Different Worlds

Different Worlds

(Based on a dream)

By Robert A. Daniel

I still have no idea where the car came from, but it changed our lives. Mark and I where traveling through Odessa heading toward El Paso. I-20 was flowing at a good pace and we had made good time. We reached the west edge of town and back out into jackrabbit country. Who knew the next few minutes would make all the difference, but I guess none of us know when the winds of change would blow our way.

“You need a break?” I asked.

“Nope I’m fine. Just sit back and relax. We’ll be there in a few hours.” He said glancing over at me “Okay Alan what’s wrong you seem nervous?”

“Just a weird felling. Like fate is waiting around the corner.”

“Hey man don’t get spooky on me. You’re feelings have been right on the money too many times.”

“I know that’s what worries me.” I said as a car appeared out of nowhere directly ahead of us. It was swerving all over the road but heading right toward us. Mark yanked our car to the right but the other car was still coming. At the last second Mark veered left causing the other car to just give us a glancing blow instead of head on. We went spinning out of control with the sound of tires fighting for traction. Then there was no sound at all but wind. I realized we were airborne and heading into a ravine. We only had seconds. I looked at Mark. He put out his hand and I took it.

“See you in the next life old buddy.”

“You got it!”

We hit and everything went black.

I opened my eyes to find myself starring at a fluorescent light. I looked around and saw my legs were both in cast and my right arm bandaged. I realized that I was only seeing out of my right eye. I felt bandages on my head and reached up with my left hand to feel that they covered most of my head. I was in a hospital. That much I did know. How I got there I was still fuzzy. I thought back. I saw the car and Mark then hitting the ground. That was all. I opened my mouth and found it was working. I grabbed the intercom mic and started to say something. I wanted to say something witty but all I could come up with was “Anyone there?” Well that was enough. In two minutes I had every nurse and doctor in the hospital in my room. Or at least that’s what I thought.

“Welcome back to the land of the living Alan. I’m Doctor Copland and you’re a lucky guy. How do you feel?”

“Like a pin cousin.” I said as a nurse drew some blood “And I’m hungry. How long have I been here?”

“You’ve been here for six months. You’ve been in a coma since the accident.”

“How’s Mark? Can I see him?”

“Not yet. Now you said you’re hungry. That’s a good sign.” He turned to a nurse. “Sally would you call the cafeteria and tell them to rustle some food up for Alan here. I see no reason to keep our patient hungry for long. How about a hamburger Alan, sound good to you?”

“Yeah but what about Mark when can I see him?”

“Not for a while. Now lets see how things are healing…”

“Okay what’s the deal? Why is it I cant see Mark?” At that point I yelled, “What the f**k are you not telling me?”

“Now calm down Alan. You need to think about yourself not Mark.”

“Damn it doc I know I’m okay but what about Mark? Why are you not telling me anything?”

“Because you need your strength to heal yourself.”

“Is Mark dead?” I said through clinched teeth.

“No but…”

I emphasis every word. “Then… why… cant… I… see… him?”

“Because he’s not here.” Came a voice from the door.

“Okay if he’s not here and not dead then where the hell is he?” I asked as another doctor entered the room.

“In Odessa. They can take care of him better at Baylor Hospital then we can here. His injuries were more extensive then yours. I just got off the phone with the Chief of Staff of Baylor and he said Mark is doing good but it is going to take him a while to heal.”

“Odessa? Doc Baylor is in Dallas not Odessa.”

“No son Baylor is in Odessa always has been. I believe you’re a bit confused.”

“Nope I know where things are.”

“I see. So who is the president?”

“George W. Bush.”

“Who has won the Tour D France six times in a row?”

“Lance Armstrong.”

“Who was assassinated in Dallas in 1962?”

“John F. Kennedy.”

“Okay it looks like you’ve got some memory confusion. We better set up a catscan and a psychological evaluation.”

“Wait a minute. What do you mean memory confusion? I was right on every question!”

“Sorry no. You were wrong. The president is Al Gore, Greg LeMond has won the Tour six times, and LBJ was killed in Dallas in 62. I’m sorry Alan but we’re going to have to give you some more tests before you can go home. But look at it this way it’ll be another two months before your cast come off so you’re stuck here anyway.” He turned and walked out.

