“Dude, tell me again, why are we doing this?”

“Because, we’ve never done anything illegal in our lives. We’ve no stories to tell to our kids, assuming that we somehow manage to produce kids. After all, there is that essential ingredient called ‘woman’ missing in our lives.”

“You could try adoption… but that’s not the problem we have at our hands… I get it. We need to get women in our lives.”

“Exactly! Chicks dig illegal stuff too. This will help us score at-least a couple of points with them.”

“And that’ll take our total score to what 3? Dude, we need a lot more than a couple of points.”

“We have to start somewhere, right? So stop being a wuss and cut the wires.”

“I still don’t think trespassing into an abandoned government facility is what chicks have in mind when they think sexy-kinda-illegal stuff. But I’ll follow you coz you know, you’re my best friend.”

“I think I’m gonna cry… what are you a 14 yr old girl… stop saying shit and get to work.”

“What do you think is on the other side?”

“My research tells it’s one of the possible locations for Area 51.”

“Your research?”

“I did a lot of googling last night.”

“Fair enough. Could there be aliens there, then?”

“Could be. And considering how many women they’ve impregnated so far, I guess they believe in free sex. We could be in for a treat.”

“Dude! That’s gross. I don’t want anyone or anything trying to impregnate me.”

“That’s not what I meant, dude. I meant if the males of their species love sex so much, it’s only logical to assume the females would too.”

“You’ve got a point there. I guess, we do have a better chance of scoring with alien-chicks than the human ones.”

“Things are going to change for us tonight.”

“I just hope they look good.”

“I’m counting on all of them being hot like Seven of Nine.”

“Seven of Nine was a ten of ten. Let’s do this thing”

“Atta boy.”

“Who are you?”

“The same as you.”

“You mean you’re me?”

“In a sense, yes. I am a different version of you.”

“Parallel universe. It exists!”

“Great. I was worried who the other me would be like, and how would I find him. Wasn’t counting on the fact that you would be the one I initiated first contact with. You seem bright enough to have caught up with the events too.”

“What do you mean about you initiating contact? I am the one who broke through the system and created this bridge.”

“You’re mistaken. I was the one who broke through. I’ve spent 11 years of my life for this day.”

“Ha! I made it only in 10. Guess, I am the smarter one.”

“Can you cross the barrier though? Or just communicate from the other side of the bridge.”

“I don’t know. You’re the first thing I saw after breaking through. I haven’t tried. Let’s see. There shouldn’t be any harm in trying as I designed the bridge. That too, if I may add, one whole year faster than you did. Worst that can happen is it rejects any transference and blocks me.”

“Well go ahead and try.”

“I can’t. It thrusts my hand away with some kind of a repulsive force.”

“Let me try.”

“Wait how can your hand pass throu…”, SLAP ,“what was that for?!”

“That was what I was doing in the 11th year. Jerk.”

She took the last sip from her Margarita and stared at the vastness of the sea.

“Hope you’re alright Mrs. Hempsey?”

“It’s just Nina now Victor, and yes I’m doing fine. Thank you.”

“Very well Mrs.. um.. Miss Nina. Mr. Hempsey and you have been our most generous customers over the years. Tragic what happened to him last year. We weren’t sure you’d revisit our resort after…. after what happened.”

She brushed her hair off her face and turned again to the sea. “We visited this place every year, Victor. I just had to come.”

“I understand madam. Can I get you anything to make your stay more comfortable?”

She handed him the empty glass and smiled. “I’ll let you know if there’s anything else, but for now a refill would do.”

“Very well, madam.”  He bowed and left.

Her eyes searched for the spot in the sea. The spot where her husband met with the accident while sailing and died.

The accident involving her smack him in the head and dumping him to drown.

“Hope you rot in hell, bastard”, she murmured.

Rufus was a very smart dog. A bit lazy sometimes. But a very smart dog. Joey loved playing fetch with him.

“Okay Rufus, I’m gonna throw this one really far. Hope you’re ready. Here I go… Fetch!”

Rufus followed the ball and disappeared into the bushes. A minute later he was back.

“What is this Rufus? You were supposed to get the ball. Where did you get these glasses from?”

Joey took the glasses off  Joey’s mouth and examined them. “You didn’t break them did you? May be someone threw it away coz they were broken. That must be it.”

Rufus licked him on the cheeks as if to agree.

“You want me to try them on? It’ll be like a pirate patch.”

Joey put on the glasses. He could barely see anything through the side that was intact and winked to Rufus through the broken side of the glass.

Suddenly, the broken glasses started to mend. The blurry vision cleared and Joey saw himself playing with Rufus. He screamed at the sight, unable to comprehend what just happened. But no one seemed to have heard him. He wanted to move, but couldn’t.

He called out to Rufus, who was playing with the other him. Or someone who looked just like him. Rufus didn’t respond.

