At The Crossroads of Reality

The city streets swirled with busy faceless people as I ambled my way through the urban maze. The horizon blurred the towering buildings and sky together like a muddy puddle of deception. Each step of my path held a familiar beat in the rhythm of my stride, but today felt different with an eerie sense of anticipation lingering in the air. My gaze was fixed on the path and the world around me seemed hazy and distant. I was a solitary drifter amidst the currents of humanity.

As I moved through the sea people, a movement caught my eye. A man in the jostling crowd. Unlike the others, his face stood out -clearly distinguishable from the masses rushing past me. A flicker of recognition and confusion seeped into my mind as I gazed at the man in the distance. “This can’t be.” I glanced back and forth as my breath quickened, my heart beat faster and sweat formed on my face. The man started towards me and I started in disbelief because he looked exactly like me.

I shifted my weight from one side to the other as I wiped the sweat from my brow and covered my mouth to keep the screams from getting out. Adrenaline pulsed through my veins as the man drew closer. “This has to be a prank.” My thoughts were frantic. “This can’t be real! Someone’s messin’ with me and it’s not funny!”

“Mark.” The man was standing in front of me. “My name is Tye, and I’m here to bring you an important message. But we don’t have much time.” His voice was steady and calm but held an air of urgency. My heartbeat slowed as I took a deep breath. “Follow me,” Tye said, scanning the streets.

He hurried through the depths of the city and I followed willingly but struggled to keep up. I can’t explain why I followed him– I’m not even sure what city we were in, or what street we were on. Something about the urgency in his voice lingered in my ears, pushing me forward as I clutched a growing cramp in my side. Everything seemed vaguely familiar, like a distant childhood memory that dangled just out of reach. “Have I met him before?” I wondered. “Have I been here before? This is so strange. I don’t know where we’re going, but I trust Tye, I mean, he looks just like me.”

Time seemed to stretch as we sped through the city and the crowded streets obediently parted for us. The farther we went, the more faded and blurred the city and people became. Finally, our journey came to an abrupt halt in a dimly lit alley; walls covered in layers of secrets and neglect.

"Listen carefully," Tye started. "Every choice,” his voice was laced with a gravity that sent a chill down my spine. "That you make from this point onward carries immense weight, not just for you, but for the delicate balance of existence." I leaned in, clinging to each desperate syllable, trying to unravel the mysteries of this extraordinary encounter.

“Every choice?” I struggled to swallow the hard lump of realization caught in my throat.

"Every choice,” Tye affirmed. “In your reality, a great catastrophe looms on the horizon. A series of events has been set into motion: events that will unleash chaos and alter the course of countless lives."

My heart pounded again as I tried to absorb the magnitude of this bizarre revelation. My fate– the world’s fate— hung in the balance teetering on the edge of destruction. I had been chosen, singled out by the convergence of parallel dimensions, to make a difference.

"What... what can I do?" My voice trembled with a mixture of fear and determination. The weight of responsibility bore down on me like an iron anvil, threatening to crush my spirit beneath its unyielding pressure.

Tye looked at me and his eyes softened momentarily with a flicker of empathy. "Only you possess the power to change the course of events," he said. "You must find the key, the pivotal moment that sets this catastrophe into motion, and alter its trajectory. Every choice you make, every action, holds the potential to cause a disaster."

“But why me?” I asked. “Why is the fate of the world my responsibility? Why don’t you deal with this? I mean, you’re the one who figured out how to get here. Seems like you’d be better suited for this superhero shit!” He looked at me as he ran his fingers through his hair and down to the back of his neck.

“I cannot tell you why you got chosen. I cannot even tell you what the disaster is.” He paused and took a deep breath. “It changes moment by moment. Decision by decision. The choices we make either move the catastrophe closer or farther away.” He shook his head as he considered his words carefully. “The only thing that I know for sure, is that every choice you make matters more than you think it does. Calculate every decision and only act when you are certain you've made the best one.” He looked at his watch and then back at me as I stood, completely dumbfounded. “I’m out of time. I know you can do this.” And then Tye disappeared in the closing darkness.

I just watched him leave as a screenplay of poor, irrational choices ran through my mind.

“Every choice…” I said out loud. “Every action.” I looked around cautiously and closed my eyes.

My eyes opened to the sound of a knock on the door.

“Mark,” said a voice on the other side. “It’s breakfast time and then Dr. Ed is ready to see you when you’re finished, okay?” My eyes wandered lazily around the white-painted room with a simple oak bookshelf against the wall opposite my bed and a ceramic vase of silk flowers collecting dust on the window sill.

