by Karl Morgan
“A pleasure to meet you, Carl.”
“It’s nice to meet you too. If I may ask, what is this place, and why am I here?”
Sid shrugged his shoulders. “We do not know why you arrived, Carl. It is you who chose to come here. Don’t you know why?”
Carl pressed his hands against his temples as though trying to squeeze the words out. “I was sitting at the end of the Rope Bridge earlier.”
All of those in the room nodded their heads and exclaimed, “Of course!”
Josh added, “You saw the plaque on the door, of course. All of us here have successfully traversed its span. Now, you can see us, and know that we are all just fine. Is that it?”
Carl shook his head. “I was told that I would forever lose my connection to physical reality if I crossed the bridge, but you all seem normal to me.”
One of the aliens seated nearby chortled. “He’s been listening to owls I wager.” The others shared a laugh.
“I don’t understand.”
Joshua led Carl to an empty chair and allowed him to sit. “Just relax a moment. Some of this is complicated.” He retrieved his own chair, set it next to the teen, and then sat. “Are you okay now?” Carl nodded. “Okay, for a moment, imagine reality as a video game you had as a child.”
“A game?”
Joshua sighed. “I said imagine.” Carl nodded. “Let’s say it was your favorite game when you were ten. Well, now you’re fifteen, right?”
“Is it Friday already?” Carl asked.
Joshua smiled. “Let’s say it is. So, you’re fifteen and haven’t played that game in five years. Perhaps it seems like a little kid’s game, and you now see yourself as a man. While that may all be true, that doesn’t stop you from playing it from time to time and having fun, right?”
“I guess so.”
Joshua sat back with his hands behind his head. “So, there you have it, only this time we’re dealing with real life and death. You are terrified at the thought of your own death. You perceive that as the end of everything. You, your family, loved ones, and everything you know is suddenly gone forever. You’ve been at the end of the ornate bridge. You know what happens to all souls. The difference with us is that we know and accept that about ourselves.”
Sid had moved over and sat on top of the table next to Carl. “Please do not be concerned if this seems unknowable. All of us have traveled up and down the two bridges many, many times. Once I understood the connection among Manny, Luce, and Mort, I had to consider what it meant for seven weeks. During that time, I did not eat, sleep, or talk to anyone. I thought of nothing else for forty-nine straight days.” He smiled. “I was probably lucky to finally understand at all.”
Carl stood. “That’s just it. I don’t know what I don’t understand!”
“We have all been as you are now. If you are supposed to know, you will. We have faith in you.”
Carl was back in the tiny elevator car. The doors had already closed. He pressed the starred button repeatedly, but nothing happened. He looked at the panel and noticed the warning by the down button had changed to: “What have you got to lose?” He pressed it and the car began to descend.
As his claustrophobia began to rise, the walls of the car became transparent. He was in space, traveling at extremely high speed and approaching a massive body of gas and matter. The mass started to shrink quickly, and the car accelerated to catch up. Just as the mass had shrunk to become infinitesimally small, the elevator car disappeared inside of it.
The door opened in the center of the intense brightness. A bridge appeared that lead from the door and into the glare. Carl stepped gingerly onto the bridge. It seemed to support his weight, so he continued forward. After taking five steps, he turned around to see if the elevator car was still visible. All he could see was the brightness, although the path remained under his feet. He continued forward. He walked for what seemed like several minutes. Eventually, some odd shapes began to be visible in the distance, so he hurried forward. After he walked another fifty yards, he arrived at the center of the brilliance. He could see the three still in their embrace, as he had seen Manny, Luce, and Mort when he visited the precedent universe. They were rotating slowly. Gradually, they came to a stop. One of the three extricated himself from the group hug and turned to face the visitor. Carl glanced at the three faces and saw they were all identical.
The one who broke the hug stepped up to him. “Hi, Carl. Welcome to the singularity.”
“Hi. Are you Manny, Luce, or Mort?”
The being smiled. “Yes.”
“Yeah, I know that, but which one?”
The being turned to look at the other two. “It’s hard to say. Why do you ask?”
“Are you being deliberately difficult?”
The light being laughed. “Yes, but what does it matter anyway, once you think about it.”
Carl shook his head. “Let me drop that. Is it okay if I call you Manny for now?”
The light being shrugged his shoulders. “Sure, whatever makes you happy, Carl?”
“What is this place, Manny?”
“As I said, this is the singularity that formed when all the matter and energy of the precedent galaxy collapsed into one spot. It’s really pretty amazing when you think about it. Hundreds of billions of galaxies, countless stars and planets, and their inhabitants all squeezed into something the size of a single atomic nucleus. Everything in your body and the current universe is here too. It’s all simple, elegant, and waiting for a time to expand.”
“How will you know the right time?”
Without turning, he motioned toward the others behind him. “We’ll know. Right now, we’re waiting for someone to make a minor adjustment to the singularity. Since you’re here, why don’t you do it?”
“Me? What if I screw it up?”
The light being smiled. “That isn’t possible, Carl. You see, this isn’t a dream or memory like the last time. This is the actual event. You are the one to put his signature on this universe that will be your home.”
