Awakened Minds

It was the event of the year for the small town of Alta Lune, and everyone was on the front-line to see, and experience, alternative realities. Many studies surrounding the mind’s potential were still limited, but the awareness and curiosity grew bigger every year. Some sought answers for the few unexplained death cases recently, while others had a hunger for power the mind possessed—they just needed to know how to access it. While there had been very few cases of people having ‘out of body’ experiences, the extraordinary accounts indicated the subject never returned. Once such case involved a young female who entered into a deep state of meditation only to find she was wandering into another state of mind. It was theorised that perhaps she got stuck somewhere between reality and another dimensional field. When her thoughts got the better of her the world began to close in around her, and where she thought she was, no longer existed. Reality no longer tangible, and her consciousness diminished.

The young girl’s lifeless body was found in her room and had no verifiable cause of death. She was taken by the authorities to be monitored at the hospital “for any promise of life that remained. It was determined that she was in some deep state comma, with the most basic life sustaining activity barely assisted by modern medicine. Answers still remain unknown and many doctors refused to acknowledge supernatural occurrences or open their minds to the greater possibility. Some say she is still alive, fighting for her life back, others believe it is just a rumour. But there is only one person who knew the real story, Dr. Nelson.

On 8th September 1990, Dr. Nelson was brought in as head neuroscientist for the case and he found a fascinating revelation about her brain activity that was unexplainable. Although Karen was not conscious, and could be classified as dead, Nelson was charting constant movement throughout different parts of the brain which signified a part of her was alert to stimulus, and he was intrigued to find out what. His curiosity obligated him to investigate more. However, strict hospital regulation prevented him to investigate further, and any medical exploration beyond the family’s wishes. After several years on life support, family visits became less frequent, and their hopes of Karen waking up diminished. Dr. Nelson felt sad for the girl, but also saw it as a window of opportunity.

That evening when he finished work, he paid a visit to her room. He found no visitors and the one unconcerned nurse monitoring her. Karen was peaceful, but a darkness began to creep in within the room as Dr. Nelson’s presence approached. It grew with every step closer he took. Nelson was not there for his usual rounds, and someone or something sensed that. Before entering her room, he checked the hallway to make sure the coast was clear. He approached closer to Karen’s side, knowing that what he was about to do would risk his medical license. He started to unplug the monitors and lifted Karen into a wheelchair. Before long, he was making his way out of the hospital and vanished with her. No one ever claimed to know what happened to her and also, with the family’s lost hope, no-one felt too concerned to find out. Nelson never returned to the hospital again.

Researching and monitoring Karen became Nelson’s only priority. He resigned from the hospital, opened a therapy room to earn a gradual income, and devoted his life to mapping the mind. The months turned into years as his passion turned into relentless pursuit of answering the question of where we really go when we no longer seem to be here. Karen’s body had been unconscious all this time, but Nelson continued to record unusual readings from the tests, which he took to the Awakened Minds Convention every year. He showcased his work to try and attract more people who explored meditative states of mind, and to give himself a greater understanding of what they explored, and whether they had ever been fearful of venturing too far. Much of the research of others could never give him the answer he needed; until this year.

Isabelle and her husband, Henry, came to the convention full of intrigue and curiosity. It was their first year at the Awakened Minds Convention. Although it was mostly Isabelle’s interest, Henry always went along to support her. They had a deep love that was rare, what most people longed for but not many achieved. Isabelle’s personality could lift your spirits and make you feel as if you had known her all your life, while Henry had a heart of gold and would do anything for those he loved. He supported his wife’s devotion to yoga classes and her private practices over the years, until he became cautious of a new study introduced to her.

One day, Isabelle was approached by her Instructor. "You have a deep spirit within you, a power that extends beyond many others," she would say. Isabelle accepted graciously, despite not fully understanding what this meant. The Instructor handed her a leaflet and invited her to experience a deeper practice that would enable her to explore her so called ‘power’. Although Isabelle had heard of the stories and dangers that could happen, she was cautious, but did not close her mind to the possibilities, and instead felt inspired to learn more. So, this year when she attended the Convention, little did she know her desire to fully understand this ‘inner power’ might be another’s gain.

