The Paradox Corridor

Chapter 34: Mindjacked

"This is a very fine predicament you all have gotten yourselves into, isn't it?" asked Arthur to the three friends as they hiked through mile after mile of unspoiled woods. Arthur's world was infinitely times cleaner than theirs: the air tasted sweeter, the sun seemed brighter, and the grass, well, the grass was greener. 

"Interesting how big of an impact the industrial revolution had upon the natural world," James thought, "We have better technologies, that's true, but the price that had to be paid..." Compared to their world, this one would be a lot more fun to live in. Except for, you know, all of the wars and the killing and the lack of air conditioning. Other than that though: paradise. Eventually, he realized that no one had actually answered Arthur, and he spoke up;

"Sorry, um, yeah. This is one fine mess we've gotten into. Sorry for not answering earlier, it's just...this place. It's so...alive!" James said. Arthur laughed,

"If you're from my future, tell me: since we share the same world, why is mine better?"

"Sword fights!" Andrew said.

"Chivalry!" responded James.

"Air quality." stated Amber. When she spoke, the men shifted slightly, uncomfortable, still wary of her witchy powers. Arthur laughed,

"Get a spine, you bunch of good-for-nothings!" he yelled to his men, poking fun at their fear of a 16 year old girl. "And those are all good things indeed, but I'm not quite sure about that last one. Is your world devoid of trees? Is there no air for you to live in?"

"Well, no, not really," answered James, "It's just...well, factories and stuff produce a lot of smoke, and-

"A what? A Factree? What is that? Does it eat air? A monster, perhaps?" asked Arthur, alarmed for his future.

"Nonononono, a factory is like a...giant house. And in that house, things are made. Each factory makes different things, from batteries, to stuffed animals, to replica World Series Rings." Arthur stared at him blankly.

"I have absolutely no idea what you just said. But why does it make your air go away?" asked a bemused Arthur.

"Well..." started a struggling James.

"The problem with factories is that, essentially, it creates fires that is used to make stuff, like your blacksmith probably does. And these huge fires send tons and tons of smoke (among other things) into the air, which make it worse." Cut in Amber suddenly. Arthur thought about that for a while, then finally said,

"This conversation is far too confusing. How about we keep our worlds separated, like they should be."

"Good idea!" said Andrew, laughing, "This is obviously going nowhere." They reached the end of the woods after some time. They saw a river that acted as the natural boundary between the woods and the plains that lay before them. A simple stone bridge spanned the churning river, looking out of place and yet picturesque at the same time. The group crossed the bridge single file, some of the people with horses stopping at the banks to let their horses drink water.