Part One: The New Arrival
"Dedicated to the hopeless suffering poor of our own world, abiding on so little while the wealthy take so much."
Greetings, curious readers from the past, present, and future, both human and otherwise. Call me Johnny, and I'm here to share a highly unusual experience. A strange visitation, something impossible and extraordinary that recently happened to me.
I cannot claim it was an astral experience or any type of dream, because I possessed a physical version of my own body. Also, unlike lucid dreaming, I touched perfectly detailed textures as well as interacted with everything that I could or wanted, possessing full clarity and awareness the entire time. Call it what you will, stepping outside of the simulation (for those that believe in such things) or an astral yet physical visitation to our Earth in some very far-flung human future timeline. My only purpose is to accurately describe this event honestly, but not to convince you that it did indeed happen. I leave that up to you as curious readers to decide, and frankly I don't care either way. Believe it, or don't, but It did occur.
The fact is that it really happened is not up for debate for me, it did, and it affected me so powerfully that every memorized detail I will forever recall.
One recent lazy morning I was reclining on my comfy couch with the TV blaring, and suddenly I was somehow no longer there in my own living room.
My TV was not in front of me, nor was my couch underneath me. I was standing, and looking down, and I seemed to have my own body. Oddly enough I was dressed in my real-life ankle length black trench coat, which I've owned for over 15 years. I suppose this coat is embedded in my soul now, wherever I drift in life, either physically or spiritually, i'll always be wearing this particular coat. I will undoubtedly be buried in it when my time comes.
I started looking around at my surroundings, which definitely did not match my living room. This was no residence of mine, but a long and wide hall, such as those that one would commonly see throughout various large high-schools across the USA. I say that because I've never been to a high-school outside of my own country. So I color my descriptions here as something an actual american would use.
There were other people all around me, walking in both directions down this hallway. If this was some type of school, which was the impression I had, it was for every possible age. Many races and ages were there, wearing lots of varieties and types of clothing, and all of them seemed somehow busy. I heard some of them speaking, almost like a background murmuring, words on a level that was on the periphery of my hearing. I didn't understand exactly what they were saying though. They didn't seem to be speaking any one particular language, but I had the impression it was some unusual mishmash of many languages, somehow consolidated into one universally shared one, which sadly enough I couldn't understand. Not from lack of trying or interest I assure you, since as a natural explorer I was instantly fascinated.
Where was I, why was I even here, and what was I supposed to be doing here exactly? Not knowing any of this, I duly followed my natural inclinations.
I started looking and really seeing, reigniting my childlike sense of wonder, something adults seem to often tragically lose. I decided that if I could see and explore everything here that's exactly what I intended do, for as long as I had the privilege of being able to do it.
I started passing others on every side, as I was curious to see more of this reality, suspecting I couldn't stay for long. Some seemed to look at me strangely passing my by, and a few seemed to laugh (mainly the younger ones), but none got in my way. Along both sides of this hallway there were doorways, and peeking in one, I saw what looked like a common classroom environment, but with long low benches, not desks. A seemingly simple effective design. I have no doubt during classes (if that's what these were actually used for) these rooms would be packed.
All over the hallway walls were written what looked like many different names, but I wasn't sure that's what they actually were. There were some recognizable english letters, mixed in with symbols which I didn't recognize. The letters appeared chalk-like, and I extended my finger to feel it. However, it wasn't chalk, and it didn't rub off. Apparently these names were somehow digital, designed to look like chalk, but couldn't be removed or smeared by mere touch. Things here were made to appear simplistic, and comfortably presented, but nothing here would be really simple. Of this I had a profound suspicion.
There were people passing me in both directions, this seemed a very busy place. Also seemingly randomly scattered were some old-timey hand weapons hanging along the walls via hooks. I didn't notice any guns, but maces, axes, daggers and a number of different styled swords from many eras were hung there. These weren't locked behind glass, but freely available to touch and pick up.
