, he tried to turn the phone off, but it was still unresponsive. The same message now showed it was at three percent. Thinking that he would definitely fix his phone when he arrived at work, Ahava put the phone back in his bag. As he opened the door to get into the car, he noticed that in the far corner of his vision he could see what appeared to be some type of moving symbol. It looked to be an egg timer moving around in a circle once per second. Ahava blinked rapidly to clear his eyes. The symbol remained. Closing his eyes, the symbol was still there, right in the corner of his vision. Shaking his head did not remove the slowly rotating hourglass either.

  “What the heck!” Ahava muttered out loud. As he expected, there was no answer back from the general world. Another “What the heck!” was also met with no answer. As he slowly got into the car he remained sitting, perplexed about what was happing. Ahava could not think of anything to do about the strange circling symbol except wait. He decided, as with his phone, that this problem would have to be sorted out later, maybe when he got to work.

  Starting the car, he backed down the house’s small driveway toward the road. He reversed onto the road and drove along the street, away from the ocean and toward the main road and the train station. The trip to the train station was uneventful, except for the persistent symbol still in his vision. Blinking, moving his head and some more exclamations of “What the heck!” did nothing to help.

  After traveling over the bridge over the main road and following the local roads around the houses and past the school to the train station, he parked in the provided car park. As Ahava started his work commute early, he was able to take a parking space near the ticket machine, close to the station entrance. While he was getting out of the car, still, the symbol was still in the corner of his vision. Ahava walked toward the entrance of the station, barely paying attention to his surroundings, deep in thought about what was causing this weird effect in his eye. He was so preoccupied, Ahava forgot to swipe his pass for the car parking fee at the ticket machine. He walked over the pedestrian bridge and swiped his train pass at the turnstiles. The information board in the station flashed, indicating that the next train to Perth City Center would arrive in five minutes. After finding an area to wait on the platform, he stood silently in thought until the train arrived. Ahava entered the carriage and found an empty seat for the ride into Perth City. Still perplexed, he reached and pulled out his phone to check it. On the display were the words:

  Initializing the History System, 40% complete.

  Again, the only difference Ahava could see was the percentage completion. The hourglass symbol continued to circle. Ahava decided to give up on his phone and reached into his laptop bag to get his tablet. As he switched on the screen, expecting to see his normal home page, instead the same message that was on his phone screen appeared, this time on the tablet screen. Ahava gasped out loud in surprise. This got a raised eyebrow from the person sitting next to him. “Sorry,” Ahava mumbled to the man. This was more or less an inbuilt reaction, as he was English and found saying ‘sorry’ for anything, even if the other person was at fault, was part of his nature. Now, checking both his phone and the tablet at the same time, the percentage shown on the blue screen had reached 50. The train traveled along the rails, stopping at each station on the way to Perth city center, as if nothing odd was happening. All during the journey however, Ahava kept looking at the phone and tablet as the percentage slowly increased, like downloading a game from the Internet.

  By the time the train was traveling through tunnels to the Perth underground city center station, the percentage completion was up to ninety-eight. The train stopped at the platform, the doors opening with an imperceptible hiss, and most of the people on the train moving toward the exit. As with every commute on the train, Ahava automatically moved with all the people toward the exit. Just as he was stepping over the exit of the carriage, the icon moved from the corner of his vision to the center, changing to the words:

  History System Initialized

  .

  ..

  …

  History System Operating

  Suddenly, Ahava’s world went black, like a game loading screen or a movie title screen with the words hanging in the black void of nothingness. He felt no sensation from the rest of his body, almost like he was in a sensory deprivation tank.

  The words slowly faded to black and were replaced by a three-dimensional moving logo getting bigger in the black void in front of Ahava’s perceived view. The logo read:

  The History System

  By

  ???

  To be revealed at a later date

 
The logo was announced by a score of music, reminiscent of a full orchestra playing a soundtrack for an action-packed movie. After a few bars of music, the logo was replaced by writing. Ahava mentally strained his vision to focus on the writing to be able to read it. It displayed a series of options:

  ‘History System’ personality type:

  1) Happy, Happy - Always positive and looks for the good in everything;

  2) Angry and self-righteous – never will let a chance to over-dramatize an event pass them by; and

  3) The Comedian - will help you see the fun in every situation.

