Another Place in Time

Another Place in Time


Pins and needles. Damn, pins and needles. What the heck? My arms are asleep. Why am I waking before them? I’m so cramped. My eyes don’t want to open. This bed doesn’t feel right either. Oh no, did I fall asleep in the recliner again? When am I going to learn? No wonder my arms have pins and needles.

Maybe I’m still asleep because I’m dreaming. This doesn’t feel like my bedroom or my living room. I must be dreaming! Yeah, that’s it. Boy, oh boy Terry, sit up and open your eyes will you?

Slow now, just a fraction at a time. Great. Crunchy sleep sand in my eyes and I can’t even move my arms to rub them. Whoa, that’s some bright light. Feels much better to squint.

I wonder what that guy's doing? If I was the paranoid sort I’d think he was running away from something. What’s that on his head? Looks like a shroud or a hoodie. How shady is this? Oh man, maybe he's a terrorist!

Hey, what’ going on here? My arms are really stuck,..imph…I can’t get …. What the..? I’m handcuffed!? How the hell am I supposed to get out of these? Oh my God, this can’t be happening. No, no, I am still dreaming and if I close my eyes again I’ll fall asleep. Then, I can wake up normal! God please!!!

Wait a minute, wait a minute. Stop it Terry, you’ll hyperventilate. Ok, focus. My arms feel tight across the back of this bench. They are so numb. Think Terry, think. Maybe, if I move my hands, .. hhrah yeah!,.. There, that’s better. AAHhh….oh man, who am I kidding? It hurts and hurts bad! So much for trying to put up a brave front. Now what? Come on, think.

WHY!?!? Why in the world would someone do this? This is the most surreal experience I’ve ever had. Maybe the guy in the shroud had something to do with this. Or maybe he's going for help? Yeah, right, dream on girl. Sit back and breathe deep a minute.

It’s so quiet. How come I don’t remember New York City being this quiet? And, what is that annoying sound? For God’s sake, I am shackled to a bench here. First, there's a shady shrouded person running off and now this infernal noise. When do I get a break?

Maybe I can see what it is if I shift my weight, oh, …ah, …ah, ok there. Oh no, oh God no, what the hell is this sitting next to me?! Oh, Mother Mary, is that a bomb or something? Why me? What did I do so wrong anyway? Stop crying. Getting hysterical here will NOT help. But jeez oh man it feels better to cry. I guess that guy really might be a terrorist after all.

God, oh God, I am so scared. Why did I have to pick the quietest spot to relax after my jog? Now look, I’m bound to this bench with no one around to help me. Oh…oh yeah… maybe I could scream or something! Why in the world didn’t I think of this before now? Duh!! Stop laughing Terry, it really isn’t that funny. I’m starting to sound crazy! But then again, who could blame me?

“Help, help. Please someone, help me”…. Ok…so where’s the cavalry? Don’t tell me there isn’t a soul around. Please don’t tell me that! No way, no way. Stop this emotional roller coaster Terry. I wish I could stop talking to myself as if I were two different people. But hey, it sort of works. In fact, this might be insanity or my only hold on reality. Who freakin’ cares?

“Is there someone out there? How come no one can hear me? PLEEEASE!!! I am shouting louder than a damn freight train”

God, my throat hurts. Maybe screeching at the top of my lungs isn’t a great idea. But what else can I do? If I can’t yell for help I’ll get blown up by this stupid ticking thing. I really DO NOT want to die today!

Come on Terry, there must be something you can do. Look around, take in the scenery, maybe you’ll notice something, anything! Whoa, what the heck is that? What? Oh no. This is impossible. I mean, it can’t be true. ....How can I be seeing the Twin Towers?

I am sure that's the top of both buildings over those trees. Ok, now it’s certifiable, I'm crazy. This makes no sense! And why are the trees so big here? I don’t remember this. No, no way. I refuse to believe it. When I squeeze my eyes shut tight, everything will go back to normal. Yep, that’s what I'll do. I’m squeezing, squeezing, harder, jeez this hurts, harder. Ok,fast,opening my eyes……oh shit.

