The Guardian of Threshold

by A. A. Volts

  I wanted to figure out how moving worked in the astral realm, so I devised a little experiment: I thought of my dad’s room and suddenly felt myself being pulled into it.

  Everything turned into a blur as the scenery sped past. I suddenly found myself in my dad’s room, like I had moved at the speed of light only to come to a full and complete stop less than a split second later.

  That was when I first realized that distance only mattered in the physical realm. In the Astral, distance and time seemed inconceivable.

  This will take some getting used to, I thought.

  Once the shock of ultrafast travel wore off, I noticed that my dad’s room had an eerie feel to it, even in the Astral. I’d often felt weird in my father’s bedroom, but I thought it was just my imagination. But looking at it in the astral realm, I realized that our emotions created thought-forms that could be detrimental to our living space. The walls of my dad’s room were covered in large, still black larva, as well as other dark creatures I couldn’t even begin to describe.

  I didn’t know much about the astral realm, but instinctively I knew those things weren’t benign. Without wasting any more time, I focused my attention on the guest room. And sure enough, I was again pulled as if by a giant magnet to my destination. However, when my body reached the larva-covered wall, I started to move very slowly. So slowly that I felt every cell of my astral body tingle as they passed through the wall. The worst part was when my head went through it. I could see all the interior details of the larva and wall. I saw and felt every nail passing through me. It was a rather disorienting and disconcerting experience, but nothing that I couldn’t get used to eventually.

  Not only did I move to the room I thought about, but also to the exact location I wanted to be at.

  Looking on top of the desk where the note was supposed to be at, I didn’t find a note at all, but instead I found a yellow rose in an intricate vase I’d never seen before. And that wasn’t all. Just by looking at the lonely and singular rose, I could hear Carla’s thoughts, as though her thoughts had been impressed into that rose.

  I hope he gets the hint, I heard Carla’s voice say in my head. At the same time, the image of her sitting down and drawing a yellow rose came to my mind.

  That was when I realized that Carla might have feelings for me as well. I could clearly see that she was thinking about me when she drew the yellow rose. Apparently, that same rose manifested itself in the Astral and carried her thoughts.

  I was so caught up in the moment that I didn’t notice someone approaching from behind. All I felt next to me was a shadow. At first, I thought it could be my mother, but when I turned around, I found the next best thing. Floating inches above the floor and looking much like an angel stood Carla. I hoped she didn’t notice my slight disappointment.

  “Not happy to see me, I see,” she said without moving her lips. I was hearing her voice in my head. I was feeling utterly connected to her. I was in complete bliss when one of my thoughts caught me off guard. Since I was able to hear her thoughts, can she hear mine?

  I sure can, replied Carla.

  All my thoughts about her being beautiful and angelic vanished with the shock of that realization.

  Have you seen Jonas? I asked without using words.

  No, I haven’t, said Carla.

  “When I saw him last, he was stuck in his own physical body. I tried to help him, but it was no use,” I said normally.

  “We should try again, maybe with the two of us it will be different,” said Carla as she headed toward the door.

  “You know, we can just teleport there, we don’t have to use the door,” I said, offering my hand.

  “Really? So it’s possible to visit far-off places,” she said.

  “I haven’t tried to go anywhere far yet, but so far short distances haven’t been a problem. Here, I’ll show you,” I said while she grabbed my hand and I held it tight, enjoying her warm and soft touch.

  I thought about moving back into my room, and a split second later I felt the now-familiar tugging and the sudden stop that told me it was okay to reopen my eyes.

  “Wow, this is amazing,” said Carla after she let go of my hand. “How did you do that?”

  “I just thought about my room. I just discovered that tonight,” I replied.

  “That’s awesome,” she said.

  “Look! Jonas’s still stuck,” I said, pointing at him. We could clearly see him trying to leave as he floated mere inches above his physical body. Apparently, his legs were holding him down.

  He looked like he was acting out his dreams. He looked like a drunk after a night at the bar.

