“So you see, each of these choices leads to the creation of an alternate universe. It could be such an insignificant change that you shirt is red today, or such a big change that this galaxy doesn’t even exist!”
“But why would you care about a hypothetical other universe that you will never see Etan?”
“Don’t tell me you don’t find this interesting Esher! The idea that you could visit other realities… see what could have happened? Hell, you could even travel to one that started before us and see the future of ours!”
“Oh really Etan, now you’re gonna try and tell us that you can travel through various universes? I mean, come on!” laughed Karan, causing the rest of the table to erupt in laughter.
“Actually, it happens to me all the time. Small things change. It happens to my sister too. We sorta ‘hop’ from universe to universe without our control. I can’t control it yet, but someday I will be able to.”
“What do you mean small things… Give me an example?”
“I… can’t. It’s really hard to explain Esher.”
“Yeah right. If you want us to believe you than at least give some proof!”
“Well… I… Like, I remember something very distinctly. I’m absolutely sure of it, but it never actually happened here.”
“That happens to everyone,” and another uproar of laughter sounded throughout the table.
“I… it’s not the same sort of thing you are thinking of. It’s… different somehow. I can’t explain it”
“Right, sure. You ‘can’t explain it,’ but you can jump into other universes.”
“Shut up Karan,” mumbled Esher, as he playfully shoved his friend. “So Etan, if you jump into these other universes, wouldn’t you be worried about not being able to get back?”
“Who cares about getting back as long as I could find another one that is similar? Or better yet, keep traveling to other universes and seeing all the possibilities!”
“That’s a terrible sentiment! You don’t care about your life here?”
“What’s so great abo–”
“And what about the other universes? Wouldn’t they have other versions of you in them?”
“Well I would just have to find ones where I had just left, or go to ones where I don’t exis–”
“But then if you jump through these universes, how do we know you are the real Etan?” questioned Esher
“That’s right,” continued Karan. “Maybe you’re an imposter!” The table laughed again.
“Yeah, maybe we haven’t seen the REAL Etan in years, or ever!”
“Hey, that’s right! Maybe you’re just an alternate Etan posing as the real thing!”
“Hey, y—”
I slammed my cup down on the table, rose from my seat, and proceeded to move quickly down the aisle to the exit. It was enough of a spectacle that several people around where I had been sitting turned and looked.
My former compatriots were stunned for a moment, but Esher managed to make one last retort across the room. Laughing all the while, he yelled, “Alternate Universe Etan wouldn’t do that!”
…
“I essentially caused my own problems after the conversation. That day, I made every attempt to stay away from anyone connected with that encounter. I was mostly able to isolate myself from them that afternoon, but that might have been worse than actually having to deal with them.”
“Really? I don’t remember any distancing. Are you sure you are recalling this correctly?”
“You know full well that you see things differently than either of us, let him finish his story.”
“Yes, I forgot. Go on.”
…
The next day, the full group was relaxing in our usual spot. I wouldn’t have joined them if I had had somewhere else to go, but I have long since forgotten my old ways for wasting time. Becoming social can do that to a person.
I wasn’t paying very much attention to whatever was going on around me. Rather, I was going into one of those contemplative thought processes that I have a tendency to fall into. Obviously, I wasn’t putting much effort into how I appeared to other people at the time, which is part of how everything started up again.
“Etan, are you ok?”
“What? Oh, yeah. I’m fine Kat.”
“That wasn’t very convincing. What’s up?”
“Nothing,” I replied tersely. “I’m just not in a very sociable mood right now.”
“What, are you still on about that thing yesterday?” chimed in Esher. “Did you see what happened when you left?”
“Just leave me be. It has nothing to do with yesterday.”
“Well, whatever. So as you were leaving, I tried to make a comment about how the ‘other universe’ you wouldn’t storm out like that…”
“Yeah, I heard.” By this point, I was slightly annoyed that they wouldn’t leave me alone, but I was too distraught to stop him
“Oh, well did you notice that I had to scream it? Everyone was staring at me for a minute!” and with that, he started laughing.
“Yeah, it was really funny!”
“I’m sure it was Karan,” I halfheartedly responded.
“Oh come on, it wasn’t a big deal Etan! Lighten up!”
“Right Karan. It’s no big deal. Sure. Well, if you’ll excuse me, I have some work I need to do.”
…
“And with that, I quickly moved out of the room.”
“Well, what happened then? How did you resolve it?”
“Honestly, I didn’t. It’s been a lonely few months. You know me and social interactions. I mean, if it took me 7 years to make friends in the first place, how am I supposed to do it again so quickly?”
“I know what you mean.”
“Yes, you do indeed have a point. It is quite a conundrum.”
“Is that really how it sounds to other people when I… we talk in that pretentious tone of voice? Wow, I think I’ll try to refrain from doing that from now on.”
“Indeed.”
“Right… well, why don’t you go next then?”
“Why me?”
“Well, because you were the one who was using the annoying tone of voice”
“Fine. Well, the conversation started the same way for me. However, I never let it progress to the point where yours did.”
