“Brace yourself,” said the glowing ball of light.
Suddenly Eliott felt as if he had been hit by a truck. He was no longer in the small patch of sunlit forest, but in his own town, near a row of decrepit townhouses. Eliott had never been here before, but he could see his own apartment complex in the distance. It was windy, with clouds blocking out almost all possible sun. Something told him that something was about to happen that would change everything.
A boy ran up to the nearest townhouse. He was dressed in a shabby, overlarge tee and overalls that had been washed so many times that they were almost white. He seemed to be about eleven or so. His dirty face was streaked with tears, and his eyes betrayed his desperation and pain.
“Ahhhhh!” he screamed, as if confronting the wind. When nothing happened, he yelled again. And again. His screams echoed off the many dilapidated buildings, but were otherwise unacknowledged. “Please, no!” the boy moaned. “Not her, not her, it’s all my fault, it’s all my fault!” He kicked a stray can into a weed-infested yard. The can hit a small, wooden ball that looked homemade. When the boy saw it, his expression hardened. In a single movement, he picked it up and hurled it into a window of the house. The glass broke and shattered all over the yard. “Oh, no,” the boy murmured.
And then Eliott’s world changed. He was no longer in his small town; he was in front of a large, white, ivy-encrusted mansion. Eliott recognized the outline of New York City in the background. He hadn’t been aware that there were any mansions in New York City.
The house was lovely. There were elaborately-clipped bushes placed in an exquisite garden. Although there was snow on the street, the rosebushes were flourishing due to the heat lamps that were placed every couple of yards. There was an expansive porch in front of the house, with three rocking chairs resting on it, swaying slightly. A scream unlike any the world had ever known pierced the day.
There are many kinds of screams in this world. There is the scream of the child on Christmas morning, when he has gotten exactly what he wanted. There is the scream of the athlete after a bad skiing accident. There is the scream of the adult in terror. And then there is the scream of someone when they know their life is about to end. This was that kind of scream.
It was a neverending scream. It went on and on and on, never wavering, never fading. There was no exaggeration in this scream, no theatrics or insincerity. There was no hope. None. And the life lost here would never revive.
Eliott began to scream, too, just a low scream, gaining in intensity. “Stop it!” he yelled. “Stop it! Stop it! Leave me alone!” He put his hands over his ears. It was absolutely no help.
And then, abruptly, everything was over. He was back in the clearing, and Eliott gasped in shock. Jason was repeatedly shaking his head, as if he was trying to drive that awful scream out. Roselise had seemed at first to be totally emotionless, but then Eliott saw that she was shaking.
“What you saw there were two turning points,” the manifestation said. “The scream you just heard has already happened. The other you can prevent. The prevention of that little boy’s outburst is essential. He must not break that window. If he breaks it, there will be a chain of events- of dominoes, if you will. The end result will be nuclear warfare, and, ultimately…”
“-the earth will blow up,” Roselise finished.
“Precisely,” Ashialypsoanti agreed.
“Ah,” Eliott nodded. “That’s… not good, is it?”
“No, it is not good. And what’s more, when a planet it destroyed, everything is affected. It just so happens that your small planet’s well-being has a large impact on the well-being of your universe. As in, if this planet disappears in a cloud of dust, there will be a chain reaction resulting in the destruction of everything mankind knows about… and much more. Universes influence each other in complicated ways, but if your universe dies, I can conclude that all of the others will die with it.”
The world stood still. For a few seconds, Eliott stared at the ground, trying not to reveal his terror. Then he looked up. “What… what do we need to do?”
Ashialypsoanti glanced at Roselise. “You have told him the basics?”
“Yes…” she said slowly.
“I know that we have these gifts so that we can try to save the universe,” Eliott said helpfully. “Aaaand that there are parallel universes, which sort of pop up whenever there are two possibilities about what happens next. So, it’s our job to go to the parallel universes, and….” he trailed off. “That’s where I’m stuck.”
“In order to understand how to prevent the earth from being destroyed,” the spirit explained, “there are three stories that you three need to know. One of them is the story of that little boy. One of them is the story of the woman’s scream. And the last one is the story of the future nuclear war, the glimpse of which you three each saw in a dream. These first two stories will aid you in understanding the third, when the time comes to fully comprehend it. By traveling to six parallel universes, you will be stimulated to witness parts of the first two stories each time. Something inside you will allow you to witness the past and the near-future. As the two stories unfold, you will begin to understand the third. However, once you reach your seventh destination, nuclear war on Earth, suddenly all will come together. You will have the knowledge of the past, present and future as well as how they are linked, and you will understand what needs to be done in order to save everything.”
There was a pause, during which Eliott sat down in the grass. His eyes were glazing over. Things were getting too weird. Yet somehow, he knew it was true. Whether he liked it or not, he was leaving his planet. Probably for good. He had never left his hometown, and he didn’t have a passport. Apparently you didn’t need one for this kind of travel. Figures.