  I couldn’t help but notice how our physical bodies resembled a precise machine more than a person. It was as if I was looking at a used piece of equipment.

  “We should try to grab him the next time he floats up,” suggested Carla, getting ready to reach him.

  “I’ll get this side,” I said after I floated to his left side.

  “Now!” shouted Carla.

  I grabbed his left arm while Carla grabbed his right. She counted to three, and then ordered, “Pull harder!”

  I pulled as hard as I could. I wanted Jonas to feel the way Carla and I felt. It felt great to be truly free. Only then did I realize that my physical body was actually a sort of a prison for the soul.

  Without any warning, Jonas became loose and sent us flying through the air.

  Jonas was heading straight toward the wall, out of control as he waved his arms and legs frantically in the air. Carla’s destination didn’t seem much better; she was heading straight toward the wooden floor.

  As for me, well, I wasn’t in a better predicament, for I was doing uncontrollable somersaults in the air. However, before I hit the wall I realized that all I had to do to stop was to think about standing still. And I immediately stopped.

  As Jonas hit the wall, a loud thud was heard, followed by a scream. I could only imagine how much it hurt at first, but I knew the pain would quickly subside. Carla hit the floor but passed right through it, probably to the floor below.

  I figured it was probably best to help Jonas first, because he would probably be scared to death.

  As soon as I finished thinking about it, I was pulled toward him. He was stuck upside down with his back inside the wall; only half of his body remained visible.

  “Hey, buddy, how are you hanging in there?” I asked.

  “Ha ha ha ha, no time for jokes, help me out,” said Jonas.

  “I’ll get you out in a second, just hang in there,” I said.

  “Very funny… this is great,” he said. Then he laughed hysterically.

  I couldn’t help myself: I started to laugh like crazy at his predicament and my choice of words.

  We laughed for several seconds before he finally asked, “How do I get out of here?”

  “I guess I’ll have to pull you out again,” I replied.

  “Wow, you’re flying,” said Jonas, amazed.

  “Well, technically I’m floating, not flying,” I explained.

  “The technical details don’t matter. It’s cool. Can you please get me out of here? I want to fly too,” he demanded.

  “All right, hang on,” I said, still laughing.

  I grabbed his hands, then placed my feet on the wall and pulled, careful not to overdo it again.

  This time it was fairly easy to pull him out, and soon we were both floating gently.

  “This is freaking awesome,” Jonas said as he hovered just inches off the floor. “I must confess that at first I didn’t think it was possible, but apparently it is.” He floated up, down, left, and right rhythmically.

  To be honest, I’m not sure if this is real or not. I certainly hope so, but I guess we’ll have to wait until tomorrow to find out for sure, I replied mentally just to mess with him.

  “Holy cow… how did you just do that?” Jonas asked while hitting his head as if he was trying to get water out of his ears.

  Did what? I asked h
im mentally.

  “That… how are you talking inside my head?” asked Jonas.

  “Apparently, here we don’t need words to communicate. We can mentally transmit thoughts,” I said.

  “That feels weird as hell. How do I do it?” Jonas asked.

  “All you have to do is put some intent behind your thoughts. Try it, it’s easy,” I suggested.

  Can you… this isn’t going to work… can you hear me? Jonas asked mentally.

  “Yes, even the ‘This isn’t going to work’ bit,” I replied honestly.

  “Wow, that’ll take some getting used to,” said Jonas normally. “Where’s Carla?”

  “I don’t know. She helped me pull you out. The last I saw, she was tumbling through the bedroom floor,” I replied.

  “We have to find her,” said Jonas, looking around.

  “I’m sure she’s fine,” I said. “I must say that I’m surprised to see you adjusting so well to being in the Astral. When I first came here, I freaked out, but then again it wasn’t this pleasant,” I said. I’d imagined he would be scared and confused, much like I was the first time, but I guess it helped to have a friend around.

