1: Is Our World Imploding?

I found out our world is going to die soon. In fact, our whole solar system will probably vanish in a few short years. Think about it. If there are dimensional rifts in space time constantly being opened by various Powers That Be, our local space time structure cannot handle the strain. You will all probably vanish from existence in the coming years.

Yes, I said "you." I myself have fallen through one these rifts, though maybe shoved through is more accurate. There was no car accident, eruption, or stabbing that caused both my soul and body to pass through one of those nightmare inducing anomalies. It was just a bully getting back at me.

I always liked to step in if I saw someone being bullied at high school. Most of the time, I didn't need to do more than that. There is something about a heavyset six foot two guy, who is known for flipping people to the floor with wrist power alone, that deters people from wanting to go against him. There are, however, always crazy people.

The crazy person in this instance was Max Stallone. He was a short guy with a wiry frame who was an incredible short distance dasher. I saw him reach out and pull down Earl Gray's pants; then immediately dash off. I stepped out in front of him, and he bounced off me and into the wall. "Brick Wall" is my nickname in school. It's hard to get through me, though apparently angry short people can go crazy enough to topple me.

Max Stallone leapt on top of me, and by dint of his center of gravity being higher than mine at the moment, was able to topple and stagger me slightly. That was apparently enough. I fell through the rift that had formed behind me with a shout.

I found myself in front of a medieval castle. "What the hey?!", I shouted, and then immediately thought better of it. What if the inhabitants were hostile? I took a look around. There was nothing much to see, and I mean that literally. How do you describe "nothing?" All you can point to is what exists, which in this case was a road and the castle it led to. This freaked me out. Hey, it would freak anyone out!

I deliberated outside the castle. I didn't have any choice but to enter the castle. What if whatever piece of reality I was in stayed to join the nothing that wasn't there? There might be some being sustaining this reality that could keep me existing also, and I didn't want to end my existence to some weird spatial anomaly. Blast Max Stallone and his overly aggressive nature!

I went up to the castle doors and knocked, but there was no answer. I shrugged and pushed on the doors and they didn't budge. I banged on the doors, kicked them, and shouted at them. Then I noticed the handles and the sign saying "Pull". I guess I do belong in the school for the gifted. I pulled the doors open, and the sight beyond the doors made my nausea rise.