Scene Seven
By Don Marlin
Richard and Sally didn’t return the phone call for over an hour. It was probably a good time to have more coffee, lunch, sugar and a circling of each respective wagon train in the two states. I continued to ponder the problem of why this one-way portal was present, and why did it occur between the two Georges? If Stella Spencer had even a fraction of the interaction between the two mirrors at the time and even blurted it out for discussion the community in neighboring counties would have called out a witch hunt, rivaled by probably only Salem. Surely it was better to bury the mirrors in a crate after the move across the country.
“Vince, you are both scientists and we are both teachers. What do we do with this situation? Call authorities, call an exorcist, call a physicist? This is scaring us to death over here and makes me question every purchase, refurbishment and restoration we have in our house!” Richard was not amused with the second earplug launching.
“I have a few more tests I’d like to run,” I said.
“Tests like what are we going to do to sell this to the industry?” Richard’s Arabian snorts were back in high fashion. Sounds like a horse recovering after the first race at Saratoga Springs.
“Sales, no, not yet, not maybe ever; but this kind of power is enormous.”
“Enormous? This is alien! Sales of these two together could bring thousands!”
“I’m not talking sales, Richard. I’m talking about patents, physical science breakthroughs, an end to energy needs, a total collapse of the transportation industry if it can be harnessed.”
I began to get an elation over the whole issue. If this phenomenal find could be understood, replicated and used by the world, then the age of the internet and global communication by satellites and micro-downsizing of every gadget to become connected could be a page in history. Discovery of fire, invention of the combustible engine on petroleum by-products, use of the combustible engine in every transport method known to man today: cars, planes, boats, rockets – all obsolete.
Richard and Sally are intelligent adults and their silence on the other end, as well as the boink on the cowlick and nose of both of them across the states, made me recognize that they grasped this too.
“Alright. Alright. Alright,” Richard whinnied. “What … what … what do you want to test, Einstein?”
“Look, this portal is open now and all four of us recognize it. I can hear you, see you and pummel you with Mary’s zinfandel noise canceller. This all illustrates to us that this connection is real and open as we are speaking on the phone while all of this happens.” I began to gain confidence in my postulates and started the journey of theory.
“I think we are scared but we are curious, the way all creatures are. Two ideas come to mind. One: we can only guess that this is a real time portal proving the existence of a vacuum where light reaches maximum speed and is not caused by some gravitational issue forming a black hole where all matter disappears.”
“Again, my correct use of Einstein-ettiquete,” boasted Richard.
“Come on, hear me out. The phone and earplugs illustrate some sense of a time and matter continuum but doesn’t negate the idea of two parallel universes being connected by a solar or space perturbation.”
Two sets of nostrils could be heard, and the level of oxygen drawn on Richard and Sally’s side of the phone made me consider placing a feather to my George II. That thought faded quickly with Sally’s response.
“Mary, you have an old phone, don’t you? I’ve chided you to catch up with the iPhone world, but you never wanted to give up the analog nature of the clock and big clunky keys, right?”
Mary exhaled, “Yeah, but what in the world are you …”
“Sally is on to it, Mary. We live with our phones, but you have the most disposable one and it could answer the parallel universe versus time continuum conundrum,” I replied.
“Alright, Vince. I am now going to crown you Doc from Back to the Future as you are just way too postdoctoral, Yellow Brick Road scarecrow, for Albert Einstein” Richard whinnied again.
“Mary, what time does your phone say now?” I asked.
“Two-fifty-five pm,” she responded.
I asked Richard, “Do you have the same time?”
“Yep, but we all have those stopwatch settings so let’s count to three after we get that setting on the screen and synchronize them.” Richard was now stamping his hooves on the floor to beat of one, that Timmy was still in the well and two, he had the knowledge to get him out.
“Okay, Richard, on my mark start the stopwatch on your phone and Mary will do the same.” After a pause we were all set. “Mary, toss your phone at George II”. The phone bounced off of Richard and Sally’s bed and landed on the floor next to the bed and startled their cat, Felix, who hissed and ran out of their bedroom.
“Richard? Tell me, tell me, tell me.”
Richard trumpeted back, “The earplugs were one thing, but the phone brings back the entire shock of what we are witnessing right now. Mary’s Colorado phone came through George II, through your George II! Scared the cat to death! Unbelievable!”
“Richard? What does it say?” I asked.
“In sync! I knew I couldn’t believe there were two of each of us in parallel universes! That is crazy, Doc!” Richard said in his best Marty tone.
“What is crazier? We have an open portal with no discontinuum for light and matter versus a parallel universe. What a physical breakthrough!” I think my nostrils were opening.
“Mary, Richard, Sally? I have one more test.” At this point our phones were all on speaker settings and I could see and hear Richard and Sally on their bed speaking as if there was a stereo in the room. I was convinced this was a new page for mankind. “Sally, can you watch our cat, Romeo, for a few days? I’m going to send him over.”
Mary screamed in objection. Richard and Sally gasped so hard that I could hear a suction sound on all three of the outlets coming through and around the portal. It was an amazing microsecond of reality. The discussion was difficult. The cat was reluctant. But his age and a soft bed on the other side with Richard and Sally as a backstop persuaded Mary.
I launched Romeo for mankind.