“What a strange dream,” I thought, as I got dressed and settled into the familiar, somewhat comfortable atmosphere of the clinic. I pushed my empty cafeteria tray onto the tall metal cart when I was finished eating, and made my way to Dr. Ed’s office.

“Good morning, Mark! Nice to see you.” Dr. Ed greeted me at the door with a warm smile and then settled into the armchair across from me, his eyes filled with genuine concern.

“Yeah,” was my reply as I sunk into the sofa.

Dr. Ed studied me intently– as he did with all of his patients, I imagined. "You seem a bit off today. Is everything alright?"

I hesitated, my mind wrestling with the decision of whether to share my extraordinary dream or lock it away in the depths of my scattered mind. But for some reason–perhaps the kindness in his eyes– I felt compelled to speak up and seek his guidance in the face of this curious encounter.

"I had the strangest dream," I finally admitted. "There was this man who looked exactly like me, and he told me that every choice I make carries immense weight. That I have the power to change the course of events and save the world."

Dr. Ed leaned forward, intrigued by my encounter. "Dreams can often offer insights into our subconscious thoughts and fears. It sounds like your dream is urging you to consider the impact of your decisions. Do you feel like your choices have weight and consequences?"

My brow furrowed as I pondered his question. "I suppose.” 

Dr. Ed nodded, a thoughtful expression on his face. "Are you ready to talk about why you’re here?” My fingers fidgeted nervously and traced the scars on my arm as a wave of memories and anguish washed over me. I nodded slowly and Dr. Ed pressed gently. “That’s great Mark. Why don’t you start by telling me how long you’ve been here?”

“I’m not sure,” I said, and I truly couldn’t remember so I shoved my hands between my thighs and began the familiar rocking motion. Back and forth…back and forth– the rapid motion mirroring my racing thoughts. 

“That’s fine, you’re looking better anyway. You’ve gained a little weight and seem to be sleeping well. How do you feel?” I balled my fists as the propulsion of my body increased with the growing agitation. “Stop it!” My mind screamed. “Stop shaking! Just try!!!” But I didn’t know how.

“I guess...” My eyes darted frantically around the room, and a chill crawled up my spine as shadows crept from the corners and engulfed the room in a dark embrace. “What’s going on Doc?” My voice and body trembled as the shadows crowded in around me. 

“The Doc’s not here anymore,” Tye said. The rocking slowed as I leaned forward to peer into the blackness and found the silhouette of my doppelganger gazing back at me.

“Why are you back?” I asked, my heart sounded like a herd of wild horses stampeding through a canyon. I grabbed the arm of the sofa and squeezed so tight my fingernails burrowed deep into the fabric. “I’ve made good choices! The world can’t end!” I threw myself against the back of the sofa as tears poured from my scratchy eyes. 

“I know,” Tye said in his steady, calming voice. “Take a deep breath.” And I obeyed my look-a-like. I trusted him. After several minutes of deep breaths, I released the armrest from a life-dependent grip. “We need to get out of this place. You can’t save the world from here.” Tye took a step forward and into the spotlight that beamed down in the center of the room. “Let’s go.” 

I hesitated; I didn’t want to go out in his world, but reluctantly stood up. I started to wipe the tears from my strained face but stopped when I heard the faint whisper of Dr. Ed calling my name somewhere in the distance.

“Wait, help!” I exclaimed and squinted my eyes, suddenly desperate to pierce through the darkness emanating from within. “Why is the room so dark; where did this spotlight come from?” Tye looked up at the light as it ushered the black void back into the walls and he faded from the room. Dr. Ed was hunched over me with a bright torch aimed at my eyes. 

“Mark, are you okay?” I winced and shielded my eyes from the beam– then sat up on the sofa and rubbed my face. A man in pristine white scrubs stood by, primed and ready, his trained glare holding me captive to unease.

“I had another episode?” 

“That’s right Mark.” Dr. Ed stood up straight. “I think it’s a positive sign that you know you had an episode.” He motioned for the man in white scrubs to leave. “I think we’re in the clear, thanks.” The doctor repositioned himself in his chair across from me. “Can you tell me about what you saw?” I squirmed and reached for the armrest, my fingers finding the holes. “Every choice,” I thought. “Every action…” I stopped and carefully placed my hand on my lap.

“I can,” I said. I took a deep breath in, let it out very slowly, and planted my feet firmly on the ground. I looked directly into Dr. Ed’s eyes. “I choose to tell you what happened.” Dr. Ed smiled and nodded with approval.