  Please Choose.

  In a state of shock, he re-read the options, trying to gather his wits together about what was happening. I must be dreaming! thought Ahava. As he found he had no sensations or any feeling of his body, he could not even try to pinch himself to see if he could wake up. Anyway, does that really work?

  He carefully re-read the text and his first inclination was that options one and two were definitely no-goes as he was not altogether keen on overly positive personalities. Also, he could not understand how anyone would want to choose an angry and self-righteous personality type for any system. More with a wish to proceed with whatever was happening than an actual belief in the reality of the situation, Ahava thought in his mind, Well, I guess I my only choice is the Comedian option. Upon his thinking this, option three lit up and a confirmation window appeared in his mind’s eye, confirming his choice. The world faded to black yet again, but just before Ahava lost consciousness he thought he heard a voice:

  “Ok, hold tight, as we are off!”

  Ahava woke up as the light slowly increased, but this time it was not shining through the bathroom window. The first thing he noticed, as he was coming back to consciousness, was the smell. It was hard to describe, but it was a dry, slightly musty heat. The smell stirred memories from his childhood of when he lived in parts of Africa. It smelt like the morning, when he had been camping with his parents and siblings. He could hear the early morning calls of birds, sharp twitterings repeated at intervals of different levels of pitch and volume. In addition, he heard the noise of what he thought sounded like crickets. This was the low undulating whistling sound that could be heard as a constant background noise.

  As he opened his eyes, he could see the sun start to peek above the hills in the distance. The light level slowly increased as he started to see the shape of what looked like roots, sticking up into the air as if a tree had been planted upside-down. Others looked like jagged umbrellas of leaves on the trunk with twisting branches. The light level gradually continued to increase across undulating plains as they opened into waving grass in a slight wind. Below him, he could see a river flow into a large lake with deep green grass around the banks. He looked away from the view in front of him and found that he was on a slope, on a hill with craggy rock cliffs behind him.

  Ahava realized he was currently sitting on the ground, with his back pressed against a rock and no idea how he had got there. He was wearing the same jeans and T-shirt that he had left the house in. His laptop bag was still on his shoulder by his side, as it had been when he exited the carriage. As he came to the slow acknowledgement of his surroundings, he felt his heart beat faster and a cold sweat begin to form on his forehead. Suddenly, there was a sharp pain on his ankle. Roaring in pain, he jumped up from the ground he had been sitting on. Shuffling around, he found a small insect on his ankle between his jeans and his left sock. Quickly he flicked off the insect, which left behind a slightly red mark, still throbbing in pain. Rubbing the mark, he straightened up and walked around as he looked at the landscape again.

  Confused in regard to what was happening, he remembered the last thing he saw: the system logo and options. A jumble of questions cascaded into his mind, the most pressing being: where am I, who is the ‘History System’ and perhaps the most pressing, how do I get back home?

  “Good morning,” spoke a dulcet voice. “Good morning and how are you today—.”

  Before the voice could say any more Ahava interrupted. “What?” exclaimed Ahava. “Who’s there?”

  “The voice inside your head,” replied the voice in the same smooth overtone.

  Ahava scanned the area quickly to see if there was anyone else present. There was nobody in sight. He thought that, along with the rest of the experience, he must be going crazy.

  ”Yes,” said the agreeable voice again. “You are certainly going crazy and possibly becoming delusional too, as all of this experience gives impressions that are contradicted by reality or rational argument.”

  Not only am I hearing a voice inside my head, it is also telling me that I am crazy, Ahava thought.

  “I can hear your direct thoughts, you know.”

  Still looking around the area for anything to explain this voice and on the edge of panic, Ahava felt his heartbeat quicken again. Now it can hear my thoughts.

  “Ok, relax, it was only a joke,” said the voice soothingly. “You are not crazy or even delusional. This is all real, or at least as real as anything can be. I need you to calm down, so you can pay attention to what I need to say, as you have a lot to do today.”

