Closer Than Touch, Separated by Light Years

Anaya: The literal voice in my head

Shasha House Dormitory: 1900hrs Mid Afrika time

I sat at my cluttered desk, my brow furrowed in frustration as I stared at the complex equations scrawled across my math assignment. Numbers danced before my eyes, mocking my attempts to decipher their hidden meanings. It was a battle I had fought countless times before, but today, something felt different.

Lost in my thoughts, I absentmindedly tapped my pencil against the desk, feeling defeated
after hours of trying to solve this math problem. My thoughts drifted to home. Dad would be back home by now, Mum would be making dinner. Just imagining the daily happenings there put a smile on my face. My two younger siblings would be squabbling about something silly, fighting over the TV remote or tattling on each other to Mum. The cacophony that erupted at dinnertime, with four opinionated mouths chattering away. Meanwhile, my poor parents trying in vain to maintain order amidst the chaos. I laughed, picturing Dad's exasperated expression as Mum once again having to intervene in the latest dispute. As stressful as it could get, it was always comfortingly noisy.My grin faded as I gazed at the math equations taunting me. Ugh, why did numbers have to be so complicated? Normally I loved solving puzzles and figuring things out, but this was just frustrating. I'd been at it for hours with no luck.

Then, I heard a voice whisper in my mind clearly saying "Use the modulus and argument to then convert the number to polar form."

Startled, I glanced around my empty dorm room, certain I was just imagining things due to exhaustion. A voice in my head? I had conversations with myself all the time but the possibility of another voice occupying the same space, that seemed impossible. Yet the message replayed in my mind, taunting me.

With a sigh, I returned to the problem, deciding to use the method the strange voice had suggested. To my utter amazement, fragments of knowledge clicked together in my mind, figures seemed to fall perfectly in place and the solution emerged before my eyes. I double-checked my work in disbelief - it was correct!

I sat back and took a deep breath, still perplexed by what had transpired. How could a voice in MY HEAD provide the exact insight needed to solve this math mystery? Honestly, this was kinda spooky. Unless there was a possibility that the voice belonged to somebody else...but that seemed too extraordinary to accept. I didn't know what to make of these bizarre experiences unfolding within me.

An inexplicable feeling of contentedness washed over me as I completed each equation flawlessly. It was as if a veil had been lifted from my consciousness, revealing a world of understanding that had previously eluded my grasp. I couldn't help but wonder: what had caused this sudden surge of clarity

Night fell, and darkness enveloped the campus, silence settled over the dormitories.I was getting ready for bed when suddenly the weight of exhaustion dissipated and my mind was struck by a tidal wave of vivid visions that danced behind closed eyelids. Each image was like a brushstroke, painting a story that unfolded before me.

Memories - a beautiful girl with blue eyes and waist-length silver braids laughing beside a crystalline lake. A control room dimly lit by a large digital table in the middle projecting star maps and security feeds. A lush hill covered with exotic ferns and flowers and memories of relaxing there as a child. And me doing my mathematics assignment.

Accompanying these ethereal visuals was a kaleidoscope of emotions that tugged at my heartstrings. Waves of joy, sorrow, fear, and anticipation crashed against the shores of my consciousness, leaving me breathless and intrigued. This was my first other body experience and it was terrifying, in a good way.

The visions themselves were mesmerizingly surreal. I saw landscapes that defied logic and physics, where gravity seemed to bend and colours blended in ways unimaginable. Enigmatic figures appeared, their faces obscured by shadows or masks I couldn't tell which, yet their presence emanated an undeniable aura of wisdom and guidance.

As I delved deeper into this otherworldly experience, I couldn't help but feel a profound connection to these ethereal messages, and to the person whose memories I was glimpsing. Their intentions remained enigmatic, yet their presence felt comforting and familiar. It was as if I had been waiting for them all my life. They were beckoning me towards a path unknown, urging me to embrace the mysteries that lay beyond the boundaries of ordinary perception.

With each passing moment, the intensity of these visions grew stronger, engulfing my senses in a whirlwind of sensations. The air around me crackled with energy as if charged with an invisible force that transcended the physical realm. It was both exhilarating and unnerving, like standing on the precipice of a great revelation.

As the night wore on, the visions gradually subsided, leaving me with a sense of awe and wonder. Though I yearned for more clarity and understanding, I couldn't deny the profound impact this experience had on me. It was as if a veil had been lifted, revealing glimpses of a hidden reality that existed parallel to our own.

I found myself drawn to explore the depths of my subconscious, seeking answers to the questions that lingered from that fateful night. The ethereal channels through which these visions reached me remained elusive, yet their messages echoed deeply within my soul.

With a sense of purpose burning in my chest, I embarked on a quest for answers.