If you keep playing around in your head, you’ll end up dead. Oh great, now you think you’re a poet right? “Stop, stop, stop.” Maybe screaming at me will help.

I know. I’ll think of something to distract me for a minute. How about this gorgeous weather? I can remember days like this when I was a kid. Minus the cuffed arms and ticking bomb of course. The sun was so bright and the sky so blue in those days. Oh, like that doesn’t happen now? You wouldn’t have gone for a run, stupid. Who you calling stupid, stupid? Oh, be quiet.

My little brother Jimmy and I went for long barefoot journeys in the summer. We explored every green meadow, squished through the murky creeks, until finally, we trotted down the barely paved country road, popping tar bubbles with our big toes. I remember the whistle we used to signal each other. It took awhile but, I learned to do it with out my fingers.

Oh my God, that’s right! I CAN whistle and loud too! When I see that kid brother of mine I think I’ll thank him for teaching me the most ear-shattering pitch a person could blow through their teeth.

“Phweeeeeeeeeet……….” Deep breath Terry, try again. “Phweeeeeeeeeet” I can’t keep this up for too long. Wait…what was that? Oh boy, is that a good sound or a bad one? Who would think I wasn’t going to welcome a sound? Especially when it could be someone coming to save me.

Here they come, brace yourself Terry! Oh, ho, hah, you sweet little puppy! I’d hug you if I could but hey, I wasn’t expecting company and I’m all tied up. Get it? All tied up? I know, not too funny.

You are the cutest animal I’ve ever seen. Does someone own you? Please tell me they do. Of course you have someone who will come find you. You’re so lucky little doggy. Wait a minute, you look like a dog but I’ve never seen your breed. If I didn’t know better, I’d say it was a new breed. What the hell Terry, first the towers and now the dog. Get a grip and stop sniveling. Relax your shoulders now, come on. Ok, ok that’s better.

Hey, what are you doing puppy? Get away from the bench, oh my God….don't make me kick you! My leg feels so heavy but ..ahg…oh there, GET AWAY!!!

What's this dog doing? “Get away from my foot! Yo, stop yanking my shoelace! Hey, get off my house key! What are you …Oh no, now you did it you crazy mutt! You knocked the stupid ticking bag which, by the way, could be a bomb! How could you put us in danger like this? Sure, you don’t care, why should you? Your arms are feet. Nobody could tie you up to a park bench. You probably don’t jog anyway and would never fall asleep from exhaustion on a park bench.”

“You are not going to get this key off my shoelace either, so there” One last kick and I think I’ve won this battle. Hah!.

Now if I can just move it with my foot, maybe I can,… hey who’s shoes are these on my feet? I mean, what shoes are these? I don’t own running shoes like this, in fact, I’ve never seen or heard of this brand…DANKAS? Oh man, this is not my shirt either or my running pants!! I’m getting the hebejebees! This just gets more and more weird. Well, at least my house key looks the same. When I get home, ..huh?, what’s this? My house key looks all burned up or something.

Ok, I’ll just close my eyes for a piece. Think about something entirely different.

Back in college, I remember my professor in Science/ History, which was my favorite class, talking about time travel. He said a place would seem the same but small things would be different. The size of trees maybe or, buildings existed that shouldn’t, or even a strange breed of dog!! Oh my God, that.. could.. be it. Sure, it's the farthest fetched idea I've ever conceived but it sure makes sense.

These trees really do look too big. I don’t think they are even in the park I know. Let me see, and those bushes with the pointed leaves, oh,..what are they?... oh, holly, that’s it, a holly bush. I have never seen them in New York City Parks. And, the towers, they look all beat up from here. I could be in the future but why are the towers in my future?

Oh, jeez, what if this is that other thing the professor told us about? Doorways into other, oh what were they,... think damnit think, oh, ...yeah... dim.. dimin, that's it!dimensions!!! Yeah, what did he say now? It was a sort of parallel that existed when you made another choice in life. Sort of the other path you might have taken. He even said there were doorways, no…what were they? Portals! Yeah.. kind of a way in and out of other dimensions. Like a gateway. Hmmm, I wonder……

Why does this dog keep trying to get behind the bench? “I wish you would go away. You can’t help, so leave. OK? I mean, ..hey, hey, hey, where’d you go? Come on now, get back here.”

