Parallel Portals

by kelly proudfoot

  She raced into the water and dove under. Swimming frantically, she soon located Jon’s emanation and grabbed him by the upper arms. He fought and struggled against her, which made the rescue difficult as he was a bigger, stronger man. She dug her fingers into the loops of his pants and surged upwards. When they broke the surface she heard the gruff, angry voice yelling and gurgling.

  “Fuck off, Simon!”

  He tried to push her away roughly, but she kept the fingers inside the loops as she hung on for dear life. She couldn’t help noticing the rush of love and sadness inside this masculine body.

  “Joe – please – don’t do it! We can go somewhere else!”

  The man wrenched himself around and turned to face her. The moment was frozen as they locked eyes. Pauline knew that it was Jon inside this suicidal man’s body and Jon was staring disbelievingly at the smaller man’s face. Pauline detected the hint of recognition and took the opportunity to enlighten him.

  “Jon – it’s me – Pauline!”

  He frowned and shook his head as the waves buffeted them about.

  “No. What? I must be dreaming.”

  “Let’s get back to shore. I can explain everything.”

  It was obvious that the emanation was gaining control. Pauline could see Jon’s consciousness dropping back.

  “You’re fucking with my mind, mate!”

  He began to struggle as he dropped below the surface, but Pauline kept a hold of him, even though the fingers were growing numb. She was still shocked to hear the manly voice coming out of her mouth as she yelled in fear.

  “JOE! STOP IT!”

  She tried to pull him up but lost her grip. Diving underwater in a panic, she saw Jon’s emanation sinking with his limbs outstretched. The realization that he was fading out hit her, but she had to think quickly. She reached down and desperately grabbed him by the ankle. Remembering her mermaid moves, she lurched upwards and dragged his body behind her.

  It seemed to take an eternity but she eventually managed to get back to the shore, still gripping his ankle. She spun him around and began to work on getting the water out of his lungs by thumping his mid-section wildly. When she saw that he was still unresponsive she pinched his nose and opened his mouth. Not knowing anything about CPR, she leaned over and started blowing into his mouth.

  She was amazed by the foreign sensation of an erection happening between her legs, but was soon distracted by the gushing water coming out of his mouth. While he spluttered and coughed, Pauline leaned back and instinctively shielded the obvious bulge in the wet slacks. She looked down and grew dismayed at the fact that she was in a man’s body.

  Even though it had been a while since she’d inhabited her own body, being a male was considerably more shocking – even more shocking than being a robot or a mermaid. While the erection died down, the man slowly came around and struggled to sit up. She hesitated to help him, seeing as she couldn’t be sure which consciousness she’d be dealing with.

  When he looked over at her with a look on his face like a frightened child, she once again recognized her husband behind the steel eyes of this bedraggled stranger.

  “Where am I?” He asked in a feeble voice.

  “Jon?” She asked tentatively.

  He nodded and cocked his head, still frowning and afraid.

  “Who are you?” He asked as he started to shiver.

  “Jon, you have to listen to me. I don’t know how you got here but you’re inside another body. You have to repress the thoughts, otherwise your consciousness will take a back seat while the motivations of this body take over.”

  He blinked dumbly at her.

  “What?”

  “Jon, tell me – how did you get here? Focus on that and tell me.”

  He looked down at his hands and turned them over.

  “Where’s my scar?”

  Jon had injured his left hand when trying to fix a lawnmower as a teenager. The scar was a white semi-circle between his thumb and index finger, but now he was in a different body. Pauline grew impatient.

  “Jon, you must listen to me. We have to go somewhere safe. Where is the house where this body lives? Do you remember?”

  He slowly looked up and shook his head; more of a gesture like disagreeing with nonsense.

  “I’m confused. I burned the factory down. They’ll chew me up and spit me out, Simon!”

  “Jon, listen to me! I’m Pauline. This isn’t my body – but I’m here – inside this body, just like you are inside that body. Squash the thoughts and maintain control. How did you get here? Think!”

