Lost in Thought

Chapter 6

Some time later, I came to. Lying on my back, I could see the fire was still roaring in my peripherals, the only light fighting off the constant threat of total darkness. Little flickers of light dances among the dark features of the cave ceiling. "Ron" and Hulk were sitting, quietly chatting when they noticed me stir, shifting onto my elbows as I looked around.

"You're not going to take another spill, are ya?" Hulk asked, a sly smile creasing his face. I'd never seen a dog smile an actual smile before. Like everyone else, I joked that when they panted or showed their teeth that they were "smiling", but this was an honest to goodness actual smile. I thought my brain was going to overload again, but quickly got it together.

"Excuse me for reacting a bit viscerally to my dog talking," I quip back. "I'm not sure what I was thinking."

"Glad to see your wit and charm are back," 'Ron' chimed in, smiling that stupid smile.

I momentarily remember the last time I had seen Ron, a meeting that had ended with me shattering a beer mug over his head. Recalling that I'd left him on the floor bleeding, I felt a twinge of regret wash over me.

"Sorry about all that business the last time," I said, sheepishly. "I hope you're okay."

"Oh, no need to worry about me," Ron said, smile still plastered on his face. "In the same situation, I'm sure anyone would have reacted in a similar manner. Thankfully, scars don't carry over into this world."

A moment of awkward silence and I was ready to get down to brass tacks.

"So, is anyone going to explain where the hell I am or what's going on? Oh, and I'm going to guess that 'Ron' really isn't your name."

"Well it is and it isn't," he said, smile still glued to his face. "My full name is Ronson Everett, but you may call me Ron."

"Go on, Ronson Everett."

"I suppose you're owed a bit of an explanation," 'Ron' said. "This," he made a wide gesture with his hands, "is just the beginning. Not only of your adventure, but of this world."

"What do you mean that this is the beginning of this world?" I ask. "Like this place just came into existence? How is that possible that no one would have noticed this place just sitting here for all the thousands of years man has been around?"

"Well," 'Ron' continued, "that's because this world is not on the same plane as the one you are familiar with."

"Not on the same plane?"

"Where are my manners? A plane is where an entire world can exist independently of any other world. It can house its own species, planets, people, etc. It can be anything it wants to be independently of any other place. So in your plane, for instance, dogs don't talk. In this one? That's just one of the many possibilities."

I could feel a glare of disbelief washing over my face. I couldn't even help it, that's just what happens when someone tells you there is a whole other place - and possibly many others - existing on a different realm from the one you've been living in.

"Right, so," he continues, "in certain planes, things can be manipulated. Created. Whole places and beings can be created or torn down. Anything can be or not be. This plane just recently came to be."

"So this place just *poof* started existing all of the sudden?"

"Something like that, yes. Granted, it didn't just happen. At least not technically speaking. For you, it did, but for me and others who have lived on this plane, this planet has been around for centuries. Unlike other realities where things are as they are, this one can be manipulated by those who possess the ability to do so. In realities like this, literally anything is possible."