“One last thing,” Ashialypsoanti said. “Your journey will not be without a fair amount of danger. Although you will not be without help, it is guaranteed that evil manifestations will try and stop you from interfering with their plans. Therefore, I have decided to give each of you two gifts- one to protect, and one to nurture. Jason, will you please step up?”
The freckled face lit up in excitement, then darkened in apprehension. Jason walked up to the light, shielding his eyes. “Jason,” Ashialypsoanti sighed, “use your wisdom well.” A small, lightweight bag was descending toward his outstretched arms. It was dark as night, mysterious, and radiating power. “This bag will provide you with everything that you and your companions need,” Ashialypsoanti explained. “Just reach inside of it.”
“Wow,” Jason grinned. “Um… thank you.” He took a small loop attached to the Black Bag and put his head and arm through it, like the bag was a purse.
“Mind if I use it once in a while?” Eliott asked quickly.
“Greedy Idiot,” Roselise scoffed. He ducked his head.
“Now, careful, little one,” Ashialypsoanti cautioned. A small bronze knife was lowering itself into Jason’s palms. In most circumstances, it wasn’t the smartest thing to hand a little kid a knife- but then again, Jason was not your average little kid. Jason looked at the little blade curiously, then he drew out a small belt from the Black Bag. The belt had a sheath attached to it, like in fairy tales. Jason put the belt around his waist, then slipped the knife inside of it.
“Now, Roselise,” the manifestation addressed her. Gulping, Roselise marched up, giving the spirit a searching look.
“Why?” she demanded, apparently already knowing what her two gifts would be.
“My dear girl, you must learn to trust,” Ashialypsoanti laughed. “And you must overcome your fear. There are far greater things that you must learn not to fear than this.”
Without another word, a pair of wings began to descend. They were probably as large as Jason. The feathers were pure white, and they almost glistened silver. They could be fitted onto a person’s back by two backpacklike loops, and most likely would permit this person to fly. With an annoyed expression on her face, Roselise snatched them out of the air. Using rope from Jason’s gift, she tied the wings to herself. They immediately began to shrink until they were almost unnoticeable, and all glowing ceased.
As soon as she was done, a bow-and-arrow set materialized and began to float down to her. With this gift, Roselise seemed much more pleased. She swung her shaft full of sharp arrows over her shoulder, and put her arm and head through the rustic bow. With her uncanny knowledge of what would happen next, Roselise would make a formidable opponent using these tools. She would never miss a shot.
With a jolt, Eliott realized that it was his turn. He walked up to Ashialypsoanti, trembling in excitement. “Eliott,” the manifestation said to him, “as the truth, I know that this journey will bring many a shock to you. Your life will never again be the same… but you know that already. There is one last thing that must happen in order for the world to be saved. You must discover a parallel. Do not try to understand what I am saying. Not now. Just listen. Remember. When the time comes, you will know. There is a parallel, Eliott. Find it. Parallels always come to be. There is no way around it. Do not fight the parallel.”
With that, a small box floated down from the sky. “Do not open it,” Ashialypsoanti warned, “until you truly need it.” Eliott nodded fervently and slipped the elaborately-carved piece of wood into his pocket.
Next came his weapon. Eliott gasped in amazement. A sword was heading for him, a silvery piece of sharp metal with a golden, gem-encrusted hilt. Wordlessly, Jason handed him a leather belt with a long sheath. Gripping the hilt, which was surprisingly warm, as if it welcomed him, Eliott put his sword away. He was speechless, although the thought of his first gift made the whole thing rather anticlimactic.
“My powers can not ward off the evil manifestations much longer,” Ashialypsoanti said suddenly. “You must go, now. Your journey awaits you.”
All triumphant thoughts abandoned Eliott. “Oh,” he said. “So, we actually have to go do all that stuff you said now?”
Roselise glared at him. Okay, she really didn’t like him. Jason, on the other hand, nodded patiently.
“How are we going to get off our planet?” Eliott asked hopefully. “We’re nowhere near NASA…”
“By this!” Jason declared. Right next to him was a huge, see-through sphere with a little door etched into it. Eliott had a very bad feeling.
“Wait a minute, how is that thing going to fly?” he exclaimed.
“It just does, okay?” Roselise snapped. “Just because mankind doesn’t know about the technology doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. Now, hop on in.”
“Um…” Eliott was suddenly terrified.
“Go!” Roselise shoved him towards the sphere. He could almost hear the evil spirits now, almost able to penetrate their safe haven.
Eliott grabbed the handle and wrenched the contraption open. He darted inside, then lifted Jason into it after him. Roselise followed last.
“Good luck!” the blazing ball of light yelled as the sphere began to slowly rise into the sky. “Remember about the parallel, Eliott! Don’t forget the-“
Eliott was able to take one last glance at his home planet as they were blasted into the universe. “Where to now?” he inquired.
“To the black hole, remember?” Roselise said irritably.
Eliott was almost sick.