  He blinked his eyes tightly and looked back up at Pauline.

  “I’m Jon.”

  “Yes, yes – that’s right!”

  “Oh my God. Am I dreaming?”

  Pauline noticed that they were both shivering, even though the breeze was warm. She grabbed his hand and stood up, dragging him along with her. She was surprised at the strength, even though he was bigger.

  “Come on, let’s get out of here. We have to find somewhere safe and get out of these wet clothes.”

  He allowed her to lead him off the beach and up a narrow street. Pauline felt like a mother leading a dazed child. Craning her neck to try and figure out when and where they were, she squashed the occasional thoughts swirling up from the emanation’s subconscious. She had a strange understanding that this body wasn’t one of her emanations and that she had more control.

  The knowledge that this body and Jon’s emanation were involved on a secretly homosexual level wafted around her consciousness like a used tissue blowing about in a draft in a vacant building. She was surprised when she heard the man gasp and call her name.

  “Pauline, I can take you to Simon’s house. No one will think to look there!”

  She turned to look at him and was comforted to see the smile forming on his face, which was eerily reminiscent of Jon’s.

  “Okay, let’s go – and keep that frame of mind!”

  He nodded and led the way as the morning finally opened to the day.

  ***

  While they quickly raced along side streets, doing their best to stay in the melting shadows as the city began to swing into another work day, Pauline noticed the clothing of various people rushing this way and that. It soon became obvious that it was the 1940’s. Cars such as the Ford Ute, the Oldsmobile Roadster and the Hudson Terraplane sedan drove back and forth, but it was the fashion that solidified it.

  Women in utility clothing with sharp shoulders, pleated skirts and hairstyles typical of the times were ushering children along the footpath or making their way to catch the trams to work. Men in wool suits and wearing hats were hurrying along the main roads while Pauline and Jon snuck along behind them.

  Jon finally turned down a street after a few people gave them strange looks, seeing as they were dripping wet. When they came across a block of flats, Jon became excited.

  “I think this is it.”

  “Let me check my pockets for a key.” She advised, feeling a stirring in her nether regions.

  She plunged the right hand into the right pocket and found a small key chain with three keys attached to it. Jon dragged her over to a stairwell and they began to climb. An old vagrant came down the stairs. He waved and smiled as he passed them.

  “G’day Simon.”

  Jon nervously glanced back at Pauline and she nodded, in order to convince him that it was okay.

  “G’day mate.” She responded in the nervous, male voice.

  He continued down the stairs while they went up and finally stopped on the fourth floor. Pauline looked at the keys and saw the number 411 on one of them. Her intuition was correct. They were able to unlock the door but she stopped Jon before they went in.

  “We don’t know if he lives alone or if he’s married. Let’s be quiet.” She whispered conspiratorially.

  He nodded as they slowly opened the door and crept inside. There was no movement and the flat was silent, but they continued to walk stealthily un
til they finally determined that they were alone. Pauline tried not to turn her nose up at the fact that this person lived in squalor.

  Even though the furniture was sparse and the curtains were open, the light spilling in through the window revealed the grey carpet, which was littered with old newspapers, beer bottles and overflowing ashtrays. The stale smell of grease and smoke was battling the faint scent of beer and urine, but it wasn’t totally disgusting. Pauline went into a back room and found relatively clean clothes.

  She called out to Jon when she realized that there wasn’t much that would fit his emanation’s body.

  “Jon, there’s probably a shirt here that you could wear and maybe some jocks and socks. I’m still trying to find a pair of pants.”

  As she rummaged through a pile of clothes on a chair, Jon came in behind her. She sensed that the emanation had taken over. Doing her best to remain calm, she moved along the wall, clutching an armful of clothes.

  “Jon, remember to stay in control.”

  “Jon? Who’s Jon?” He asked with a menacing snarl.

