* this is part of MadisenMusic's Holiday collab: http://www.hitrecord.org/records/889827 

Play&Learn Day - 7/27

Try something you've never done before.

Work with someone who's not on your wavelength.

Make a how-to RECord.

Make somebody laugh.

What else?

As the ripples close in, I remember that StarTrek - Voyager episode where the ship gets exposed to some distortion in the space-time continuum and, after frantic attempts to get out of that, Janeway hallucinates the message, "Do nothing." There isn't much that I could do anyway. It's everywhere around me. And the pen in my hand may or may not be mightier than the sword, but it doesn't seem to have much power over ripples in the fabric of the universe. I take a deep breath, and find peace for a moment.

When I can see clearly again, she is standing right in front of me. That makes no sense. Why would that phenomenon duplicate me, but nothing else? What, to the laws of nature and the powers that govern them, is the difference between me and that lone chair over there? I could use another chair much better than another me. It's hard enough to drag this one through life.

Whose apartment is this now? Will we have to sit in shifts, because I have only one chair? My chair. "I'll take the couch", I say. She nods. She understands. It's a good couch. Nice and large and comfortable. I'm upset anyway. When someone offers you the bed, you're supposed to insist on the couch.

I turn to go and make coffee. She's not going to like that. It's her kitchen. You don't just make coffee in someone else's kitchen without asking. You don't just do things with my stuff. This is my home. This is where I am in control.

She smiles. She understands. The tension releases in laughter. "We'll get this worked out.", she says. I nod. "I like your personality."

- Hey, where are you?

- At Jake's party, of course. Where are you?

- At Jake's party. With, like, twelve other people. And guess what? You're not one of them.

- Very funny. Where are you?

- I'm at the party. Stop fooling me. Why aren't you here?

- I am. In the living room, with everybody else.

- Fine. Then tell me, what is Jake wearing?

- Jeans, of course. And that weird blue T-shirt from that   church event he'd never go to.

- ...

- So?

- He just put that on.

- I know. I saw it. What the fuck...?

- Ok. This is... weird... Ok. Let me just talk to Jake.

- Ok.

- ...

- ...

- Uhm... Can you do me a favor?

- Sure.

- Can you just talk to Jake? Ask him... if I'm here?

- ... Ok.

- ...

- I'm not sure what's going on. He's ignoring me.

- Holy shit. Me too.

- What the hell is going on?

- I have no idea. Say, did you talk to anyone before you called?

- Yeah. All normal.

- Same here. What just happened?!

- I don't know, man. I don't care. I'm going home now. I'm going home.

- Home was last week. This is now. Let's be rational.

- Rational? RATIONAL?! I am HERE, man. I AM HERE!

While the standard implementation was disappointingly flawed, she found that the concept of reality had a lot of potential.