PARALLELS of HEART

Attempt to Reach the Dreamy boy

Elijah never thought a dream could turn into an obsession, but after seeing him-that boy, the one who felt impossibly real-something shifted inside her. She knew deep down that he wasn't just a figment of her imagination. He was from another world, and she would do anything to reach him.

She spent every waking hour in the basement workshop her mother rarely visited. It was cluttered with tangled wires, capacitors, quantum relays, and half-burnt circuit boards. In the middle of the chaos stood her machine: a complex web of superconductors, glowing interface panels, and a polished central coil designed to channel energy through entangled particles.

She called it 'The Nexus Gate', a device inspired by quantum entanglement theory-the idea that two particles, no matter how far apart, could stay connected. But Elijah wasn't just trying to link particles; she was trying to link realities. Her calculations were built around the hypothesis that dreams were not simply figments of the brain but glimpses of parallel worlds, subtle overlaps in the quantum fabric of existence. If the boy from her dream truly existed, she was determined to find him-and bring him into her world.

Elijah buried herself in textbooks on quantum mechanics, multiverse theory, and ancient philosophical ideas about alternate dimensions. The more she learned, the deeper she sank into her mission. She cross-referenced the latest physics journals with fringe theories on astral projection and neural wave synchronization. From dusk till dawn, she ran calculations, searching for the right frequency to breach the divide between worlds. She needed an anchor-a precise quantum signature that matched the boy's presence in her dream.

She kept her mother, Ellie, in the dark by pretending the machine was nothing more than an experimental school project-"Just a physics model for class," she'd say with a shrug. And Ellie believed her... for a while.

When her mother began to grow suspicious, Elijah took greater care. She worked late into the night after her mother was asleep. She would muffle the hum of the Nexus Gate by wrapping the machine in soundproof foam and divert the occasional surge of light through carefully placed blackout curtains in the basement window. Whenever Ellie asked about her long hours, Elijah dismissed it with a laugh, saying, "You always told me to follow my passion, right?"

But passion wasn't the right word for what she felt-it was more like compulsion. A need so deep it felt as if her heart would collapse without it.

Elijah knew her mother would never approve if she learned the truth about the Nexus Gate. Ellie worried about her daughter's well-being-worried that Elijah's obsession with the boy in her dream would lead to heartbreak or worse.

To keep her mother off her trail, Elijah carefully constructed a false narrative. She occasionally left "fake" notes about mundane physics problems scattered around her desk, planted half-written essays for assignments she pretended to be working on, and even arranged for her teacher to leave a harmless voicemail saying her project was progressing well.

When her mother asked her directly, Elijah would roll her eyes and say, "Mom, I told you-it's just a boring science project. You're worrying for nothing."

But the truth was far from boring. It was extraordinary.

Elijah's machine wasn't just a scientific device-it was a doorway. It combined principles from quantum mechanics with neural synchronization, effectively allowing Elijah to send signals from her consciousness through entangled particles. It wasn't enough to simply open a window between worlds-she needed to project herself into the quantum frequency of the boy's reality. The machine relied on two synchronized cores: one connected to her brain waves, and the other acting as an antenna to send signals into the unknown.

But the hardest part wasn't the machine itself-it was maintaining control. Every time she powered it up, she felt like she was standing at the edge of a cliff, ready to jump but unsure if she'd fall or fly. She knew the risks. If she miscalculated, the gate could collapse-or worse, she might trap herself in the quantum space between worlds, a liminal void from which there would be no return.

Yet despite the risks, she couldn't stop. Every time she ran the machine, she saw fleeting glimpses: flashes of impossible landscapes, shimmering with colors she'd never seen before. Once, she thought she saw him-just a brief shadow standing in a golden field, turning toward her before vanishing into the air. It was enough to make her believe.

Elijah's double life became a delicate balancing act. By day, she was the dutiful logical daughter, helping her mother with chores, joining her for dinner, and acting like any normal teenager of Eclipton world. By night, she became a scientist, a dreamer, and a pioneer exploring the boundaries of the known universe.

But Ellie's suspicions only grew. One evening, her mother confronted her, worry etched deep in her features. "Elijah, what are you really working on? I know it's not just schoolwork. You've been too distracted, too tired. Please, tell me the truth."

Elijah hesitated for a moment-then forced a smile. "Mom, it's nothing serious. Just some extracurricular stuff. I'm trying to impress a few college recruiters, that's all." She hoped her casual tone would ease her mother's concerns. "I promise I'll show you everything once it's done. You'll be proud."

Ellie studied her daughter for a long moment, her eyes filled with love and worry. "I just don't want you to get hurt, darling. I don't want you chasing after something that will break your heart."

Elijah leaned in, hugging her mother tight. "I know, Mom. I'll be careful, I promise."

But even as she spoke the words, she knew they were a lie. She had no intention of stopping-not until she found him.

Finally, after weeks of preparation, the night came. Elijah powered up the Nexus Gate, feeling the room vibrate as energy surged through the machine. Sparks danced along the coil, and the glowing interface lit up with symbols she didn't recognize-proof that she was brushing against the edge of another world.

Her heart raced as she adjusted the frequency, searching for the signature she had seen in her dreams. She felt a tug, as if something-or someone-on the other side was responding.

And then it happened. A pulse of energy rippled through the machine, and the room around her shimmered. For a brief moment, she saw him-the boy from her dream. His warm brown eyes met hers through the veil between worlds. He smiled, and her heart skipped a beat.

"Elijah..." His voice was a soft whisper, carried across the quantum divide. "I knew you'd find me."

Tears filled her eyes, but before she could respond, the image flickered-and the machine began to overload. Alarms blared, and Elijah scrambled to shut everything down before it collapsed.

The connection severed, leaving her breathless and trembling.

She sat in the dim basement, heart pounding in her chest. For the first time, she knew beyond any doubt: the boy was real. She had found him. But the connection was unstable-dangerously so. If she wanted to reach him again, she would have to push the machine further, risk everything to stabilize the link.

But how long could she keep fooling her mother? How long before Ellie discovered the truth and shut down her experiment for good?

Elijah stared at the darkened screen of the Nexus Gate, knowing she had crossed a line she could never uncross.

And yet, all she could think about was him.

With trembling fingers, she powered the machine back on.

She had to try again.