  “You’re my husband, remember?” She asked in a frightened male voice.

  “Husband? Are you a nutcase? Why did you save me?”

  He continued closing in as Pauline backed into the corner of the room.

  “Stop looking at me like a stunned mullet. Why did you save me? I told you it’s over, you poof!”

  Pauline felt something moving under her subconscious but she squashed it down, like a lump under a rug. She tried to ignore the further stirring in her pants; still not au fait with the maleness that seemed to have a mind of its own.

  “Jon, you have to come forth. Push past his mind!”

  He stopped and shocked her with a sudden burst of laughter.

  “Silly bugger!” He shook his head and surprised Pauline by pulling off his wet clothes and tossing them onto the floor. “I s’pose I can forgive you, but I’m surprised that you’re still pissed. Were you drinking all night?”

  Pauline tried not to check out his huge member when he stepped out of his briefs. When he put his hands on his hips and trained his eyes on the pile of clothes, she wondered if she should avoid trying to prompt Jon to take over, for fear of angering the emanation. Standing in the corner, she watched while he grabbed a shirt and wrestled it over his barrel chested torso.

  He turned and looked at the bed, then over to Pauline.

  “What’s the matter, mate?”

  She tried to think of what to say but was further shocked when he ripped the shirt off, climbed over the bed and got under the blankets. He looked up and threw the blankets back.

  “Come on, get in. I’m tired though. I’ve gotta think about what to do. The police will catch on that I burnt the factory down. No one cares that they did me wrong.”

  While she slowly made her way back to the chair, she decided to stall and sort through the clothes while she thought up a plan, but Joe was annoyed.

  “Get out of those clothes, Simon. Come on, you drongo. Get in!”

  She slowly started to undress and talked herself into believing that they would probably sleep, or at least – Joe would sleep while she figured out what to do. She almost forgot what sleeping was like and wondered how she’d survived without doing so for so long. When she peeled the underwear off, she gasped at the penis bouncing out. It was smaller than Joe’s but still a bizarre sight, with its bulbous head.

  She was also amazed with the fact that there were no womanly breasts on her hairless chest. Joe was growing more impatient.

  “What’s the matter with you?”

  She quickly scampered over to the bed and leapt under the covers. Her mind was scrambling to come up with an idea for worming or coaxing Jon out from behind Joe’s consciousness. She knew that he must’ve been there, somewhere – like she had been in the other emanations. When she felt Joe’s warm hand reach over to her thigh, she let out a tiny squeal.

  “Are you afraid of me, all of a sudden?” He asked in a hoarse voice.

  She shook her head, unable to speak. His hand was roving around the genital area and slowly closing in with surprisingly gentle and deft fingertips. When he rolled onto his side and ran his fingers up to the stomach, Pauline jumped and began to shake. She felt Joe’s warm breath on the right shoulder, before he spoke again quietly.

  “Why did you save me? You must care about me, otherwise – why save me? Surely you know I need you – especially now – right?”

  She knew not to say Jon’s name again, but she had no idea how to get Jon to take over. She was momentarily relieved when he rolled onto his back with a gentle sigh.

  “I s’pose we’re both tired and I probably should thank you. Let’s just wank each other.”

  When his hand returned and went straight for the penis, she winced – at first. The pervert inside her consciousness wriggled its way to the surface. She was fascinated and horrified simultaneously. It was remarkable to feel the blood filling up the organ which was now pulsing and tenting the thin blankets. She heard Joe turn his face towards her as she stared at the water stain on the ceiling.

  “Come on, mate. Return the favor!” He chuckled softly.

  She reached over and made contact with the large, engorged prick. She wondered if Jon was paying attention and then wondered if he was doing this deliberately; to see if she would respond. When she looked over she saw Joe smiling slightly with his eyes closed. He was also facing the ceiling and she decided to go along with it.

