by
Robert Alan Silverstein
Level
42 definitely wasn't like any of the others.
Our Team had mastered each of the previous 41 levels of The
Utopiaverse, our favorite video game, securing the highest
overall team rating by a longshot.
What an amazing journey we'd shared. Intergalactic space adventures,
Fae fantasies, steampunk scenarios, time travel parallel universe
rewritings ... It was hard to even begin to choose a favorite
level.
But we'd approached Level 42 with shared unimaginable anticipation.
No one had ever reached this high before.
Once we'd finally ascended, we'd huddled cautiously, peeking
excitedly around the corner.
But there wasn't anything there. Just emptiness in every direction
as far as I could see.
I blinked, squeezing my eyes open and closed, trying to see
something. Anything. But there wasn't anything there.
That's when I noticed my Team wasn't there, either. I was
completely alone.
Needless to say I was worried about my squad and I was starting
to panic about my vulnerability out here in the open. Or I
should say, I felt like I should be worried and starting to
panic, but the truth is, I felt okay.
More than okay. Somehow I knew I was right where I was meant
to be, and there was nothing to fear.
That's when I saw the door. Out way beyond the endless horizon.
I smiled, took a deep breath, and cautiously started to move
forward, carefully surveying the emptiness around me as I
proceeded ahead.
It seemed like I'd been moving forever, but the door didn't
seem to be getting any closer. And my energy levels were getting
dangerously low.
I stopped and closed my eyes. Remembering one of the tools
we'd learned, I began breathing in deeply and deliberately.
A soothing calmness washed over me as I focused on the door
I could see with my mind's eye. I continued to breathe in
and out until the image of the door was sharp and clear in
my mind.
Smiling, I opened my eyes and saw that I was indeed standing
in front of the door.
An engraved plaque proclaimed who resided within.
"CREATOR".
For an instant I wondered if it was the game's creator or
the Creator of the Universe. But then I realized, it didn't
matter either way. I'd be the game creator's number one fanboy
with lots of praise and a few questions. And if it turned
out to be the creator of the universe, well, I had plenty
of questions.
"Come
in," a voice urged from Within as I was about to knock.
Trembling with anticipation, I turned the doorknob and entered
Inside.
"Oh,
hey, you actually made it," the shlumpy old guy sitting at
his computer at the back of the room garbled as he put down
the bagel he was noshing.
This was definitely not what I was expecting.
The guy wiped the cream cheese off his lips and bushy grey
beard with his bathrobe sleeve, and wiping his hands on his
sides and shaking the crumbs off his lap, he patted down the
Einstein-hair mess on his head and stood to welcome me.
"I'm
so happy you're finally here," he beamed as he adjusted his
glasses, then stepped forward and wrapped me in a bear hug.
Yikes! "I..." I gasped.
He stood back a step, and smiled at me a weird goofy smile
as he shook his head and shuddered happily. It looked like
he was going to reach out and squeeze my cheeks. Fortunately
he didn't. "Hard to believe I was ever that young," he chuckled
to himself.
I shuddered nervously, not sure what to say or do. This was
definitely all pretty weird.
"So,
what'd you think?" he asked, excitedly bouncing in place.
"Uh
... a..about?" I stuttered.
"The
Game, of course."
"Utopiaverse?"
"Utopia...verse...
Hmm. That's pretty good," he said, scratching his head. "That's
really not too bad at all," he added with a faraway look in
his eyes and a huge, growing smile.
I was starting to get even more confused than I already was.
The guy started that bouncy thing again. "Can you remember
much of the game ... this Utopiaverse?"
Can I remember. "Every detail of every Level," I said skeptically.
"Hey! I thought YOU were the Creator?"
The old guy raised his eyebrows and shrugged. "Well, I am
... but ... I was just daydreaming all this ... and I don't
really remember that much..."
"Uh,
what?"
He started scratching his head again, and then pressed his
palms to his temples with a grimace, like he was trying to
squash down a headache, or keep his head from exploding. I
watched with wide eyes. This was getting curiouser and curiouser.
