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The Farthest Point
We stood and watched as the world surrounding us quickly evaporated, it felt
like we were no longer standing anywhere. We had escaped the rising water
and determined a new destination, but it wasn’t precisely clear to what
purpose. She had created a path, but there was no way for me to find out
what her larger plans entailed. I felt the ground drop from under me and
this created confusion. My sense of direction went haywire. I found myself
walking aimlessly, the path ahead seeming to disappear, I was going in
circles. I had nowhere to turn and began to panic. I looked ahead towards
her direction. She was standing adjacent to the brightest part of the light,
calmly surveying the situation. I was relieved when I saw a familiar shadow
in the distance, through the formless light, her presence reassuring.
Walking towards her seemed to calm my nerves, but I wasn’t sure what was
happening or where we were headed. She managed to remain calm, completely
inured from the sudden changes in place and dimension that had become a
common occurrence during the preceding days.
Everything appeared calm, but the absence of grounding was somewhat
worrying. I couldn’t feel anything beneath me, which was also disorienting.
As I moved closer, I still felt like I was walking in circles, but now I was
walking backward. Her position slipping further away the faster I walked. It
made no sense at first. I walked faster and it only backfired. I ran only to
watch her outline diminish with each step. She seemed to nearly vanish into
the light. I paused for a moment and took a breath, not wanting her to
completely disappear. My idea proved correct and I waited for a few moments.
Gradually, she seemed to drift back into view, pulling me closer. It seemed
to occur despite my attempts to reach her. I attempted to carefully follow
in her path but it still felt like I wasn’t getting close enough understand
what was happening. She moved effortlessly through the mysterious tunnels of
light, fearless during her journey through the disconcerting atmosphere,
repelling any divergence without a thought. My feet on the other hand
couldn’t find the path. This made me walk unsteadily, like I was walking on
ice. I was constantly nervous that I might fall; never knowing what awaited
us on the next turn. I began to get nervous as I felt the light surrounding
us brighten exponentially. It was unstoppable and obscured everything else
from view. I kept going despite not knowing where she was taking us. She
seemed to sense my trepidation and turned to me, reassuring me with a wave.
This was enough to keep me on the path.
She seemed to be carefully admitting with her
motion that she was the one behind the latest encounter and its unexpected
results. I looked ahead and didn’t understand what she was doing, the
purpose of her experiment caught between opaque motivation and obtuse
origin. She had a strange look about her. There was something different. She
walked further from me and I turned and couldn’t see much beyond my hands in
the bright light. I looked around but there were no walls or doors. It
seemed there was nothing beneath her feet as she moved. She seemed to be
floating through that strange place, navigating between the dimensions. We
hadn’t been there long, but enough time had passed so that some of the cold
and dampness that remained slowly began to subside. As the water evaporated,
I felt something under my feet, but it wasn’t what I was expecting. Before I
knew it, there was a strange sound, echoing through the light. I saw her
ahead of me and she finally seemed to stay still long enough for me to see
what she was doing. I watched her maneuver between the thick beams of light,
waving her newest machine around. It began shifting the colors, beige to
brown and yellow, drawing energy from the surrounding light, falling into
place, indefinable shapes emerged unexpectedly.
It seemed to cut away the blinding light and its impermeable layers,
clearing a path ahead of her. I watched her motions carefully, but they
didn’t seem to give that much away. She had obviously built a retinue of
movement and skill, but the final results weren’t what I was expecting. I
watched her stop every few minutes. She took a moment and looked downward,
carefully examining and venturing into the machine’s outer indicators. After
deciding what to examine next, she began twisting its dials and switches
deliberately. After a few attempts, there was a loud beep. It wasn’t clear
what this meant until there seemed to be a motion in the cloudy atmosphere
surrounding us. The light began to shift, and this produced a strange
effect. The light began to shimmer, seeming to come to life, waves of
bright, pastel colors washing over us in quick succession. I felt something
under my feet at long last, a surprisingly smooth surface. Pausing only for
the briefest measure, the results would arrive sporadically. Spacing between
uneven intervals, the outlines and shapes began arriving unexpectedly
between the bright sections. I watched closely, the light wavered, shifted
position and color and there were shudders. She used these to move between
them, taking the measure of other places. I moved closer to see what she was
after but she was taller than me, blocking my view. Whether she was doing
this on purpose or not wasn’t clear.
