A Multiverse Immigrant

“Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep; If I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take.”

It had only been a moment before I had lain my head down to sleep. A moment, but that was all it took. Now, I was wide awake and awake enough to know I was not entirely myself.

I stood in an orderly line, systematically waiting for what was to come. It was an odd feeling. Part of me understood that this was normal, procedural, and expected. It was just another dull-drum day like taking the tube station in London to get to work. The other half of me, the more awake half of me, was on high alert. I understood that nothing, nothing was familiar, including the body I was standing in. I was completely out of place, and I had no idea what was going on. All I could do was pretend to appear normal, so I would not call unwanted attention.

As I waited in line, I noticed the bizarre clothing I and the others were wearing. It was incredibly contemporary, with clean lines and neutral tones. For example, the young man behind me had a shaved head and a semi-turtleneck tunic in a light sand tone. The clothing had asymmetrical lines that swept cleanly into what could only be described in my mind as modernized MC Hammer pants. Although familiar, there was something incredibly and succinctly functional about the clothing. It was not predominantly about style, rather practical and sustainable fashion. It was only a glance, but it was enough to make an analysis concerning the people around me. I had deduced that they were efficient and not wasteful beings.

It was then that I began to take in my surroundings. I was standing on an incredibly clean-cut stone surface in varying shades of cream. The surface was perfectly flat, and a tall, oval-shaped building with a prominent, concrete balcony stood beside me. Everything was so foreign, but most startling of all was the drop-off.

Have you ever watched Discovery channel documentaries about the ocean? Do your recall that moment when they show you the oceanic drop-offs? It’s the part of the ocean where an underwater cliff emerges, and beyond the cliff is a wide-open, dark blue, liquid nothingness. Some people have an irrational fear of that drop-off and at this moment, I understood Thalassophobia. It isn’t about the dark or the drop...it is about the unknown.

I looked past the few people in front of me and saw what awaited the first person in line. It was a severe, cylindrical cut-off at the edge of the beautifully paved stone walkway.

WHAT were we waiting for? My heart began to palpate. One false step and it was off into universe oblivion. The stars in the black sky were the only visible things and the fear of one false step lingered in my mind.

As the panic began to creep in, a space shuttle approached the drop-off seamlessly. I realized that this was a futuristic bus stop. Still, it was foreign and alien and I wasn’t sure what to do other than fall in line.

As one after another stepped off of our safe platform and into the incubator-like shuttle, I was shocked to find not seats, but pods. The panic resumed.

I tried my best to emulate those in front of me and took the second to last pod row at the back of the shuttle. It was almond-shaped, with a clear lid and a black base. The inside held a comfortable creme lounge chair. It reminded me of a modernized first-class seat on an airline. I climbed soldierly into place.

The glass lid began to close on my almond cocoon. I looked back at the young man who had stood behind me in line. He was in the last row of the shuttle, situated diagonally from me. He puffed up his cheeks as the lid began to close in a “hold your breath” type of way. How did he know I wasn’t from here? What gave me away? I had been trying so hard to fit in!

My lid closed and quickly, white smoke began to fill my shell. I panicked but recalled the young man's non-verbal communication. I sucked in as much oxygen as I could and held my breath.

I held it. And I held it. And I held it...

I was on the brink of sucking in the white concoction into a suffocating coma or passing out from a lack of oxygen when the white smoke finally dissipated. I gulped a huge breath of fresh air and turned my head to the left.

It couldn’t have been more than a minute, but there in front of me was a new planet unlike any I had ever seen. Black corporate-like buildings jutted into the air with streets lined with glimmering gold. I was awestruck at the spectacle and fostering a sudden tourist-like attitude. I wanted to take a picture, to paint these modern, futuristic buildings into a never-ending memoriam to this moment. I didn’t want to forget it.

As rapidly as I wished to memorize this occurrence, I awoke. What had started off as a fearful expedition into a dreamworld, had transformed into an exploration of a new life. Some would say I had jumped into a multiverse while asleep. Perhaps they were right. All I could say is I was not myself in this new world. It was unfamiliar, foreign, and I felt afraid. The new experience was intimidating but not altogether unwanted.

Yes, I was concerned about being singled out and the danger that might ensue, but aren’t we all at some point? Whether it be transferring to a new school, moving to a new country, or flung into a social gathering, we have all experienced that unwelcome feeling of being an outsider. Being different is a human experience, but it can feel overwhelming and even threatening at times. Perhaps you emulate those around you to fit in as I did in this alternate reality. Maybe you find someone like the young man in space who will give you a few hints on how to navigate the next steps. Sometimes, if we embrace the moment and we pretend that we belong, even just for a moment, we may find that enlightenment, and discovery are only a few fantastical seconds away. It may even be found at lightspeed.