Damn! Now what do I do? Maybe I can shift a little bit more and turn sideways. Oah it hurts.. this dog is driving me nuts! I need to figure out what to do. Owww,oh, oh, oh, aasaah God this is awful!

Where did that dog go? It’s like he just disappeared. Come on Terry, dogs don’t just vanish into……. Oh my God, Oh my God…what if, no, it couldn’t be. I mean, could it? Could this be a portal? Maybe something near by?

Ok, ok, don’t get excited, calm down and think. Whoa, breathe deep now. Ok, let me see. What did I do after jogging? Let’s see now, I was pretty worn out that’s for sure. I remember reaching over to put my hand on top of the bench. The bench was so cool too, it looked sort of like my...Oh holy shit, that’s it!!!

This bench is the damn portal!!! It’s shaped exactly like the face of my house key and my house key is…a…..skeleton key.

Now what? How do I get it working again? My brain is starting to hurt. I still don’t know what to do? How am I supposed to remember every little thing I did? Cripes, I was so exhausted. I fell asleep almost right away and..wait, I remember that dog. Yeah, just when I was dozing off, something wet nuzzled my hand. I was so groggy but, I opened one eye to see what it was and that funny doggy was there. Whoa, now that I’m thinking about it, there was a strange light behind him. So, if he was to my left, oh, yeah, that’s right! I had my feet up on the bench and they were facing the right side of the bench. Since the key is on my left shoelace, it was on the same side as the dog.

Ok, that means I should be able to reopen the gateway by getting my left foot to the right side of the bench. Oh sure, any other bright ideas? How do you expect to accomplish this feat? I might as well just resign myself to dying a horrible death on this God forsaken park bench.

Sobbing really hurts the stomach muscles. I just want to stop and think happy memories again. Oh, I can hear Jimmy’s whistle so clear. Boy, he really was good. Truth is I could never whistle near as good as…huh?...wait a minute…was that…nah, I must hearing things. I wonder what it’s called when you hear things, like hallucinating. Paranoid schizophrenic I guess.

There it is again. Is this my imagination or could that loud shrill whistle that sounds like a hallucination, be my brother? Oh God, please don’t be so cruel. I just don’t think I could take the disappointment.

“Jimmy, Jimmy, is that you?” Can he even hear me? Who cares? What other hope do I have now? “Jimmy, I’m over here, near the bench! Please, oh please hear me!!! I’ll even tell you how much better at whistling you are than me! Jimmmmmmeeeeeeee!!!!!

“Hey, stop the noise will ya? I know I am a better whistler but, you’re good enough to be heard. That’s how I knew you were here.” Jimmy sure was a sight for sore eyes and my eyes were definitely sore.

“Oh my God, hhhhuh, Jimmy, hhhhh, I can’t be,hhhhuh, believe it’s,hhhhhuh really you!” Hhhhhhuh I wish this sobbing would stop.

Jimmy is looking at me funny. He’s never looked at me this way before. What is this? Oh my God, I think he really cares about his big sister. Wait until we’re out of this. I'm gonna use this moment. Or will I?

“Come on Terry, Let me get these cuffs off. You need circulation rubbed into your arms. But most important, we have to get you back home. This portal is your ticket.”

“What are you talking about Jimmy? How do you know this? Is this really the portal? I thought it might be my house key that activated everything but it’s on the wrong side now.”

“You’re pretty smart.”

“Well, Thanks. But, what else was I to do? I tried so many things to save my self. I kind of gave up just now until I heard your whistle. You have no idea how good that sounded to me.”

"There, you're free! Now, let's see the bomb.”

“Be careful! It could blow up and there isn't much I could do to help you. I know I'm free but I can’t move my arms.” My arms were stuck behind me like bird wings.

“You’ll be ok Terry.” He was kneeling in front of the ticking bag. “It takes a little time, that’s all.” Funny, Jimmy sure acts like he knows his stuff. I can’t believe he’s so close to a ticking bomb.