I waited behind her, waiting for the signal that it was safe to move
forward. I felt the ground beneath me steady and thicken, allowing me to
confidently stand with a stable footing. This was a relief. I took a deep
breath I watched the surroundings change and evolve. I felt a cool breeze
began to blow over us. The atmosphere changed color from beige to green and
blue, interspersing bubbles and lines. It seemed to bring with it a strong
gust I hadn’t anticipated. It nearly knocked me off balance and it took me
awhile to regain my center. I walked closer and she didn’t seem to have been
affected, barely registering with her. I moved closer towards her,
maintaining a distance. Standing at her side, I was finally able to catch a
glimpse of her machine without getting in the way. I was finally able to
figure out what she was doing. It had some strange navigation abilities, and
I watched it burn in different colors, radiating a strange effortless
energy. I couldn’t make out the markings at first and they seemed to
disappear as quickly as they arrived on its indicator. They were too fast
for me to process at first but she didn’t seem to have any problem
understanding what was happening. After a few minutes, its rhythms seemed to
calm, allowing me to see what it was doing. It seemed to be quickly
measuring and methodically cataloging distances and object types, under a
careful system of movement she had mastered. I watched her as she looked
between it and the surroundings. She seemed to be working with the lights
surrounding us. Using its energy to form shapes, she then used these to
search the seemingly formless light for a specific location. No matter how
hard I tried, I still couldn’t understand how she made it function.
She moved visible dials and looked back and forth, synchronizing it between
its indicators and our surroundings, checking the color sequences, adjusting
positions while looking carefully at our surroundings. It didn’t seem
obvious at first, but I quickly realized that she wasn’t ignoring me on
purpose. It was better to stay out of her path. I knew she was busy
calibrating its search of the dimension, until it arrived at a promising
sector. It would scan these closely and discard its other functions for a
moment, moving on only when she deemed its data insufficient. I surveyed its
movement and output as carefully but it was difficult to anticipate patterns
with its inconsistent output. I didn’t understand any of the language or
markings but she seemed to know what was happening. As she moved the device
around, I noticed that it was creating passages in the lights surrounding
us. They coalesced to form what looked like windows at first. She looked at
her machine and synchronized the settings, each window appearing on its
indicator as a small point. They began to grow until they resembled doors,
each created magnetic echoes that appeared sporadically on her machine.
It was difficult for me to recognize the markings
quickly enough, they started to appear rapidly until they filled the
machine’s memory banks, nearly overloading them. She was quickly able to
eliminate the false paths and located the right point for us. She tilted the
machine and focused its light on its distant position in the field. I didn’t
see it at first, and it seemed to be sliding downward until it nearly
vanished from the scale, hiding on the outer margin. It took a moment to
locate, but it never disappeared entirely from view. I stood back nervously
and saw the door it corresponded to. We both watched it grow and it began
shine, building its energy field until it stabilized. It seemed to come to
life and started to shimmer, cascading lights shifted as it began to emerge,
standing alone, creating a distinct field inside the clouds of light.
Walking closer towards the door, she waved me onward and told me to follow
her. Its lines began to glow even brighter as we stepped closer towards it.
She held it up towards the door one last time for a final check. The machine
began to beep loudly as she reached down, and placed it on the ground. We
waited in front of the door for a moment and its lines seemed to waver and
flicker unsteadily. I wondered if she’d made a mistake, but she maintained a
serene confidence.
The door was sealed but I could see through its slates. I looked towards her
and was finally able to stand beside her, emerging from behind. I took a
deep breath and looked directly at it, waiting patiently for just the right
second. We waited together and watched the last barriers slip away. It took
some patience, but it finally opened completely. I was getting nervous, but
I trusted her enough to take a few steps forward with her towards the
gateway. It wasn’t entirely clear where we were heading, but it was a relief
to leave the strange dimension for another destination. We stepped closer
and solid ground began re-forming beneath us, slowly building until it felt
firm underneath. This gave me confidence to move forward. Things began to
change when we walked beneath the passage, its illuminated, warmly glowing
frame welcoming us inside. I caught a glimpse of another place just beyond,
emerging line by line in successive vertical rows. She located an opening
for us after much effort. We moved quickly underneath the doorway, and she
seemed to fall a little behind me. I looked back and tried to take her hand
as we finally arrived at the destination, but she seemed to slip away as we
made our way under the threshold. There was a sudden rush of warmth and
heat, followed by a blinding light. I squinted for a moment and blinked. I
couldn’t see in the bright light for a few seconds and had to wait for my
vision to adjust to my surroundings. I found myself somewhere entirely
different than I was used to. I felt different, the new place was nothing
like I had caught a glimpse of moments before. Something seemed to have gone
wrong. She wasn’t there, but there was more to it. Everything felt calm and
quiet, strangely peaceful. I looked for her in every direction, thinking she
was still right beside me, but there was nothing. Not even a shadow could be
seen. She seemed to have disappeared and this made the world even more
disorienting. I thought she was waiting, or following right behind me but
there was no trace that I could locate.
I
thought I knew where we were going, but the surroundings didn’t make sense.