Helpless, Joey started to cry. “He’s not the real me. I’m, Joey,” he shouted. That’s when the other Joey turned to him and winked.

“They’re not real. You’re not real. You’re all monsters! Let me out of here.”

The two men observed him from outside the glass doors.

“I see the treatment isn’t working for him?”

“We are tried out our strongest dose yet, Captain. The infection still remains.”

“So what do you suggest we do now?”

“I stand by my initial recommendation. Extermination of the subject.”

“What if someone else manages to break through?”

“He took a unique combination of meth, amphetamine, alcohol and skimmed milk that made him break through. Its highly unlikely that such an incident will occur again.”

“And if it does?”

“They’re junkies, Captain. Who would believe them? They are such fools they think we hide in closets or under the bed.”

“One incident. That was just one stupid incident. I was young and was feeling adventurous, okay?”

Knock Knock

Its happening again. He’s back. “Help! Somebody help me!”

No one hears me. No one is going to come. No one ever comes.

I run to the kitchen and pick the biggest knife I can find.

Knock Knock, he goes again. Louder this time.

“Open the door Celia,” he shouts. He’s already taken my baby. Now he’s come to get me too.

But I wont go down without a fight. I wont.

Thud Thud.

He’s trying to break down the door. I slide the knife along my fingers and press it against my fingertip. Blood. Its sharp enough.

I walk to the door, knife ahead, careful not to alert him. This time he’ll pay for what he did to me. For what he did to him. My baby. My poor baby.

Slam.

He breaks in through the door. I was ready for him. Stab. Stab. Stab. He goes down. Stab. Stab. Stab. I win this time.

It was the next door neighbor. So he was in it too. Like Uncle Ned, and Sam. And Martha. They’re all in it together. They killed my baby!

I should have followed Dad’s advice. May be then he would’ve been safe.

I take my knife, scoop his left eye out of the socket, and throw it out of the door. Then slam it shut and sit back against it.

Dad always said, “Keep an eye out if you want to be safe”. Should have listened to him. I will, now.

I still have three of them in the house. I’ll be safe for a while…

The book of dreams

Is flippin’ pages

It hasn’t done that

To me in ages

I was stuck in this

World so real

Forgot how it felt

To feel a feel

I do feel now

The urge to dream

Just for the fun

Let out a scream

So here I go

Letting it out

All aboard!

The captain shouts

Come on, now

Come with me

There’s beauty beyond

This world to see.

We’ll jump the clouds

And ride upstream

We’ll write a chapter

In the book of dreams

“Houston, we have a problem…”

“I’m sorry, I wasn’t listening, what?”

“I said we have a problem!”

“You have a problem? You are away, roaming around in space, adventures and stuff. Thrilling life. I have a nagging wife to go to every day after work, who works my credit cards out faster than Jack Bauer takes care of all those terrorist threats. And I have a teenage daughter who has taken an interest in rock music and rockers. So tell you what Jones, I have problems! Too many of them!”

“Umm… I am concerned about you General Bartwidth, I really am. But we have an emergency situation here, that requires your immediate attention.”

“Wandering into the vast space of nothingness and still can’t find time to chat for five minutes, eh? So what is it?”

“Our systems are failing, sir. We are straying away from our orbit trajectory. We need technical assistance!”

“O0h. That sounds serious. Hey Roy, come over here, our folks far far away are facing some technical difficulties and need the tech support of earthlings.”

Roy gulped the last bit of the hot dog he had in his mouth and managed, “What seems to be the problem?”

“The screens are just showing some random binary code. We have lost all control over the primary system”

“Did you try turning off and on again?”

“We are in space, not sitting in some basement playing solitaire during a coffee break, so no Roy, I didn’t try turning it off and on again. These are the primary control systems I’m talking about. Would you please get us some real help, General? And one more thing. I don’t know for how long the communication lines would stay open… things are not looking good here General. If I don’t make it, tell Susan, I love her. And that I missed her everyday here.”

“I will, Jones”, Bartwidth replied, “You’re a good lad, son.”

“It was an honor working with you sir. This is one of the better ways to die.”

Roy shouted over his shoulders, “May be some other day, you cheesy space-cowboy. You’re systems should be working fine now.”

“What?”, Jones checked the systems and hugged his crew in joy, “Yes. YES! They are! Roy you’re a genius.”

The General enquired, “What was the issue Roy?”

“I don’t know. Will have to check the logs. It’ll take time. For now, I logged in remotely to their systems and turned it off and on again. Seems to work fine for now.”

“Very well then. Good work Roy. As for you. I’m glad you’ll be ok Jones. I should probably call your wife and tell you’re not dead.”

“What?”, Jones quizzed.

“Well, I’d texted her that you passed away and that you loved her. You said to do so yourself. It seemed pretty done deal back then.”

“So you texted her that I’m dead? What kind of a sick freak are you? Don’t you close the comm channels on me Bartwidth. Don’t..”