  “Maybe I’m just braver than you are,” Jonas replied.

  “Ha ha, very funny,” I said.

  Jonas hadn’t even finished his sentence when I saw a female vampire creature minus the fangs fly swiftly through the floor. It quickly approached Jonas from behind and whispered with a deadly voice, “I have come for you. I’ve been waiting for a long time.” Jonas got so scared that he stopped floating and was about to take off running when the creature started to laugh uncontrollably. The more it laughed, the more it sounded like Carla. Slowly, the vampire changed into Carla.

  “I got you two,” she said, still laughing like crazy.

  “Is that really you?” asked Jonas.

  “Yes, over here we can change how we look the same way as we can move about, by thought alone. So you see, Jonas, now there’s no reason for you to be so ugly,” said Carla.

  “Do you think that was funny? I didn’t find it funny, not at all. I’ll get you back for this, Sis, you’ll see,” Jonas said.

  Carla knew Jonas was absolutely terrified of vampires. He had been ever since he was nine years old and we decided to watch Bram Stoker’s Dracula.

  “So… where do I find myself an astral lover? Do you guys know?” joked Jonas.

  “Why don’t you wait and see if she finds you attractive first?” Carla replied, laughing.

  “Should we check out our notes together?” I asked.

  “That sounds like a plan,” replied Carla.

  “Sure, let’s get the boring stuff out of the way first,” Jonas agreed.

  ***

  “Okay then, let’s all hold hands so we don’t get separated,” suggested Carla, offering me her left hand while she offered Jonas her right. “On the count of three, think about the basement.”

  The basement wasn’t my favorite place, but it was better to get the worst over and done with. Besides, it was worth it.

  We were all transported to the basement as if by magic. By the time I opened my eyes, I saw the pool table’s velvet green top.

  Right in the middle there was a crumpled piece of paper that read: “9-24-2.” It was Jonas’s school locker combination—I’d known Jonas’s locker combination ever since junior high. Jonas gave it to me when Billy Beu—a fifteen-year-old who was stuck in junior high after repeating two years in a row—locked Jonas inside his own locker.

  We were all amazed at how easy it was to travel in the astral realm; everything was so fluid and effortless.

  Traveling at a tremendous speed seemed easier than flicking a light switch. Although teleportation was faster and easier than traditional and slower methods of transportation, it didn’t allow any time to enjoy the scenery. There was something to be said about flying slowly through the air as the destination calmly materialized in the distant horizon. That alone was a different adventure each and every time.

  “Really? You used your locker combination?” asked Carla, amused.

  “That’s the only thing that came to mind. Well, that and pizza, but I thought pizza would be too easy,” replied Jonas.

  “Wait a minute, how long have you known my locker combination?”

  “I have known that for years. Haven’t you learned yet that you can’t keep secrets from me? Besides, who do you think put that bag full of horse dung in your locker last year? Of course I didn’t touch the stuff, it was gross, but I did open your locker for Billy Beu,” said Carla sarcastically.

  “You witch. One day you’ll pay for it,” replied Jonas.

  In an effort to avoid an argument, I said, “Guys, we need to remember that Jonas’s note is his locker combination.” I didn’t even know what could happen if they argued in the Astral, but I knew I didn’t want to find out.

  “I got it. I don’t think I can forget my own locker combination,” said Jonas, trying to be funny as usual.

  “I have a question. If I think about a place I want to go to, I get teleported there. So what happens when I think of a place I don’t want to go to?” Jonas asked.

  “My suggestion would be not to think about such a place, because chances are that you would end up there. In this realm, our thoughts seem to be the only driving force. I suspect that in this realm we’re all creators, creating our own realities as well as the realities of others,” replied Carla.

  “We should keep going. After all, we have no idea how time works here. I looked for a clock, but I couldn’t find a working clock anywhere, even in places where I know there is one, like my alarm clock next to my bed, it’s just black,” I said. I wanted to make sure we had enough time to at least investigate all of our notes. After all, I was eager to validate the whole experience.

