1 The simple question one must ask

Travel Log, third Book, first Page:

Have you ever felt massively out of place? In fact, so out of place that everybody starts staring at you when you say something that is perfectly reasonable? This feeling usually only lasts a little while and sometimes, the people around you forget that it ever happened, but you remember. You always remember.

If this ever happened to you, you may have just been pushed over to another string. But be at ease, since everything in this universe is balanced, that situation rarely ever lasts. The gargantuan amount of energy it would take to keep you locked in a place you originally don't belong can not be produced with today's standards. But if, for some reason or another, your situation persists and you can identify yourself as someone that has come in contact with another string, do not seek help. A doctor will have you locked up, a scientist dissected and studied and a mob boss will just have you dragged into a dark alley with a bullet hole between your eyes. Even if you seek help from the authorities, you will just disappear from the public eye. Trust me - I have been there. But we will come to that later. While huge gains can be easily made in your situation, you must be warned. The longer you stay within another string, the more dangerous it will become for you. People usually just notice that something is fundamentally wrong with you, so, by instinct, they - and given enough time - even the whole reality you are trapped in will gradually become more and more hostile towards you. This will undoubtedly threaten your life rather quickly. Eventually, an alternate reality will even snap or bend out of it's way just to rid you from its surface.

So, how do you go about identifying your circumstance correctly? Is everybody looking at you with a strange look on their face because you are an idiot or because you really don't belong there? Easy! Just look at news feeds and the things happening around you. If everything else seems normal, then rest asured - you are an idiot. But if, for example the president of a large powerful country does not seem

to be qualified for his job or a huge company comes under investigation publicly, then well friend, you are screwed. Those things should strike you as very odd since they just do not happen in baseline reality.

So in conclusion, the one question you must always ask when you come across a strange phenomenon, an odd situation or technology you have not seen before is: "if this is another reality, how long have I been in here for already?"

avataravatar
Next chapter