Unsportsmanlike!

“This has to be a dream, and everything will return to normal once I wake up.” Of course, Aaron knew he was lying to himself, but what else did he have left? His former life felt more like a fairy tale than reality, so why couldn’t this lie be real? For the hundredth time, he would mentally revisit the events that placed him in this situation. Maybe, just maybe, an overlooked detail would emerge. Could it be that simple?

Day 1 started like all the other first days of his racing career. He woke early, prepared himself mentally and physically for the ordeal ahead, and attended the mandatory drivers meeting where the rules were explained. When the meeting finished, he walked to his assigned garage to inspect his car.

The only thing unusual about this cross-continent race was the route restrictions. Every other race Aaron had ever taken part in allowed the driver to set their own course, but not on this planet. The restriction was crystal clear; cross the 50th parallel and you would lose “everything.” He wasn’t sure what they meant by everything, and Aaron had no desire to find out.

Ordinarily, he would stay clear of any potential problem areas, but not on this planet. The shortest and fastest route was driving as close to the 50th parallel as physically possible. There were volcanoes and lava flow at the top of the continent and dense jungles to the south. He would just need to use his considerable skills to stay out of trouble. After all, he was the best in the galaxy. At least that’s what the news feeds said, and who was he to disagree?

The first two days went the way Aaron had expected. He took an early lead and easily held off all challengers except for one—Athena. She was the best rookie he had ever seen and, in a few more years, would be serious competition for him. Up to now, she had given him a good race because this was her home planet, and she understood the terrain better than he did. Aaron decided that day 3 was when he would teach the rookie what it was like to compete against a true pro.

It was a first-in, first-out start, which meant Aaron was first to leave with Athena 5 seconds behind. Whatever her team had done to her car, it had increased its horsepower, and she was eating up the ground between them. Aaron set his course so close to the 50th parallel that one slight nudge would force him across. She followed his line and, before long, was kissing his rear bumper with the nose of her car. They stayed locked together for several miles, with neither driver yielding ground.

It happened so fast that Aaron had no time to react. His car, with a little nudge from the front bumper of Athena’s vehicle, drifted across the 50th parallel. As much as he tried to correct the slide, his tires could not find purchase on the gravelly terrain. The last thing he saw before completely crossing the line was Athena smiling and waving goodbye.

Aaron let the memory fade to black for the last time. Not explained in the briefing was that crossing the 50th parallel placed the driver in an alternate dimension from which there was no known escape. Of course, Athena knew this since it was her home planet. She would become the best racer in the galaxy. Aaron, isolated and stripped of his fame by an unsportsmanlike move, was now doomed to spend the rest of his days… somewhere else.