As We Age
By Linda Helmich
March 16, 2024
Hours and days were slow to pass
When I was just a young sweet lass
But now the months go swiftly by
And even years do seem to fly
Time it seems is quite like plastic,
Firm at times, but then elastic
Waiting makes it seem too long
Shortening when my timing’s wrong,
Dear me, how can we ever learn to
Pace ourselves and have a yearn to
Use each hour of every day
Content to live a gentle,
patient,
measured
way?
Scene Six
By Don Marlin
The concept that a portal could be present in our bedroom was a very scary but intriguing one. The idea that Somers, Connecticut and Taryall, Colorado could be intrinsically linked via two oval mirrors in two bedrooms, and that sound, light and objects could be transferred one-way instantaneously suggests several scientific conundrums. The transfer of elements only one way was perplexing and that a potential vacuum existed between the two objects for the elements to probably reach a constant, such as the speed of light, was a more conceptual matter. In either case, Richard was so smoked by my response he did not return the phone call for an hour.
These concepts are like Scotty commonly beaming people and objects to and from the Starship Enterprise. Also that stars and planets from other galaxies continue to emit light in our visible spectra toward the planet Earth at rates that suggest that the changing angstroms we see today might have emanated from a planet thousands, millions or even billions of years ago as space expanded from the big bang into yet another void which is still unknown. Further, that light could be bent around the sun by gravitational fields per Einstein’s derivation of the curved space time continuum. Could our bedroom be a real physical science experiment come to daily life or was this just a sea of water one sees through the heat as it escapes upward from the desert sand?
Richard’s silence gave me time to ponder that instead of a window to Somers through which light reached maximum speed, as if in a vacuum, that what was witnessed was a parallel universe. This universe where Richard and Sally were, indeed, was not on the same time plane as we were but really connected via a temporary continuum where every single possible configuration of particles in a Hubble-like volume takes place multiple times. This “Matrix” film scenario really could not be reached because, theoretically, we do not know what to look for and Hubble states that we can only get messages to and from our own universe, not messages from a parallel one. However, waking up Richard and talking with him on the phone has the implication that he is still within our volume and connected by George II.
“I didn’t expect you to answer the phone call as now I think I am in this dreamscape too and we are inexplicably linked by some damn earplug,” Richard said when he called back late in the morning.
Sally had returned home feigning an illness to get a substitute teacher to fill in for her metaphor class in the afternoon. She was ill from the phone call from Richard and from the idea that I could tell what Richard was wearing and what he was drinking that morning.
“I can’t explain it either, but Mary and I have rationalized that Stella Spencer may have never uncrated these two mirrors at the homestead if she recognized the portal power between the two,” I said. “Further that for us to find them on this original homestead given to her by the United States suggests that she buried them under the shed with no intention of placing them in her house and never seeing them again. Maybe this would explain the incredible condition they were in and why she moved under such extreme circumstances and endured such hardships to raise five children out in the backcountry. She may have been scared to death as we were with whatever portal image was present at the time.”
“I think I can understand how unhinged you must have gotten last night,” Richard replied over the phone. “I can’t see or hear anything from my side of the George II, but we can’t help but believe you now. Can you tell me what Sally is wearing if I walk her over to the mirror also? That may convince her I am not nuts or pulling the wool over her eyes like some prank against her too. She thinks it’s because of her upcoming 50th birthday and this is just a bad joke.”
Sally walked slowly to the mirror with Richard by her side. Richard handed her the phone and she asked me what she was wearing, then quickly retracted the request and asked me to hand it to Mary.
“Mary, please tell me this is a joke as I really don’t like getting older before my birthday and find it pretty embarrassing to ask for a substitute while I play hooky for a day,” she said with a long sigh.
The second pink earplug hit her square in the nose
Editor’s note: There are three more scenes to this wild and sweet scifi series written by local Don Marlin. Next week, look out for some creative content from other local creatives and The Works in Progress page will pick up with Scene Seven in the July 11 issue.