Otherworld by Jared C. Wilson

ourselves. Their civilization or world is far more advanced than our own, and they are able to enter our dimension at will. They appear and disappear as they please.”
    Mike was writing, but his incredulity was showing. “All right.”
    Bering understood the tone. “Is it really so strange a proposition?”
    â€œI remember watching a Superman cartoon as a kid, where Superman went to prevent a volcano from destroying a village. When he got there, the volcano exploded violently, blowing him into another dimension where everything was backward. At the same time, an evil Superman was blown into this dimension. They spent the whole show trying to switch places and get back.”
    Dr. Bering looked insulted. He plowed forward. “Interesting. But I’m afraid it’s not quite the same concept. I’m not sure how they do it, whether by machine or some other technology, or whether it is an ability intrinsic to their physiology. Some visit in craft. Some in person.”
    Dumbfounded, Mike remained sitting, bewildered and convinced he was facing an honest-to-goodness quack. The professor said things as preposterous as those said by the people he refuted. “Is there any way to figure out how?” Mike finally asked.
    â€œIt’s doubtful. This thing is far more advanced than any place we could ever hope to be. I don’t think any scientist at the top of his field in quantum mechanics or theoretical physics, or anybody else for that matter, could figure this out. There are only a few scientific principles behind it as far as I know, but all are highly speculative. Have you heard of the Kaluza-Klein theory?”
    â€œNo.”
    â€œWell, I won’t bog you down with details, but it is a scientific theory of hyperspace. Higher dimensions above and beyond our own four-dimensional senses.”
    Mike wasn’t sure what to say. He felt like he’d heard enough. The two looked at each other, each scrutinizing the other’s face. The reporter looked for signs of kidding in the professor’s eyes. The professor was still smiling, but not coyly, not with a wink. He had the pleasant confidence of the utterly convinced. Mike broke the silence.
    â€œDr. Bering, I appreciate this very much. Thank you for your time. You’ve definitely given me a lot to chew on.”
    Bering’s smile broke. “Oh. Well, my pleasure. Stop in any time, friend. And I’ll see you in class Thursday.”
    Mike reflected on his conversation with Dr. Bering during the cold walk to the university parking lot. He deliberated, weighing whether to lend the professor’s views any credence. Dr. Bering was an intelligent man, after all, but beyond that, he had the charisma of the most ardent of true believers.
    From “Aliens from This World” by Dr. Samuel Bering in Science Quest :
    The proposal is that a relationship exists between the sightings of unidentified craft and the divine visions and apparitions witnessed by the devoutly religious around the world. Neither group sees what it thinks it does, but both are seeing something . In early California, Paiute Indians shared a traditional tale of an advanced race they called the Hav-Masuvs , who floated about in silver “flying canoes.” Can these accounts be reconciled? Yes. What is witnessed undoubtedly comes from a dimension apart from our own, but parallel to it …
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    Captain Graham Lattimer survived a rough Friday. The previous few days had been peaceful enough. The press had mostly managed to steer clear of the police station. They found Sam Petrie at home and asked all the questions they wanted to. Pops Dickey was harder to locate. In person, anyway. If people really wanted to get his story, all they had to do was turn on the television in time for Encounters or some other tabloid program. The farmer’s story dropped a position in the Chronicle every day, but no one sitting in the Trumbull police station