…
“Oh really Etan, now you’re gonna try and tell us that you can travel through various universes? I mean, come on!” Karan began to laugh, but I quickly silenced her by pounding my fist on the table. In short order, everyone else in the cafeteria had stopped what they were doing to look at our table.
“How dare you laugh at me! Do I laugh at you when you open up? Eh?”
“But I was jus-“
“I DON’T CARE what you were ‘just doing!’”
“We weren’t tr–”
“It is irrelevant,” I calmly, but fiercely, intoned. I hastily swept up my tray and my cloak and made my way out of the room.
…
“Wait, are you serious? Not only did you calm down that quickly, but you ‘swept up your cloak?!’”
“Yes, is there a problem?”
“Oh no… just that this story is sounding a tad farfetched.”
“Yeah, at least when I told mine it was the truth.”
“I am telling the truth. Are you trying to imply that I would lie? To myself?”
“Well no, but his story is more believable. Anyone who shows that much emotion has serious problems. And why would you ever wear a cloak to school?”
“Hey, I’ve always imagined being able to let my emotions out like that. And I do own a cloak; I just never wear it in public that often.”
“While this enlightening tangent is certainly interesting, could I possibly finish my story before our time is through? I can’t keep this up eternally you know.”
“Oh, sorry. Go right ahead… after all, who am I to interrupt myself?”
…
I made no attempts to evade those people. Rather, I did all that I could to stay within earshot of them. Of course, they tried to apologize the next time that they saw me, but I would not listen to them. I let them beg forgiveness like the pitiful beings that they were.
Eventually, they seemed to cease their attempts and went about their business as though nothing had happened. They even had the audacity to think that I was once again their friend. Esher, in particular, made a nuisance of himself. Eventually, I became fed up with him and dealt with the problem.
I was walking through an area where people would regularly congregate at the school. I had no intention of dealing with the slackers here, but was instead simply using the location as a shortcut. Unfortunately, Esher was there and decided to strike up a conversation with me about some sport.
“Hey Etan! Long time no see!”
“Not long enough,” I said, and tried to move away.
“Hey, come on. What’s up?”
“Nothing that requires your attention, now please move.”
“Nah, we haven’t talked in a while. I’m not moving till you at least talk to me about something. I know, how about that Baseball game last night?”
“I detest sports.”
“Sure, but it’s Baseball! You can’t tell me you don’t like Baseball, particularly when we are doing so much better than in the past few years.”
“Please let me pass, I have better things to do with my time.” By now, I was beginning to get angry.
“Wait a minute. Will it kill you to have a quick conversation with your friend? There must be something you want to talk about.”
“No Esher. There is absolutely nothing that I want to talk to you about. Sports are a complete waste of time and energy, and so is this conversation.”
“How can you say that?! You can’t hate all sports!”
“Believe me, I can and I do. I detest all sporting events, I detest this conversation, and I detest you!”
Esher was stunned for a moment, long enough for me to move past him. I Then wen-
…
“Ok, I’ve heard enough. Your story is long, drawn out, and entirely too boring.”
“Yeah, and you also seem to be a very angry person. I don’t even need you to continue to be able to figure out what’s going to happen! How can you possibly be the same person as either of us?”
“I have already explained it to you. We may be the same person in the generalities, but we have all lead very different lives. We are no-”
“I already know that! All I mean is that it is astounding that someone so arrogant could exist who could be mistaken for me on a cursory glance!”
“How dare you imply that I am lower than you?!”
“Oh, very easily, I just sta–”
“Stop it you two! Let not fight amongst ourselves… uh… self. How about if I tell my version.”
“You are right, I needn’t play his game. Go right ahead.”
“Ok, I will. Though, I just want to warn you that it isn’t as involved as either of yours.”
…
“That’s right,” continued Karan. “Maybe you’re an imposter!” The table laughed again.
“Yeah, maybe we haven’t seen the REAL Etan in years, or ever!”
“Hey, that’s right! Maybe you’re just an alternate Etan posing as the real thing!”
“Hey, y—”
I stormed out of the cafeteria. I was blisteringly furious with the people I had thought to be my friends, and I was also beginning to doubt myself. Sure, I had never managed to control the ‘leaps.’ Sure, I had never had more than a small memory or event change from universe to universe, but these were my beliefs. My friends had no right to laugh at them.
I went to the student lounge and sulked. My friends came down eventually, and a few of them tried to see if they could get me to talk. I wouldn’t let them succeed though. Eventually they left me alone, but people like Karan and Kat kept looking my way.
It took a few days, but I eventually calmed myself down enough to see past everything. I started talking to everyone again, and we managed to get over the ordeal. As it turned out, several of them were actually intrigued by the idea, and none of them had meant to do any har-
…
“Wait. Sorry to cut you off, but our arrogant and ill tempered alter ego looks like he is about to faint.”
“Hey, you’re right. What’s wrong?”
“I warned you that I would be unable to keep us together for too long of a time. I have reached the limit of my current abilities and we must now go our separate ways.”
“That’s too bad; this was starting to get interesting.”
“Will we ever be able to meet up again?”
“It is doubtful. Risking a paradox simply to fight with alternate versions of myself, especially those who are so pathetic, is not worth my time. After all, why should I waste my time here when I can be out exploring the multiverse?”
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