Reaching out I carefully grabbed a small hand axe just out of curiosity, expecting to hear an objecting voice, but not a peep.
I even watched as someone walked by me carrying a weapon of his own. Since I couldn't understand the language, I had to go by my own impressions, which are usually highly-accurate. I have natural instincts in such unusual situations. My impression was that these were actual teaching tools, and there was no chance of violence in this place. So these weapons were freely displayed and available to be held, perhaps for a better learning experience? Replacing the axe, I continued down the hall.
I walked towards the far end where the hall turned left. I could see a very large open rectangular window there, though I noticed no actual glass. There was a lot of daylight coming in, even though the hallway behind me wasn't dark in any sense of the word. I came to a long black table directly under the window, perhaps the height of a standard coffee table. Sitting at one side was a woman with long dark hair, wearing a brightly-colored earthy-type dress. With a simple gesture she beckoned me to sit on a matching black chair, which I immediately did. She said a few words which of course I couldn't translate, as she gestured with a smile towards various small objects on the table before me.
They appeared to be different shapes, and looked like they could be made of plastic and various other cheap-looking materials. I picked up one, it reminded me of some strange sort of clock. The bottom half was a slim square hollow frame with a solid upper piece. The object was smaller than my fist, and could have been anything from a clock to a tiny handheld doomsday device, I didn't have a clue. I picked it up, and it was so smooth I felt no seams. Playing with it a little, it weighed almost nothing. The top piece was a solid box within the hollow frame. I saw no screen, no buttons, and no display area. I ran my fingers over it, expecting nothing, but still highly curious. I heard a few low beeps, and the object started a weird vibration while the beeps continued. No light came on, but I could hear a hum sound as the vibration intensified. I still hadn't a single clue what this object was, or what function it served. As I replaced it back on the table, the vibration and hum stopped immediately. Whatever function it served was well-beyond my understanding.
The woman that invited me to sit was watching my reactions, and subtly nodded, while she pointed at another highly unusual object. This looked black and silver, and resembled a cylinder-shaped handle, shaped to be held I suppose. The bottom(handle part) was a silvery color, with a small bright green led light on it. The top of the handle was all black, and looked like a rubbery material, but compacted into overlapping folds. It felt extremely lightweight as I picked it up. Seeing no buttons I put my fingertip over the tiny green light to see if it was some sort of odd control mechanism. The light changed to red, and I felt the device start moving,
As I held this "handle", the red light stayed on, and the black rubbery-looking top section started slowly stretching out, like an extending rod, and the folds I perceived started straightening themselves and the length of the device continued. Think Pinocchio's nose effect, except no lies were being told. The device strangely kept getting longer in my hand as I watched.
I pointed it up and away so the far lengthening end wouldn't hit any passing folks as it kept getting longer. It quickly got so long, I pointed it towards the window that was across from me. I had no idea how to stop this device, which got to about eight feet long before I got worried. If this was some sort of toy blade made of rubber, it seemed harmless, but how long would this crazy device actually get?
The top was now reaching through the window, and still growing. It reminded me of a long toy-style blade, but soft. It seemed like a thick black extending sword if made by the nerf company. I wondered if this thing keep would keep expanding forever?
This question and my confusion must have been apparent on my face, because the watching woman reached over to my hand, and put her finger over the red light, which now turned to green again, and the device immediately started retracting. The top part started piling up into rubber folds again. She nodded at me as I put the device back on the table, which was now the original size again.
I realized that I could examine these various devices on that table for the next few decades, and never understand their functions at all. This unique technology was well-beyond my ken. So I nodded back to her, giving a slight hand wave hoping this was understood as a grateful gesture at least. It was time to see more of this place as long as I was still here. The brightness outside the windows again stoked my curiosity. It was time to step outside, if I could. I wondered how common was it for visitors like myself to appear here, since no one seemed surprised at my presence.
So rising from my seat, I was certainly ready to go see and discover more.