by E L Russell
Turning back to the mysterious old woman waiting just inside the open French doors, her eyes traced the gentle curve of the high wall as it protective arms circled out of sight behind the mansion. The interior surface of the transparent sphere on that side of the house was full of bright, colorful patches and streaks of stars and stardust.
Something inside, a strange and new part of her knew that saw all the stars and planets in space had been pushed and forced together to lay flat on a two-dimensional black cloth, a cloth as black as the Maelstrom.
Finna reached both arms wide for balance and spoke to Mother. “What happened? Where is the reality of space?” The panic Finna had kept rigidly under control escaped in high-pitched squeak. “I feel a movement inside. Are we moving? Are we going somewhere?”
“I’m not sure,” Mother said. If we continue with the trajectory we were on, we should be moving toward the white wall behind you and away from the wall on the other side of the house with the drape of stars and planets. of our galaxy.”
Finna frowned. “How do you know it is our galaxy?”
The woman held out her arms. “Don’t they feel as though they are to you?”
“That’s seems a rather vague description for a life or death situation.”
Finna thought Mother’s answers were about as thorough as the ones Leeth gave. She walked toward her, but stopped short of getting too close. “I must admit, I feel the same way, but I’ve never done this before. How do you know our feelings are correct?”
The ancient woman’s brows closed to the middle of her forehead and the wrinkles folded in on each other. “Having made this voyage once before, only once, mind you, it seems that what ever journey we’re on, the edge of my home is at its halfway point.” She pointed at the white wall with one arm and to the opposite wall of stars with the other. “It is between what you call might call nothingness and what you could call everything.”
Finna also pointed to the walls as she referenced them. “Everything is our galaxy over there and the white is nothing nowhere?” She forced a growing pressure to laugh at the silly statement.
Mother folded her arms over her stomach. “No, to be exact, the everything represents only our galaxy. The white wall will begin to change as we get halfway through our journey. What you will see then, is another, different galaxy. One we share through this conduit.”
A whoosh of air exploded from Finna’s lungs and her hand went to the short sword at her side before she realized what she had done.
“So, you’ve taken this trip before?” She looked all around her and saw only the two contrasting existences, one wall of everything and one of nothing.
“Be patient, the white wall will change soon. I have a vague memory of being here before, but I cannot place it in context with my life nor do I remember certain details such as how long this initial journey takes.”
Finna’s stomach lurched. “Did you really fall into the Maelstrom?”
“No, but I remember—” Mother held her head and then sank to her knees.
Finna rushed to her and knelt at the side of the woman they called Mother. “What happened?” Finna’s voice slowed and became deeper and hollow sounding. Are y-o-o-u—” She was drawn into darkness.
Finna struggled to concentrate, to stay conscious. Mother’s voice boomed in her head.
“By God’s Bones, girl. Don’t you get it?”
Mother’s strident voice brought Finna back. She blinked, remembering where she was . . . or wasn’t.
By God’s Bones? Had the old woman really said that? Finna laid a hand on the old woman’s surprisingly strong arm and stared onto her youthful blue eyes.
“You really don’t know what’s happening to us, do you? Your mind is scrambled because I am you, Finna, and you are me. We are the same person.”