I tried to acclimate to the situation, but I realized that my eyes were
possibly deceiving me. This was a strange place and I was navigating it
alone. The clouds slowly dissipated and I began to see the outlines emerge,
shapes began to form and I realized that she had taken me somewhere else. I
looked down and saw that there was solid ground under my feet, thick blades
of grass shot up through the ground, bursting through its surface like a
fence. I walked over their sharp edges carefully and looked around. I
attempted to gain a sense of direction but found myself lost in a seemingly
endless field of grass. I looked up towards the sky and saw nothing but an
empty blue and gray. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky. I looked for some
trees or mountains but there were none to find. Scanning out onto the
horizon, I tried to locate her position but she was nowhere to be found.
Squinting, I narrowed my eyes, looking as far into the distance as I could
manage. I tried to locate her but there was no trace or sign of anyone else
out there. I walked towards the grasses on the other side of the field, and
they began to shrink, slowly giving way to a flat land surface, covered in
green with no discernable path forward. I stood for a moment and soaked in
the warm air, which I was unaccustomed to. Forcing myself to stay in one
place, I tried to move forward but resisted the urge to make an impetuous
move. I had no idea where I was or how I had gotten there.
I wondered if this was part of her plan or another test for me, but couldn’t
be precisely sure. I waited for a moment and watched the grass in the
distance. It seemed to roll on throughout, there didn’t seem to be anything
out there. At first it didn’t seem to bother me, but as the minutes passed,
I realized that something might have gone wrong. I walked towards the other
side, but the ground seemed to be turning in circles, I felt like I was
going nowhere, defeated as I moved. It took me awhile to figure out what to
do next and I had to go over the possibilities. Without any machines or
anyone else to guide my way, I’d have to rely on my instincts. This was a
potentially dangerous situation. It felt like something was closing in on
me, though I had no idea what it could be. The grass seemed to conspire
against me, churning and turning to create a deception, or some kind of
trap. I began to walk cautiously, navigating the clusters of grass
carefully. I tried to measure my steps in distance and timing, but this
seemed to do no good. It didn’t make any difference, the surroundings didn’t
seem to change no matter how long or far I walked, I always seemed to return
to the exact location.
After making several attempts and making no progress, I started to get a
little afraid. I looked around for some sign that she might be there, a late
arrival, perhaps. I squinted and shook, covered my eyes, looked up and down
but there was nothing. I felt alone and vulnerable, completely exposed out
in the open. There was no place to hide; nothing seemed to point me in any
direction. I worked a map in my mind of where I’d been, from the location
where I first stepped onto the field, but everything felt contradictory, the
grass folding in on itself. I though
back, and tried to remember if there had been any sign or indicators that I
might have missed. The only thing I remembered was how consistently flat and
green the landscape was, there seemed to be no divergence, the path straight
and unchanging. After contemplating it for a few minutes, I finally came to
the conclusion that I hadn’t missed anything. I continued walking over the
grass-covered expanse, looking carefully to see if anything might pop up,
but there was nothing. I looked for a shadow other than my own, hoping that
someone might pop up from behind me to help lead the way, but my efforts
went nowhere. I decided to make a run for it, sprinting over the grass,
thinking I’d make great time on the flat surface. Unencumbered by any
obstacles, the path ahead offered a limitless span where I’d be able to run
freely.
I maneuvered my position towards the center, directly facing the distant
horizon. My goal was to mark progress quickly, moving across the expanse
until I could get a closer look. I scanned the surroundings but didn’t see
anything familiar. There were no mysterious buildings to explore and I was
relieved that nothing was chasing after me. I looked over my shoulder behind
me and there was, at long last, nobody watching me. I was free and decided
to take advantage of the opening I’d been granted. I was able to run
quickly. I covered a lot of ground quickly and my feet were going so fast,
they nearly overheated, pushing the ground beneath me aside effortlessly. I
felt my toes beating and chopping, fearlessly pounding themselves on the
surface, racing towards the farthest point in the distance. It seemed like I
was finally getting somewhere and I closed my eyes. I decided not to worry
about things and enjoy the ride I was on, letting momentum propel me towards
the direction that seemed correct. With a great purpose, I ran heedlessly
into the grass over the surface, my feet began to rise unexpectedly. After
so much effort, they lost feeling and their soreness dissipated until they
no longer felt constricted. I could finally let loose and raced under the
endless blue skies through effortlessly, marking the growing distance with
each step.