Dr. Nelson kept a sharp eye out for new attendees and his eyes immediately caught sight of Isabelle as she made her way through the convention doors. Her eyes filled with wonder and a light that radiated throughout the room. He could not help but approach her.

“Hi, are you new this year?" Dr. Nelson said.

Henry and Isabelle diverted their attention from the welcome desk, and turned to greet the tall, strange looking man before them. They were not the kind of people who would pass judgement, and so they politely responded. "Hi, yes we are new. I’m Isabelle and this is my husband, Henry. And you are?" she replied pleasantly. Henry could sense Nelson was more interested in talking to Isabelle, so he stood closer to her than normal. Isabelle would always see the good in people, and although it was what Henry loved most about her, when he got an unsettled feeling about someone, he was alert for them both.

"The name is Nelson, Dr. Nelson. I come to this Convention every year, fascinated by the human mind and its secrets yet to be discovered," he responded.

The way he said secrets was almost snake like. Although his voice was soft, his energy felt dark and motivated to gain something from them. With a gentle pull against Isabelle’s arm, Henry cautioned further conversation. But Isabelle was obviously too intrigued by Nelson’s statement and wondered what he meant by "secrets". She could not contain her curiosity to explore the idea of the mind’s full ability.

"If you would like, I could show you some of my work on the topic," he said as he began to guide her back to his booth. Henry tagged along, unsettled by Nelson’s fascination with Isabelle.

His booth was in a small corner of the convention room, almost as if he did not want to draw too much attention to himself, but enough to draw the ones he wanted in. Nelson knew Isabelle held a fascination for his work simply by the way she asked questions. Her questions were deep and thoughtful, with a sophisticated attitude towards the human body as if she knew it were something to be further explored. His work was displayed through pictures and charts of Karen’s brain activity.

Over the course of the years that Nelson had been monitoring Karen, there was a certain time each year, usually in the autumn, where she became especially active and her brain was on high alert.

"What happened here? Why is it that the activity is always so stimulated, I thought she was unconscious?" Isabelle asked.

"That is what my study is for. Your brain does not completely shut down when you are unconscious, but there is more localized activity. However, as you can see, it is as if she is fully awake somewhere else, but not really here. I want to know what is going on in her head; what had allowed her to ‘jump dimensions’, as I theorise and believe to have happened."

"Can you do that?" Isabelle asked.

"We already know how, it is just a matter of unlocking our own ability to do so."

Isabelle was trying to digest his words. It was not an answer, but bait to lure her in. Nelson asked if she was interested in meditation and if she had ever been approached to practice a higher exploration of herself in search of different frequencies. Isabelle hesitated, becoming slightly on edge. Did “Did he know about the Instructor giving her the leaflet? Or was it just a coincidence? The topic was becoming more popular so should not have surprised her it came up again. Although the thought lingered, she wondered, why her? Could there really be something more in the mind worth exploring? She had always heard stories from her mother about travelling through different dimensions; something about frequency levels. Was this what her mother meant? Isabelle’s mind was full of ongoing questions, wonder, intrigue and a definite attraction to Nelson’s ideologies. She had spent years practising meditation and always felt a surge of higher energy, but never gave in to the idea that her mind could run freely into another dimension. As these thoughts consumed her, Nelson knew he had sparked something in her, and all he had to do was wait. A small encounter was now moving in the direction towards his much larger plan.

Isabelle, I think we should check out some of the other booths now. There is lots more to explore." Henry drew her attention away from Nelson. Isabelle agreed, but still hung on to the words the doctor had spoke. Before they wandered off, Nelson spoke to both of them, first to Isabelle telling her to not give up on the greater possibilities and to explore further even if it meant becoming ‘lost’. Secondly, he addressed Henry, handing him his card in case Henry ever needed his help or needed someone to talk to. Henry was put off by his gesture to "just talk", but he politely accepted and held on to it, despite knowing he would probably need it at some point. As they left his booth, Dr. Nelson watched as they disappeared into the crowd, convinced that he may have found a soul who would be his next case.