“Who was that?”

“Oh sorry Alan. That was Doctor Newman he’s the head of this hospital. He’s also a jerk.”

“Great I just got psychoanalyzed by a jerk.”

“True. I have to apologize to you Alan. I wanted to tell you about Mark but he wouldn’t let me. Don’t worry about the shrink coming in. They won’t put you in the nut farm for getting a few facts wrong. Hell if they did that then most of the government would be locked up. So just take it easy for a while and we’ll get you healed up.”

“Doc?”

“Yeah?”

“What happened to the driver of the other car?”

He paused of a minute then said “That is a puzzle that the cops are still trying to figure out. They want to talk to you about it.”

“What’s the problem?”

“Well other drivers saw the car and saw you and Mark trying to dodge it. Around twenty people saw you guys go over the cliff and the other car do the same. The other car went across the oncoming lane and went over the other side. The guardrail was damaged on both sides so there was another car but the cops never found it. There was no wreckage or even a sign of a crash other then the guardrail. It was as if the car vanished in mid air. One trucker even swears it was the same kind of car as Mark’s.”

“A 1996 Nissin Altama?”

“Yes. I know, it’s strange. Well I have other folks to check in on. I’ll come back by and check on you.”

He walked out the door leaving me with a more questions then answers. I tried to reason it out but I found that I didn’t have enough information. Something wasn’t right that much I knew. The highway patrol showed up the next day and asked me a bunch of questions that told me nothing. They didn’t have a clue about the other car. Then the headshrinker came in and I played twenty questions with her. At least she was nice to look at but she was married. So that’s how my time in the hospital went. They ran their test and I played their game. I knew I wasn’t going to get any answers while I was there.

Finally I was well and they let me go home. Fortunately my friends took care of my cat so when I arrived he was waiting on me, but something wasn’t right. I expected to find Zaphod my Siamese waiting on me, but to my surprise Tiger my bobcat was there. I knew that was wrong because Tiger had been missing for over two years and I figured she was dead. Other then that my house was the same… well mostly the same. Something else was not right. I looked around a while before I found it. There was a shadow box on the wall of my computer room that wasn’t there before. In it was my medals and weapons badges along with my unit patch and all the brass from my uniform. That was strange enough because I never put together a box like that but what was really strange was the Bronze Star and Purple Heart that hung in the box. I went over to my filling cabinet and found the envelope that had my DD-214 discharge papers from the Army in it. I opened it and looked at the section for awards. The Bronze Star and purple heart was listed along with an expert badge for machine gun. I shouldn’t have that because when we went to qualify on the machine gun they forgot to have us bring our chemical suits and mask. There was another sheet behind the DD-214.

This was a report from the CIA. It told how I prevented a terrorist group from planting a bomb under the church called the Dome. It seems that I was walking by the park just east of the Dome and noticed six Arabs carrying large boxes into the park. I followed them even though it was night and we soldiers weren’t allowed in the park at night due to the drug trade there. But I followed anyway and into the tunnel that went under the Dome. I remember exploring the tunnel with some of the guys but this didn’t happen.

I read on. It seems that I slipped up on the last guy and took him out with a brick to the head. I grabbed his guns (a 9mm and a AK-47) and flashlight and went after the others. I caught them setting the bombs and tried to get them to give up. That resulted in a firefight were I was wounded but I stopped the bombing. By the time the police got there I used one of their first aid kits and had bandaged my left arm and had my ID out. They listened to my story and after checking the identities of the Arabs they believed me. The Army awarded me the Bronze Star and Purple Heart two weeks latter.

I was beginning to think that maybe I did have selective amnesia like the shrink said. I didn’t know for sure but I didn’t remember anything about a firefight in the tunnel. My phone rang and it was Mark. He was home from the hospital. He said he was still sore but otherwise fine. I told him that I’d come over to see him the next day.

