The Wonders Of Vast Emptiness

Chapter Two: The Experiment Facility

Sam felt the way one does while parachuting. If they were parachuting at the speed of light, that was. He could see the vague outlines of churches, shops, schools, and some houses flying right past him. And then, after about 10 seconds, it was done. They found themselves perfectly in front of giant double doors. Edna knocked very delicately on the doors, and then they opened.

Inside, Sam saw a tremendous building, everything colored in a fine red. They walked up the steps, and then through another door. Inside this room were many machines, all whirring about. Most of the machines were working on a translucent blue thing, what looked to be a sheet of very thin glass indeed. At the end of the room, there was a throne. On the throne sat a plump, jolly man, who looked to be the same age as Edna.

"My name is Dr. Twolson. Very nice to meet you, young man. Sorry if the journey here was a bit fast, that is the only way that getting here is possible. Muffin?" said the man, producing a tin of blueberry muffins from under the throne. "Don't worry boy, I won't poison you. They're really quite good, especially with a bit of tea to wash them down." Dr. Twolson took one himself, and began to eat it.

Promptly, Sam also took a muffin. He bit into it, and the man wasn't lying, it was very nice. It gave him a warm feeling. "Now, I'm sure my wife has explained to you what we are doing with our experiment." Sam nodded. "Proper job! Now, did you see those blue things coming in?" Sam, once again, nodded. "Okay, great! That is what is inside of the gateway. I must advise you to not touch them though, as they are very hot at the current moment. We don't want you burnt before we even construct the gateway. That would not be good at all!

Sam was trying to figure the man out. He seemed completely harmless, and by looking into his green eyes, he realized that this man was innocent. "Now, I am simply going to tell you a bit more about this experiment. "We are testing out this gateway to get to the beyond." Sam didn't want to be rude, especially because he had already been offered a muffin, but he said, "I don't mean to be a pedant sir, but your wife already told me that." He looked for the slightest bit of chagrin in the man, but none was found.

"All good, my dear boy. No need to apologize. But anyway, this gateway that we are building, we can see what places are available for exploration. The good thing is that this device to see these things has already been fully made, and it works. Over 3 years of tests, and many, many hours of finding things to help us reach these areas, but it is finally done. The first place you and I will be seeing is called Tlio. Tlio is a very amazing place, by the looks of it. It also has people on it. People that look very much like us. Once we get these blue things all pieced together, we can visit there. All I hope is that we can connect with them, maybe even introduce us to our place. That is all. Now, nothing will be of use if you do not get proper sleep." he said.

"We can start exploring these places in about a week and 3 days, to be of utmost precision. Until then, my wife and I have decided it would be best for you to return to your dorm, until we get everything sorted with both your teachers and the head of your school. I am very pleased to meet you, and I will see you again in 10 days." Edna then turned the other way towards the door, and motioned for Sam to do the same. Sam happily did so, now knowing in 10 days, his life would change forever. The journey back home was still very fast, but this time Sam felt more sure of it.

Edna dropped him off at the outside of his college, and she waved goodbye. "I hope to see you soon, Sam. Best of luck to you on your studies." "Thanks!" yelled Sam back. As he went inside and up the steps, he was still trying to make out everything that had just happened. It seemed surreal. As he swung open the door of the dorm room, he found Mack, who was asleep in the corner. He had a textbook and a sheet of paper on his lap. Sam then carefully made himself an afternoon snack, and then decided to do a bit of studying himself. Afterward, he made dinner for himself, and then got ready for bed. He couldn't sleep, as one could not when they had been traveling hundreds of miles in a few seconds and had major levels of excitement going through them. At around 3 in the morning, he heard a loud bang.

As he jolted out of bed like a model rocket that had been filled with firecrackers, he saw Mack. Apparently, Mack had banged into a counter, and then fell over onto a table. He seemed alright, though. As Sam carefully approached him, Mack said immediately; "Where were you? I thought you had bloody disappeared! I almost resorted to calling the head to try and look for you!" Sam started to say something, but pondered his actions. Should he tell Mack that he was being chosen to explore other worlds and dimensions, or should he lie, and not risk losing the entire mission? "Somebody named Edna asked me if I could go on a business trip with them. It's very important, and I was simply gone today just for orientation," Sam said. This was technically the truth, and Mack believed it.

"Ok, then. Just make sure to tell me before you go off somewhere again."

"I will," said Sam, and then the two boys went to bed.