Carl laughed. “That’s crazy. How could I affect the universe that was created billions of years before I was born? That doesn’t make any sense.”
“Perhaps you should have asked those in the Rope Bridge Society that question.” The light being turned around and headed back toward the others. After several steps, he turned back. “Carl, if you don’t do this, you will never be born, and your universe may never exist.” He winked. “What have you got to lose?”
“This has to be a dream. That’s it. It’s a dream.”
The light being laughed. “Okay, let us agree that this is a dream. Now, will you do it?”
Carl nodded. “If it’s a dream, why not? What do I do?”
“Step off the bridge you are standing on.”
“What? I might die if I do that.”
The light being smirked. “It’s a dream, right?”
Carl pointed at the light being. “Do you swear that I’ll be all right if I do this?”
“Yes! In fact, the only way you can be all right is to do it. Go on, we have work to do.” The being walked back to the others and rejoined their hug.
Carl looked over the edge. There was nothing but brilliance everywhere around him. He took two deep breaths to calm his nerves. He put his arms out to his sides, closed his eyes, and fell forward.
Carl was falling uncontrollably and flailing his arms. He glanced behind himself to see a thin trail caused by his descent that split the brightness. Just as he was about to panic, the three light beings circled around him. They smiled at him and offered their hands. All four were now flying through the brightness.
The beings he had met in the Rope Bridge Society now encircled them as well. Suddenly, the brightness exploded around them. They were enveloped in clouds of super-heated gas. The trail of the group began to cause gaps in the cloud that now expanded at tremendous speed around them. An instant later, they were plunged into absolute darkness and the heat quickly dissipated i
nto freezing cold. In front of them, a large cloud of gas collapsed in on itself and burst to life as a new star.
New stars and galaxies formed all around them as space continued to expand. Supernovas detonated and strewed the cosmos with new materials which formed more stars and planets. The others looked at Carl and smiled at him. They released him, and he headed toward a distant, tiny, blue-green planet.
Carl felt the atmosphere buffeting him about. He quickly slowed as he approached a remote archipelago in the center of the Atlantic Ocean. His body turned upright, and he landed softly in the atrium of the main school building. The sun now peeked over the top of the building, so Carl headed toward the dining room and breakfast.
Chapter 10
After going through the service line, he headed toward his friends sitting at a table in the center of the room. He set his dishes down and put his tray on a nearby trolley. As he returned, Aida had stood up. He stepped into her embrace, and she kissed his cheek. “Happy birthday, Carl. For at least the next couple of months, we’re only one year apart.”
Once all of his friends had given their best wishes, they sat to eat. “So, what’s going on, guys?”
“Don’t you pay attention to the news?” Burt asked. “There was a terrible earthquake in Mexico last night.”
“Well, I’ve been kind of busy so far today. What happened?”
Burt put his fork down. “That’s what’s weird. It affected two cities, and in each, only one building was damaged.”
Grace nodded. “Both buildings had recently been rented as churches.”
“That’s awful,” Carl replied.
Aida wiped her lips with her napkin. “Both churches were affiliated with the demon queen, Carl. Apparently, the floors of the buildings cracked open, and the congregants fell into open magma pools.”
“What?” Carl exclaimed. In his mind, he remembered his conversation with Earth.
“It gets weirder than that, Carl,” Aida continued. “In one city, the whole building was rented by the church. That building collapsed into the magma pool. The magma cooled, leaving level ground. In the other city, just one large room was rented, and that was the only room destroyed. Isn’t that freaky?”
Carl took a bite of bacon. “It seems reasonable to me. Our team includes some very powerful forces.” He focused on his food.
Barbara Conway arrived at their table, and the four moved to accommodate her. She sat across from Carl. “How are you guys this morning?”
“I’m fine,” Carl replied.
“Actually, it’s Carl’s birthday today,” Grace noted.
Barbie smiled, stood, and walked over to Carl, who also stood. She put her arms around him and hugged him. “Happy birthday, Carl.”
After she released him, he smiled. “Thanks, Barbie.” He watched as she returned to her seat and began to eat her food. Carl sat and looked down.
Aida leaned over to Carl. “Why were you staring at her?” she whispered.
Carl only shook his head and continued eating.
After breakfast, Carl headed back toward the third basement once again. He left the stairs and went down the hallway.
“Carl, wait up,” Aida called from behind him.
He sighed, turned, and waited for her arrival.
When she arrived, she crossed her arms and frowned. “Do we have a problem, Carl?”
He put his hands on her shoulders and she shrugged, so he removed them. “Between us, there is no problem, but there is a situation with Barbie.”
“What kind of situation?” she replied, making air quotes for the last word.
Carl turned to the wall and rested his head against the paneling. “When I saw her, I suspected something was different. When she hugged me, I knew.”
She put her hand on his shoulder. “What did you know?”
He turned to face her. “That is Barbie’s body, but her soul is not inside. Only the demon queen’s spirit lives there now.” He put his back against the wall and slid down until he was sitting on the carpet. “It’s my fault, I know it.”
Aida sat on the floor next to him. “How can it be your fault? She was in my room. It’s my fault!”