I pulled into his driveway around twelve and got out of my car. I looked over to the west and saw a small cemetery by the fence. I didn’t remember the cemetery or the fence. I turned to the east and saw a billboard by his drive. Again I didn’t remember any billboard. I walked to his house and while it looked similar there was something about it that was different. I knocked on the door and Mark opened the door and shook my hand. Other then a brace on his leg he was still the same. We went in and sat down.

“Well this has been an interesting year.” I said.

“Yeah well the hospital stay was a pain in the a*s. But at least we survived.” He replied.

“True. I see your still not a hundred percent.”

“Well the doc said I have to wear this brace for a few more weeks just to be sure. How about you?”

“Well physically I’m fine but mentally their not sure.”

“What’s wrong? You’re the most sane person I know.”

“Well they say I have selective amnesia. I remember things differently then they do.”

“Like what?”

“Like the cemetery out by the fence. I don’t remember that or your house being set up like this. By the way where is the couch you got from my grandparents?”

“I never got a couch from your grandparents.”

“See I remember you buying their couch. It’s like I stepped into another world.”

“Strange.” He said as a commercial came on the TV. It was for Branif airlines. They showed a plane but I was puzzled why the plane, they called a 747, had propellers.

“Okay two things wrong with that. One Braniff is out of business and the 747 is a jet.”

“I hadn’t heard anything about Braniff going out of business. Why do you think a 747 is a jet?”

“Because it is a jet it has jet engines.”

“Man that wreck did mess you up. There are not jet engines on a 747 or any commercial airline. Jet engines are only on military planes. They won’t let civilians have jet technology.”

“I wish I knew if I was right or wrong on all this. Why is it I remember thing differently?”

“I don’t know but I do need help on a car. You do remember cars right?” he said with a grin.

“Yeah I remember cars Mark.” I said standing. “Lead on my friend.”

We walked out the door and into the backyard. Mark said the car was in the barn, which was out on the back part of his place. That’s when I realized what was wrong with the house. He lived in town but we we’re in the country. I decided not to say anything about it. The barn sat about two hundred yards to the southeast of his house. We passed a few old cars that I recognized from Mark having in the past.

About half way across the field I saw a black Chinook helicopter. I told Mark.

“Oh s**t it’s them! It’s the Men in Black.” He said hurrying to the barn.

“Men in Black? Like the movie?”

“No like the governments secret police. When they show up it means trouble! Lets get into the barn I have a hiding place.”

Just as we got to the barn the Chinook landed and guys in black uniforms poured out. There was one guy who got out dressed all in black but he was different then the others. First thing I noticed about him was his wide brim black hat and the black leather trench coat that he wore. He came at the barn with the other men but he carried no gun. I was climbing up the hay bales after Mark when he caught me by the leg.

“Alan stop you have to come with me!” he said as I struggled to get free.

“Let go of me!”

“Alan you have to listen to me. You’re in the wrong place you have to go back!”

“What the hell are you talking about? I don’t have to go anywhere!”

“Yes you do. You’re not from this world! I know.”

“How do you know?”

“Because I’m from your world and I’m stuck in this one.” I stopped struggling.

“What are you saying?”

“You must go back Alan or you’ll end up like me.”

“What…?”

“Alan look at this.” He said taking the glove from his right hand. His hand was just bones with skin wrapped around them. “I’m from your world. This world is killing me! If you stay, it will kill you too!”

I stared at his hand. “If I’m from another world, how did I get here?”

“Something messed up between the worlds. The wreck happened at the same time and same place in both worlds. Somehow you got switched. In this world you died in your world Mark died. You can’t stay here. You must come with me.”

“I thought you guys are the governments secret police and are not to be trusted.”

“Not my unit. Our mission is to help people like you. This world is what happens when people are too dependent on the government. Hell most of the people in this world can wipe their a*s without help.”

“You said you can’t go back. Why not?”

“Back in our world I was a fighter pilot. I was shot down over Iraq but I fell through the doorway before I crashed. When they found me here I was broken from one end to other with five bullet holes in me and loosing blood. They fixed me up but after a couple of months I began deteriorating. Humans are slightly different here then in our world. Here there is helium in the air, about five percent worth. Human blood here is used to it and can’t stay flowing without it. My blood has adapted to it. Back in our world there isn’t that much helium in the air so if I went back my blood would clot inside my veins and I would have a massive heart failure.”