He shuddered, and shook his head and the smile was back. "Here,
have a seat. Take the good chair." He pointed wildly at an
armchair near his computer setup as he continued to beam at
me. I looked over. It was piled with clutter. He looked back
at the chair. "Oops," he muttered and dashed to clear the
stuff off. "Nice and comfy..." he urged, patting the seat.
I rolled my eyes and took a deep breath. "Look, I don't know
what's going on here. Or even where HERE is. I thought this
was Level 42?"
"42...So
there are 42 levels?!!!" he marveled. "Excellent. Please,
you've got to tell me all about this Utopiaverse Game."
"But..."
I stammered. "Look, I'm not going to say another word to you
until you tell where we are!"
The old man smiled. "That simple. We're in the InBetween..."
"The
what?"
"The
InBetween... a timeless, spaceless moment inbetween all possible
realities. It's where we all go in daydreams. It's where all
your hopes reside. It's..."
I had had enough. "Please. I just want to find my squad and
get back to the Game," I pleaded.
"You've
got a squad. Oh that's so cool!" Suddenly, his beaming smile
started to fade and he scratched his beard. Then he started
to grimace again, clamping his eyes closed and clenching his
fists. Finally, he shuddered, breathed in and out slowly a
few times until a sad smile returned.
"If
you don't tell me about it so I can write it down, I'm afraid
this Utopiaverse game will never exist," he sighed.
I just stared at him with my mouth hanging open.
"It's
not just the Game. If we don't get it down soon, I'm pretty
sure you and your whole Team won't exist, either."
"Hamina...Hamina..."
I shook my head, cartoonishly.
This was just too much. It didn't make any sense at all. And
yet, somehow I knew he was telling the truth. I knew that
I was going to have to do this. I walked over to the recliner
and sat down.
The guy was rubbing his hands together, giggling like a mad
professor. Then he plopped onto his chair in front of his
computer. He took off his glasses and rubbed them on his robe,
then put them back on. "Okay. Let's get started," he said
as he clapped his hands together and started tapping away
at his keyboard.
I started to nod off a bit, drifting in and out of consciousness
as I watched the old guy tapping away.
"Okay,"
I heard him say and I jumped awake. He was biting his lip,
starting off into space. "So, tell me, what is the Utopiaverse?"
he asked.
I stared over at the nutcase and sighed. "So... there are
an infinite number of storylines in an infinite number of
parallel universes..."
"Yes,
the multiverse..." he beamed. "Go on..."
"And
the Utopiaverse is a tiny subset of all the storylines in
those infinite number of parallel universes... the ones which
lead to Utopia..."
"Ah
UTOPIA!" the old guy closed his eyes. "Where every life is
valued," he whispered, "and every heart is filled with hope."
His voice started to get louder and louder as he continued.
"Where joy is the reason for living and every moment is a
chance to share our love. Where every day fulfills our true
purpose and is shared with those we love..." A rapturous smile
made his face practically glow.
I blinked a few times, waiting to see if he had finished.
"Um... Yeah, that's the place," I agreed.
"Okay.
So you and your Team played through 42 Levels..."
"41.
This was supposed to be Level 42. The Team disappeared when
we got here, and all there was, was a door. Which led to you."
"Right.
Okay. I do remember some of this," he said thoughtfully. "In
each of those levels you explored a particular genre. A Faerie
realm, a sci-fi adventure, historical re-enactments..."
"Uh
huh," I agreed.
"And
if I recall you had to find ways to help elevate the nearby
parallel universes until they merged with the one storyline
in that grouping that leads to Utopia."
"Yep.
You got it professor."
He gleefully rubbed his hands together before returning to
his keyboard. "Oh, this is wonderful," he laughed as he typed
away.
"Okay,
so let's take it from the beginning. Did you start the Game
with your squad or did you meet them in the Game?"
"I
was alone the first few levels," I sighed. "But on each of
the levels after that I joined forces with others whose profiles
seemed to match up well. By the eighth level the Team had
come together and we were inseparable. Well, until Level 42..."
"Oh
boy. I can't wait to meet them. Hang on kid. Let's get this
party started! Level 1 here we come!"
He gleefully tapped away on his computer, and suddenly, the
two of us were in The Game, standing at the entrance to Level
1.