“It doesn’t matter. I knew it would happen eventually. I just hoped it would happen when we were in a position where we could win.”
She put her hand on his knee. “Didn’t you say the three had to join with Invisible Hands to recreate the universe?” He nodded. “If her soul isn’t there, they aren’t really joined, right?”
He took her hand and held it. “Yes, but how can we find her soul? She probably has it hidden in Hell or somewhere we don’t know about.”
“Carl, look at me.” He turned to face her. “I bet you do know. Just relax and think about it.”
He closed his eyes and dropped his head. After a few deep breaths, a smile began to form on his face. He stood, pulled Aida to her feet, and led her further down the hallway.
“Carl, the castle isn’t there anymore.”
Without looking back, he said, “Yeah, but there’s something better.” They reached the corner and turned to face the same broom closet door. “I sure hope that elevator isn’t here anymore.”
“What elevator?” she asked as he pulled the door open. On the other side of the door was the Rope Bridge, just past a few feet of the flagstone walkway. “What is that place?”
Carl sighed. “The Crossroads of Existence.” He stepped through, and she followed.
When Aida turned around, the doorway was gone. The small hut was there as well as the two bridges. Everything else remained obscured by fog. “You told me about this place, didn’t you?”
He nodded and pointed to the hut. “Death lives there. The dead arrive on the ornate bridge and are sent back to life on the plain one.” He turned to look at the Rope Bridge. “This one leads to something else.”
“Do you mean like Heaven or Hell?”
He shook his head. “Death called it none-of-the-above, and frankly, I’m not sure what that means yet.”
Just then, Death came out of his hut and headed toward them. “What brings you back so soon, Carl?”
“Mort, I’m pretty sure that Barbara Conway’s soul is stranded on the Rope Bridge.”
“Who would do such a thing? Okay, never mind. It had to be Sylvia. What do you plan to do?” Death put his hand on Aida’s arm. “It’s good to see you as well, Aida.”
“I’m going to find her and bring her back,” Carl said.
Death moved forward and blocked Carl’s path to the bridge. “Now, wait just a minute. You know that if you fall, she wins. Sylvia is not going to let her die there. This is just a plot to make her submit to the joining.”
“He’s right, Carl,” Aida agreed. “You’re risking your life for nothing. If something happens to you, what happens to us?”
Carl sat on the stones and groaned. Aida sat next to him, and Death stood over them.
“Carl,” Aida started, “just tell us how you feel?”
He looked up and wiped the moisture from his eyes. “I heard what you both said, but I think you’re wrong. Aida, it hasn’t been that long since the Beast ripped the soul out of your body and discarded it. That is how Barbie is feeling right now, but since she’s outside of reality, she doesn’t even realize her body is gone.” Aida started crying from the memory. Carl touched her knee. “It’s okay. I won’t fail. Some call me the Hand of God. If I abandon her here, I won’t deserve that title ever again. In my mind, I will be as bad as the demon queen. I cannot live with that guilt.”
Death helped Carl to his feet and hugged him. “Good luck, Hand of God.”
Carl pulled Aida up and into his arms and kissed her. “I love you.” He released her and turned to the bridge.
“Be careful,” she replied.
He turned back and smiled. “I will.” He headed up the bridge. Due to the linkage to the mountaintop, the bridge was quite stable. After five steps, he turned back and found the mountain was already obscured by fog. He con
tinued forward.
As he progressed, the bridge began to flex and sway with each step. He took another step and slipped, but was able to hold onto the ropes and steady himself. He pulled off his shoes and socks, and tossed them into the fog. Feeling a bit more surefooted, he hurried forward.
The bridge seemed to continue forever, although he could never see more than a few steps in front of him. After what seemed like an hour, he began to hear the sound of gentle sobbing. He stopped and took several deep breaths to calm himself. He knew hurrying would not help the situation. He continued forward slowly. A shape appeared in the murky distance. “Barbie?”
“Help!” the voice replied.
Carl continued. After another ten steps, he saw her. She was suspended under the bridge with a rope around her chest and under her armpits. “I’ve been looking for you, Barbie.”
She looked up through the bridge. “Carl, how did you find me? Can you help me?”
Carl laid on the twin ropes that formed the floor of the bridge. He grabbed the rope holding her and pulled. His action made the bridge swing even more erratically. She screamed. Carl closed his eyes and tried to come to a solution.
“Carl, it’s helpless. Go save yourself. That demon said she’d be back if I agreed to help her. What other choice do I have?”
Carl sighed. “Barbie, there is a way I can help you, but only if you believe what I’m about to tell you.”
“I trust you, Carl.”
“Yeah, we’ll see how long that lasts.”
“Carl, don’t be mean. I really do trust you.”
“Okay, I apologize. First, do you remember seeing me at breakfast today?”
“No, of course not. I’ve been here for hours. I remember being in my bed when that thing came for me.”
“You joined us at breakfast today. When Aida mentioned it was my birthday, you came over and hugged me.”
“Aren’t you listening to me, Carl? I wasn’t there.”
“Barbie, when we get off this damned bridge, Aida will be there. You can ask her yourself.”