“How do you know about this Jimmy?” I didn’t want to ask a stupid question but I really had no idea. “I mean, how is it you are here, wherever here is, and you came to save me in the knick of time? It seems strange that’s all.”

Jimmy stood up, holding a trip wire in his hand. “Well, this bad boy won’t cause any problems. Deactivation is so much easier here.”

“What?” I’m so confused now. “Jimmy, can you please talk to me?”

“Sorry honey, there are things I could never tell you. But now, they've pulled you in and I can share some basics.

“Who pulled me in and what in the world are the basics?” I was getting annoyed.

“Terry, this is another dimension, parallel to the one we live in. The trouble is this dimension is lighter in density so it’s harder to maneuver. We don’t know why yet. It was discovered because of the terrorists that bombed our country on 911. We knew they were coming, but the right decisions were never made. So, we tried to travel back through time. We knew if we got there fast we might alter this devastating crime to our country.

Instead, we stumbled here. The time is the same here only events happen at a different rate because the air is less dense. We were able to stop the planes.

They used other means though and invaded the city. It’s never been the same. This state is fully operational, in this dimension, as headquarters for both terrorists groups and US fighters special task force. Our primary goal is to eradicate this terrorist element forever.”

I’m stunned. This man is a complete stranger. Oh, I know he’s my brother but I did not know he worked as a special tasks whatchamacallit. The whole story is so far fetched but, I know where I am and who was here to save me.

“Jimmy, you always did march to your own beat huh?” Everything he said makes sense. I’m not sure if I really did go crazy or if my reality just expanded.

“How did you know I was in danger? Didn’t you think you should tell me something like this might happen?” I’m still trying to understand all of this.

“Ter, I could never endanger your life but, I swore an oath. Trust me, you have never been outside of my radar.”

I see Jimmy’s eyes looking down. “Why are you staring at my shoelace?” He’s agitated, I can tell.

“Come on.” Jimmy grabs my hand, pulling me away.

“Stop Jimmy, my hand really hurts.”

“It’s a whole lot better than really dead, trust me.” We run across the park and Jimmy sits down on another bench. This one has the same key shape design.

“Hey this is like the other bench. Is this a portal too?” My head is spinning. Everything is happening so fast.

“Yeah, it is." Jimmy is looking around, bug eyed and nervous. "This is the polar opposite of the one you were on. This is how we get you back.” My key is tangled from the tussle with the dog, but Jimmy doesn’t have much trouble. “OK, now, sit right here and this time, put your legs to the left side of the bench.”

“Whoa, hold up, I still have questions. How come I have to leave so soon?”

Jimmy’s arms feel so good while he’s hugging me. This is the brother I like being around. “Don’t cry Terry. I can’t say anymore. Just trust me. I am doing what feels right. If you stay here any longer, you’ll never be able to get back. There are only a few life forms that can handle both sides for any length of time. Alex, the dog you met and kicked,’ oh, his smile is sly,” is one of those forms. Not human beings though. We have to choose.

“What are you saying Jimmy?” I’m not liking the way this is going. “Can we ever see each other again?”

“I’ll get messages to you. Let’s get you safe now. There isn’t much time left”

Jimmy sets the key just so. Something is bothering him. Everything feels different. Jimmy is all business which makes me feel safe but, I'm scared. I don’t know this partof my brother. I see now I missed him all along. I sure wish I could have do overs.

Jimmy is placing a soft belt over my waste. Out of the corner of my eye, I see the shape of a hooded figure moving in the lighter shadows. “Jimmy look out!”

Jimmy pushes me down, and points something at the key. It glows orange, like fire! The hooded figure is jumping out of the tree cover and I’m yelling for Jimmy to get him!!! Oh he does. I can see it all until the bench starts to glow, much like the key. Jimmy throws a punch, the hoodie guy ducks and rolls past him. My brother is quick. He faces him again and the hoodie pulls a knife.

I can hear my own screaming as I feel a strong pull in my stomach. Now, it’s all over my body and just as Jimmy disappears from my sight, I hear another scream. Oh my God. Someone’s hurt!! Is it my brother? How can I find out? Oh my God, I may have to wait an awfully long time.

New York City is just as I remember it to be.