  ***

  “Where to next? Guest room?” Jonas asked, but he barely finished his question before he disappeared right in front of us. Until you have seen your best friend vanish in front of you, you’ll never know what that feels like. I was lost, stunned, and shocked all at once.

  “I bet I know where he went. Quick, think of the guest room,” Carla said, grabbing my hand.

  In a blink of an eye, we were teleported to the guest room, where we found Jonas, much to our relief.

  “Wow, this thought thing works quick, I just barely finished thinking it and I was here already,” said Jonas.

  “We should be very careful with it,” said Carla.

  “I can see it being a big problem,” I agreed.

  “Carla, where’s your note?” Jonas asked in a hurry.

  “It’s right on top of the desk,” I said, pointing before Carla had a chance to reply.

  “The only thing I see is a flower in a vase,” said Jonas, confused.

  “It’s a rose, and that’s my note. Instead of writing a word, I wanted to draw a picture to see what would happen in the Astral, so I drew a yellow rose in that exact vase. That was the picture I had in my mind when I drew it,” Carla explained.

  “So it just materialized? Just like that?” Jonas asked, still trying to grasp the concept. I didn’t blame him; everything was so different in the Astral.

  “Yes, the only thing I don’t understand is what happened to the paper with my original drawing on it,” said Carla.

  “I guess it got replaced by the real thing,” I suggested.

  “Okay, now to my note. First, you must promise me that you guys won’t laugh,” I said, feeling embarrassed because they would see what I wrote and possibly know what I was thinking about when I wrote it.

  “You know I won’t,” said Carla.

  “As usual I can only promise that I’ll try not to,” Jonas replied. “Can we go there separately? I want to try to fast travel again.”

  “Sure, I’ll meet you guys there,” I replied just before I put my mind to work on how to get to my dad’s office.

  Jonas was the first to vanish, followed by Carla. The twins had astral travel down.


  ***

  Although I was the last one to depart the guest room, I was the first to arrive in my dad’s office. Just as I’d expected, my dad’s office still looked bland and lifeless, even in the Astral. The only exception was the piece of paper on which I wrote my note. That single piece of paper seemed to glow and illuminate the rest of the room.

  I must confess that part of me was hoping I’d see my mother instead of my note, like it happened with Carla’s rose. When I realized that it hadn’t happened, I was unable to contain my disappointment and my eyes welled up with tears.

  I couldn’t let my emotions take control, not now, especially because Carla and Jonas were coming. I quickly wiped my eyes with my hands and started to think about the only thing, rather the only person, who could possibly cheer me up.

  “Hey, mate, how is it going?” asked Jonas from behind me as if he had just appeared out of nowhere. “Your dad’s office looks even more boring, if that’s possible.”

  “He never had good taste,” I replied, relieved to see Jonas. Having company in the astral realm gave me strength and comfort.

  “Where’s Carla?” I asked.

  “She should be—”

  Carla appeared right in front of him.

  “Speaking of the…” He cut himself short, only to say, “I really wish you wouldn’t do that.”

  “What?” asked Carla.

  “Appear out of thin air like a ghost,” replied Jonas, now looking around my dad’s office.

  “You guys missed me?” Carla asked, smiling.

  “Nope, not really,” replied Jonas.

  “Guys, let’s finish the experiment. This is extremely important,” I said, moving toward the desk, closely followed by Jonas and Carla.

  “Is that it?” asked Jonas.

  “Yes, I didn’t know what else to write,” I said, unsure of what else to say.

  “Well, at least it will be easy to remember tomorrow,” said Carla, smiling as if she was trying to cheer me up.

  “Okay then, to recap, my note is the word ‘Mom’ and Jonas’s is his locker combination,” I said, still looking at that glowing piece of paper.

  “And mine is a yellow rose,” Carla added before I even had the time to finish.

  “Piece of cake,” replied Jonas.