“What about me. Would my blood clot?”

“No. You haven’t been here long enough. It takes about three years for the helium to take over your blood.”

“Okay but why is this world killing you?”

“The doctors and scientist don’t know.”

By this time Mark had come out of hiding. “Alan, you can’t seriously believe this crap!”

“Mark it makes since. Why is it I remember that Kennedy was shot in Dallas in 1962 and not LBJ? Or that George W Bush is president or Lance Armstrong won the tour six times while Gregg LeMond only won it twice. Then there’s the whole jet aircraft thing. In my world airlines like Delta and Southwest have jet aircraft. There are even private citizens that have jets! My feelings are telling me to trust this guy.”

“But you don’t even know his name!”

“True…”

“My name is Major Sam Johnson. Mark I understand your not trusting me. I wouldn’t and don’t trust anyone in this world. Like I said this is what happens when you turn the world over to liberals.”

“What happened to the GOP?” I asked.

“After LBJ was killed the Democrats set up the leaders of the GOP and made it look like they planed the whole thing. After that the Democrats took over and started taking away all the rights of the citizens. First it was guns, then sports cars, then they raised the taxes to over forty- percent! They socialized medicine but that is a joke. Doctors are paid a flat rate per year and you can forget about elective surgery. Plus the insurance companies charge so much that only those making a hundred grand or more a year can afford it. The crime rate has risen two hundred percent in the last year because no one has guns except of course the criminals. The deer population has grown out of control because there are no hunters. All because the government is run by liberals.”

“Can you get me back to our world?”

“Yes I can.”

“Mark. I love you like a brother. You’ve been the best friend to me in both worlds but I can’t stay. If I could I would. At least we both know that one of us is alive in each world. I’m sorry buddy but I have to go.”

He stood there looking at me. I thought I saw the beginning of a tear in his eye but I knew Mark wouldn’t let it fall in ether world. “Your right. But I don’t like loosing you. Like you said we’re brothers even if we aren’t from the same family. Go home my friend and know that I’ll think about you.”

“Lets do this. When the moon is full look up at it and think about each other. That will be our connection across the worlds.”

“Deal!” he said putting out his hand. I shook it and grabbed him in a bear hug.

“See you in the next life old buddy.”

“You got it!”

I held him for a few seconds knowing this would be the last time I saw him in this life and nether of us was ashamed for the display of affection we showed each other. I let him go and stepped back. “Well Sam lets go.”

I followed Sam back to the chopper. Just before I stepped in I turned back to Mark and waved. He waved back. I climbed inside and took a seat. The Chinook had been modified for comfort so we could talk without having to use an intercom system.

“Don’t worry about Mark. I’ve got plans for him.” Sam said.

“What kind of plans?”

He grinned “Why I’m going to offer him a job! We need good people like him.”

We flew to a base somewhere in New Mexico. They took me into a hanger and in ten minutes they were ready to send me home. I said goodbye to Sam and stepped onto the pad that looked like a Star Trek transporter pad. There was a bright light and I found myself floating through a tunnel that looked like it had been painted in the sixties. I came out of the tunnel yesterday to find myself standing in front of my house. My car was still there and my cat Zaphod came running up to me. I picked him up and hugged him. It was late in the day so I went in and went to bed. So now here I am.

“You expect me to believe that?” Frank asked.

“I know it sounds crazy but it happened. I just wish Mark could be here with me but at least I know he’s okay in the other world.”

“Alan that’s the best tall tale I’ve heard in a long time. I have to remind you of one thing. You have been recovering from the wreck here in this world not in some other world.”

True but there for a while I was in the other world with Mark.”

“So there was two of you when you got back?”

“No we merged. Since I was in that world but belonged in this one then when I came into this one the balance in the worlds was corrected.”

“But how come you remember the other world?”

“Maybe so Mark and I will know the other is okay. I don’t know maybe the same reason Sam knew he was from this world.”

Well at any rate you should write it down. It makes a good story.”

“Maybe I will. I’ll do it for Mark. He deserves that.”

Author's Note

Tell me what you think please