  Still stunned about the situation, Ahava found himself trying to calm down and take stock of what was happening. Generally being a practical person, he thought it was better to find out more about had happened.

  “Ok,” said Ahava, “I’ll let you explain.”

  “First,” said the voice in what appeared to be a satisfied tone, “let's start off with me. You have the great pleasure of speaking to the ‘History System Interface.’ As that is a bit of a mouth-full, you can call me Thoth.”

  “Right,” said Ahava, “so then … Thoth. What is happening? Where am I and how do I get back home?”

  “If you keep interrupting,” said Thoth, more impatiently now, “then we’ll just be wasting time, as you have a lot to do to get through today.”

  Thoth continued as if he had never been interrupted. “Ok, the answers to all your questions will be given to you at some point in the future, but for now it’s better if we just cover the basics. You were brought in to help, which will be explained fully to you later. It is my job to help you get ready for those tasks, and from the looks of you, you're going to need a lot of my help! The important information you need to start with, and the question you should have asked is ‘how to survive in this environment.’ Where you are now is ... How can I say this?” Thoth paused as if considering. “Not as safe as where you come from. In fact, it’s probably better to say that it’s downright dangerous here. Also, there are some important differences in the laws of physics and metaphysics.

  “To help with your development, I have provided a familiar system that will guide, strengthen and enlighten you for the tasks that lie ahead. As you do activities that are beneficial to the task, you’ll get points, and what do points get you... prizes.

  “These ‘prizes’ are in the form of abilities and items you will need,” Thoth concluded.

  “Ok,” said Ahava, “not one for details, are you?”

  “Right, you are,” shot back Thoth “All the basic details of the system are on your tablet and phone, as well as some other information that will help. The devices have also have been improved a bit to start with. I suggest when you get some time, you should try them out. But you really should understand the basic survival skills before sunset tonight, as most of the wild animals hunt at night. In fact, you should be moving on.”

  “So then,” said Ahava, “what are the basics?”

  “Well,” said Thoth plainly, “you are out in the middle of nowhere with almost no food or water and no shelter. So my guess is that those three things should be the first items on your list. Also, as a top tip, you may want to make your shelter defendable from animals.

  “Ok, that’s it; the pep talk is over. Good luck! I will talk to you later, when you get settled in. Ta-ta for now.” Thoth’s voice ceased.

  “That is…” shouted Ahava. “That's
all the information I get? You useless... whatever you are!” The slight echoes of the sound played off the cliffs in the distance.

  Ahava stood there, waiting for an answer, but the only sounds were the crickets and birds with their morning calls.

  Page Break

  Chapter Two: Survival

  Yes, Ahava was angry and also confused, but the need to survive was paramount. This was the driving force in his mind for now. He thought that he should have a look around the local area and see what resources were available.

  As he was located on a hill, he had a good view of the immediate area. Close by and down the hill was a wooded area. Behind him, he remembered the rocky cliffs. Ahava wondered if there was a cave or a small alcove in the rocks that he could use for a temporary shelter. With a fire lit in front of the entrance, it could protect him during the night.

  Ahava walked toward the rock cliff, muttering about the injustice of the situation. The cliff face was about fifty meters high in the center, tapering down to twenty meters at the edges. The shape was like a horseshoe, with a narrow entrance toward the plains, lake and distant hills. He walked through the narrow entrance and found the area the cliffs surrounded was about half the size of a football pitch. There were a lot of loose rocks at the bottom of the cliff, in addition to large cracks in the cliff. Walking around the area he found a large opening at about head height in the cliff face. There were some handholds and enough loose rocks to step on that he thought he could climb up to the opening.

  It had been a long time that he had been rock climbing so he slowly eased up the rock face. Standing on the ledge to the opening in the cliff, he looked into the cave. There was enough light to see the back of the small cave that was the size of a small van. This was perfect for what he wanted for sheltering tonight.

  Great, thought Ahava. I will set up camp here for the night, as the ledge will offer some protection from animals and if I build a fire in the entrance, that should deter any unfriendly visitors. Now to go check out the wooded area to see if I can get some wood for a fire.