hotel room with multiple broken bones right now, and would be, if it hadn’t been for that hidden passageway. But who put it there? Was that actually a portal like the one this Doctor Omar guy had described?
How weird could things get, to find some mad scientist, also from Earth, here in another dimension, as Omar had called it. Those words "another dimension" just rang in his head until he wondered if he was losing his mind.
Myles reached into his coat, grabbed his pipe, and filled it with tobacco. He struck a match against the brick wall and closed his eyes. The familiar scent of "Ragnar's blend" encircled him as he drew and blew gently into the pipe. He could feel the calm settling in.
Myles had never yearned for home, but from time to time he would think back to his grandmother, who was probably long dead by now. She remained a mental foundation for him. Grandma had always helped him to see things the right way. Many times at night when she thought that he was sleeping, she would come into his room and whisper a prayer over him.
“Lord, this one is special. I know you have a hard road ahead for him, but I can also see that you have a plan for him. Shepherd him. Guide him back to your loving arms when he strays.” Grandma had been so unashamed of her walk of faith. When things went wrong she would just say a prayer, thank God for His grace, and move on with a steadfast determination.
Myles had long sensed that God had some special purpose for him. That feeling had gradually faded as he began to realize that he was only good at doing what everyone else considered wrong. Well, to be fair, that wasn’t all he was good at, but it was definitely what he enjoyed. He knew that if his family had known the man he had turned out to be, they would have disowned him. He tried to convince himself that the state of his heart didn't matter; that he’d accomplished some great things.
Myles took another puff on his pipe as his thoughts returned to now. Here in this place, in an alternate dimension, everything was different. It was like starting all over. As far as he knew, this was a privilege that no one had ever had before. Everything had always worked out for him before, but in some selfish way. Here he was with Omar Metzger, a brilliant scientist, possibly the smartest man on Earth, who had now discovered dimensional travel. This guy had worked so hard to get here, but Myles had just stumbled into it.
Why me? What am I doing in this place? Will we ever make it back to Earth? But what could happen here that would let me prove I am a good man? Myles puffed away at his pipe and thought.
Omar had surprised himself by sleeping, but he woke to the smell of pipe smoke. He looked up to see Myles puffing away. The tobacco actually had a pleasant scent like, fresh-cut cedar. Omar grabbled for his spectacles and cleared his throat. “That’s got a nice smell.”
“Hey, Doc, how long do you think you were sleeping?”
Omar looked down at his watch and answered, “Exactly six hours.”
“Well that explains that.”
Omar gaped at an opening where the wall had been a moment ago.
“The next number is six,” Myles whispered. A light shone farther down the tunnel. “We need to talk first, Doc.”
“Okay, Rags, shoot.”
“How far did we travel on your bike yesterday?”
Omar got up and went over to look at the odometer. “Three hundred miles."
“You know, that’s a lot of tunnel, Doc.”
“So what’s your point, Myles?”
“I’m starting to wonder just how big this place really is.”
“Well, maybe we can find out.”
Omar and Myles packed everything back onto the bike. As they drove, the tunnel lit up more and more. They noticed that the bricks changed from grey to cream. After about ten minutes they came to a spot that looked like a gallery with paintings along the high walls. They went from floor to ceiling, painted right on the walls like old Italian frescos.
One painting depicted a giant, rotted tree that
How weird could things get, to find some mad scientist, also from Earth, here in another dimension, as Omar had called it. Those words "another dimension" just rang in his head until he wondered if he was losing his mind.
Myles reached into his coat, grabbed his pipe, and filled it with tobacco. He struck a match against the brick wall and closed his eyes. The familiar scent of "Ragnar's blend" encircled him as he drew and blew gently into the pipe. He could feel the calm settling in.
Myles had never yearned for home, but from time to time he would think back to his grandmother, who was probably long dead by now. She remained a mental foundation for him. Grandma had always helped him to see things the right way. Many times at night when she thought that he was sleeping, she would come into his room and whisper a prayer over him.
“Lord, this one is special. I know you have a hard road ahead for him, but I can also see that you have a plan for him. Shepherd him. Guide him back to your loving arms when he strays.” Grandma had been so unashamed of her walk of faith. When things went wrong she would just say a prayer, thank God for His grace, and move on with a steadfast determination.
Myles had long sensed that God had some special purpose for him. That feeling had gradually faded as he began to realize that he was only good at doing what everyone else considered wrong. Well, to be fair, that wasn’t all he was good at, but it was definitely what he enjoyed. He knew that if his family had known the man he had turned out to be, they would have disowned him. He tried to convince himself that the state of his heart didn't matter; that he’d accomplished some great things.
Myles took another puff on his pipe as his thoughts returned to now. Here in this place, in an alternate dimension, everything was different. It was like starting all over. As far as he knew, this was a privilege that no one had ever had before. Everything had always worked out for him before, but in some selfish way. Here he was with Omar Metzger, a brilliant scientist, possibly the smartest man on Earth, who had now discovered dimensional travel. This guy had worked so hard to get here, but Myles had just stumbled into it.
Why me? What am I doing in this place? Will we ever make it back to Earth? But what could happen here that would let me prove I am a good man? Myles puffed away at his pipe and thought.
Omar had surprised himself by sleeping, but he woke to the smell of pipe smoke. He looked up to see Myles puffing away. The tobacco actually had a pleasant scent like, fresh-cut cedar. Omar grabbled for his spectacles and cleared his throat. “That’s got a nice smell.”
“Hey, Doc, how long do you think you were sleeping?”
Omar looked down at his watch and answered, “Exactly six hours.”
“Well that explains that.”
Omar gaped at an opening where the wall had been a moment ago.
“The next number is six,” Myles whispered. A light shone farther down the tunnel. “We need to talk first, Doc.”
“Okay, Rags, shoot.”
“How far did we travel on your bike yesterday?”
Omar got up and went over to look at the odometer. “Three hundred miles."
“You know, that’s a lot of tunnel, Doc.”
“So what’s your point, Myles?”
“I’m starting to wonder just how big this place really is.”
“Well, maybe we can find out.”
Omar and Myles packed everything back onto the bike. As they drove, the tunnel lit up more and more. They noticed that the bricks changed from grey to cream. After about ten minutes they came to a spot that looked like a gallery with paintings along the high walls. They went from floor to ceiling, painted right on the walls like old Italian frescos.
One painting depicted a giant, rotted tree that
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