Nothing hindered my progress, there seemed to be sails under my feet,
lifting me above the ground, it was almost like I was floating. After a few
more minutes, I began to slow a tad but maintained a steady pace, traversing
quickly over the ground until I felt that I was almost floating over the
ground. I should have realized that this wasn’t going to last, but I didn’t
anticipate that the grassy surface would change, until it was too late. At
first, I felt an occasional bump and twist in their blades, but it didn’t
slow me down. Running over the grassy surface, I didn’t make any serious
adjustments until I reached and area where the grass coverage became uneven
and thick stems began to form, and then tangled together. I realized too
late that I needed to be more careful and tripped over one of the knotted
portions. I fell over on my side but was able to balance myself enough to
land on my hands. It was nothing major, but my crash still stopped my
forward movement. I was shocked for a moment found myself out of breath and
a bit shaken up. I hadn’t expected anything on the ground and had tripped
over my feet. It was a strange feeling, and I felt a little dumb for not
anticipating the growing danger. I had to settle for a moment, and sat up,
gazing across the field to figure out where I was and what my next step was.
I was frustrated and intimidated. I was alone and felt a bit stranded out
there. I still wondered what had gone wrong. I thought about what would have
happened if I hadn’t rushed. I knew that I’d gotten too far ahead and
forgotten to hold her hand as we ventured through the doorway. If I hadn’t
been so reckless, I wouldn’t be in such a precarious position. It seemed
that I hadn’t looked closely enough. I looked at my immediate area and I
noticed there were thickets of dirt between the grass, and the occasional
sharp turns rocks unsettled the landscape. It made the path ahead uneven and
unpredictable. I hadn’t seen them until I stopped and looked closely to see
what I tripped on. I sat in the middle of the field, its expanse of grass
surrounding me and felt strangely intimidated, every inch seemed to be a
challenge. I waited for a few more minutes to regain my balance. I sat up
and looked above. The blue skies were clear, not a cloud to be seen, nothing
to mark the time. The atmosphere seemed to stretch as far as I could see.
This was surprisingly intimidating.
My running felt diminished, a seemingly minor accomplishment that felt
insignificant against the vast expanse. This changed my perspective, but I
knew it might have been a kind of trick. It was too late for me to give up,
I had to keep going, but now I’d proceed at a more deliberate rate. I
remembered what she had shown me, and was no longer afraid of what obstacles
were in my way. I didn’t know what was waiting for me over the horizon but I
wouldn’t be dissuaded from going forward. I stood up, wiped the grass and
dirt off my clothes and began walking towards the horizon with renewed
determination.
It felt strange to be out there alone but I wasn’t afraid. It was reassuring
to have something under my feet and I felt relieved be back down to earth. I
found a feeling of release and finally felt that I wasn’t being watched. I
walked over the grass and its extended flat surface revealed no clues as to
where exactly I was. Standing for a moment, I decided to check things
closer. Circling around briefly, I surveyed the surroundings and watched for
any shadow that might be accompanying me, but I couldn’t see anything. I
closed my eyes for a moment as I walked. I listened closely trying to hear
something but there wasn’t a sound. It took me awhile to make progress after
my fall, but my caution was also a result of wanting to slow down. I didn’t
want to miss anything out of the ordinary. I worried that there might have
been something I missed as I ran before. I wasn’t going to repeat that
mistake, even if it took me longer to reach the other side. I took a deep
breath and tried to soak in the atmosphere. Its warmth was unexpected. In
some weird sense, it seemed to be inviting me to walk towards the distance.
I walked carefully, trying to avoid any traps that might be waiting
underneath. I felt the ground beneath me start to change as I walked and at
first, it didn’t seem that significant. The grass seemed to grow a bit
thinner and scattered, there was more sand on the surface, interspersing
between the stalks. I stopped and looked down for a moment. There didn’t
seem to be anything surrounding my feet, but they seemed to be slowing down
without my realizing it. It felt like I was sinking a little into the path,
I was still free to move but I didn’t have the same speed as I had before.
It took a few minutes to make the adjustments but I decided I could pick
things up a little without too much effort.
After all that walking, I felt my shoes were getting a little loose and sure
enough, they’d gotten undone with all my running. I knelt down for a moment
and refastened my shoelaces and stood up, looking around to see if any
change in direction was needed. I spun around for a quick glance to see if
anything had emerged from behind. It was strangely silent, unusually quiet
for the apparent middle of the afternoon on a summer afternoon. I remained
on a kind of defense, not really realizing where I was. Turning back, I
resumed walking in the same apparent direction and looked towards the edge
of the field, naturally making way towards the other side. It was a long
hike but I continued onward, walking carefully yet consistently. My feet
seemed to take awhile to catch up to the objective ahead. They seemed a
little tired, and I had to take some rests. Things felt like they were going
too slow, but I had to maintain a steady momentum. I felt like I was falling
behind, despite not having a way to gauge the distance. I decided to keep
going and it took some effort, but I was able to find an acceptably steady
pace after awhile.
(Continue to part two) |
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