  While they lay there, slowly jerking and stroking, she marveled at the familiar and yet – not so familiar sensations in her groin. She felt the balls slightly twitching and the head of the penis growing more sensitive as it pulsed. The groaning and gasping coming from Joe’s throat intensified as she worked him like she’d always done for Jon. When she felt his ejaculate sliding over her fingers, she herself came.

  It was magical and terrifying. The hips were thrusting involuntarily against the blankets as the jolts of orgasm exploded from deep in the balls. As she lay there completely enamored with the feeling of subsiding waves leaving the groin, she felt Joe’s breath on her face. She hadn’t noticed that he’d rolled over to watch. When she looked over she saw the familiar smile.

  “Pauline!” Jon’s voice broke through incredulously. “You kinky wench!”

  Chapter 11 – An Unceremonious Return

  Pauline stood in front of the grimy mirror, inspecting the sallow skin and milky eyes of this male emanation. She could barely detect her own consciousness in the rugged face. As she ran the cold fingers through the short greasy hair, the feeling of not belonging started rising up again in the dry throat. She looked back into the bedroom and saw Jon’s emanation asleep in the messy bed.

  She wondered if Jon’s consciousness was alert, but decided to take the time to meditate. She had so many questions and concerns over what she should have learned so far and how she was going to get back home – with Jon. Sitting on the toilet, she did her best to get comfortable and concentrate on her breathing.

  When she finally felt herself settle into a rhythm, it wasn’t long before she floated out of the body. This time, she was alone. Using her ocular voice, she called for her Oversoul, but there was no response. She was surprised to see her thoughts floating around like tangible words inside the white bubble.

  “How can I get home?”

  “Why is Jon here?”

  “What am I supposed to be learning?”

  “Am I being followed?”

  As the words flowed around her like burning embers in the wind, she noticed a collection of visions rolling over the internal surface of the bubble’s walls. She was confused by the images of the automatons in her home. Thinking that they were memories, she ignored them in favor of the shadowy figures that seemed to be lurking around the outside of the bubble. Something was telling her that all was not well.

  At the same time, unbeknownst to Pauline, Jon had already left his emanation’s body. He was zooming through a large q
uicksilver tunnel, screaming in his mind as his soul shot like a bullet at high speed. It felt like an eternity to him as he watched the spiraling tunnel whiz by, until he stopped suddenly – causing the worst case of inertia he’d ever experienced.

  While he tried to steady himself and figure out what was going on, he noticed a sense of being enclosed in something while a radio voice started talking to him.

  “Johnson? Respond Johnson!”

  He heard his shallow breathing coming back at him like it was amplified. His movements made him feel like he was underwater, while he struggled to get an idea about where he was and what was happening. The radio voice continued barking at him, mixing with a faint voice in his head, which felt like it was bigger than it should have been.

  “I’m losing it.”

  Jon found himself mouthing the words of the faint voice, in response to the urgent yelling from the radio voice.

  “I’m losing it. Something’s wrong!”

  He tried to open his eyes but all he could see was darkness. Every time he thought his eyes were open, there was still nothing but pitch black everywhere. He clamped his eyes shut and saw lightning branching across his field of vision.

  “Johnson, come back. Can you make it back?”

  “N..No..I don’t think so.” He found himself replying in a quavering voice.

  “Okay, stay put. Lennox is on his way.”

  “Roger that.”

  Then he saw the light. It was emanating from a huge ball. He focused on it and soon came to realize that he was looking at planet Earth.

  “How is that possible?” He asked aloud.

  “Johnson, keep it together. Lennox will be there soon. Hang on, Buddy!”

  Jon looked down at his body and nearly screamed. He saw a padded, white suit covered in metal clamps, mini-packs, cables and tubes. His thick, gloved hands were waving around frantically and his huge boots were strapped onto a floating mechanical arm. Looking up again and hyperventilating while the radio voice continued to tell him to remain calm, he saw the curved visor in front of his face.

  “Oh God, no! This isn’t happening!”