telling a wild story, I decided to tell Fred what had been happening to me ever since I’d run away. He seemed like a nice man. Maybe he could help me figure it out. “This is going to sound crazy,” I started, glancing at Fred, then staring out the windshield. “I’ve been living my life like everyone else, but I’ve never heard of F.A.T. before you told me about it.”
“That don’t make no sense,” he said, scowling.
“Well, that’s not all.” I hesitated, not sure how to explain what I’d gone through.
“What else, missy? You got some sorta secret you’re hidin’?”
“Well, no. But I don’t understand some other things that have happened.” I paused, looking in his direction. “And I’m afraid you won’t believe me.”
“If you don’t tell me, then how will I have the chance to decide?”
“Decide what?”
“Whether you’re pullin’ my leg or not.” He looked at me, a stern expression on his face.
Tears sprang to my eyes and I looked away.
“Okay, missy. What’s goin’ on?”
I met his gaze, then he looked back at the road. “I swear, Fred. This is the truth.”
He nodded.
Then I told him how I’d run away and found the hut, then had to leave through the tunnel. How my family had moved, but the woman said they’d been gone several weeks, even though I had been there just the night before.
“Well, first off, you shouldn’t of run away.”
“I know that now,” I said. “But that doesn’t help me.”
“I’m not surprised about your family movin’ though. That happens all the time.” He looked at me for a moment. “Is anyone in your family overweight?”
I thought about my parents and how they’d both always been a little heavy, but it had never been an issue. “I guess my dad might be.”
“A lot of families have to sell their house when they’re taken to a F.A.T. center.”
“Why?”
“How else are they gonna pay for it?”
“You mean they’re forced to go there, but they’re also forced to pay for it?”
“Yep.”
As I considered those ideas, I was quiet. Then, “Are you saying you think my dad was taken to a F.A.T. center and they had to sell the house to pay for it?”
“That’s how it usually works.”
“But it doesn’t make sense that it could all happen so fast. And that woman said she’d lived in my house for weeks.”
He was quiet for a minute, then said, “I’ve always been a fan of science fiction.” He paused. “It sounds to me like you came from some parallel universe or somethin’.”
I laughed. “What does that even mean?”
He didn’t laugh. “Some people believe that there are alternate realities, very similar to this one, but with some differences.”
“And how would I have gotten here? I didn’t travel on a spaceship or anything. I’ve only walked.”
“Tell me more about that place where you had to walk in the tunnel.”
I thought about the hut and how the tree had fallen on the door, forcing me to find another way out and how I’d climbed down into the cellar and then found the long, long hallway. “Well, it was just a building. Nothing special or unusual about it.”
“But it was after you’d gone through that tunnel that everything changed, right?”
“Well, yeah. But I don’t remember traveling through the universe or anything.”
He chuckled. “Those that believe say you can’t always tell when you’ve gone through one of them wormholes or whatever they’re called.”
“Oh. So how would you know if you did?”
“How should I know? I didn’t say I believed in it. Just that some people do.”
I didn’t respond. I wasn’t sure if I believed what he’d suggested, although it did pretty much explain everything. But I found it hard to believe that I wouldn’t have felt something or seen something if I had traveled to a different universe. I shook my head. The idea was too crazy for me. There had to be another explanation. “How much longer until we get to Timber Hills?”
“Oh,
“That don’t make no sense,” he said, scowling.
“Well, that’s not all.” I hesitated, not sure how to explain what I’d gone through.
“What else, missy? You got some sorta secret you’re hidin’?”
“Well, no. But I don’t understand some other things that have happened.” I paused, looking in his direction. “And I’m afraid you won’t believe me.”
“If you don’t tell me, then how will I have the chance to decide?”
“Decide what?”
“Whether you’re pullin’ my leg or not.” He looked at me, a stern expression on his face.
Tears sprang to my eyes and I looked away.
“Okay, missy. What’s goin’ on?”
I met his gaze, then he looked back at the road. “I swear, Fred. This is the truth.”
He nodded.
Then I told him how I’d run away and found the hut, then had to leave through the tunnel. How my family had moved, but the woman said they’d been gone several weeks, even though I had been there just the night before.
“Well, first off, you shouldn’t of run away.”
“I know that now,” I said. “But that doesn’t help me.”
“I’m not surprised about your family movin’ though. That happens all the time.” He looked at me for a moment. “Is anyone in your family overweight?”
I thought about my parents and how they’d both always been a little heavy, but it had never been an issue. “I guess my dad might be.”
“A lot of families have to sell their house when they’re taken to a F.A.T. center.”
“Why?”
“How else are they gonna pay for it?”
“You mean they’re forced to go there, but they’re also forced to pay for it?”
“Yep.”
As I considered those ideas, I was quiet. Then, “Are you saying you think my dad was taken to a F.A.T. center and they had to sell the house to pay for it?”
“That’s how it usually works.”
“But it doesn’t make sense that it could all happen so fast. And that woman said she’d lived in my house for weeks.”
He was quiet for a minute, then said, “I’ve always been a fan of science fiction.” He paused. “It sounds to me like you came from some parallel universe or somethin’.”
I laughed. “What does that even mean?”
He didn’t laugh. “Some people believe that there are alternate realities, very similar to this one, but with some differences.”
“And how would I have gotten here? I didn’t travel on a spaceship or anything. I’ve only walked.”
“Tell me more about that place where you had to walk in the tunnel.”
I thought about the hut and how the tree had fallen on the door, forcing me to find another way out and how I’d climbed down into the cellar and then found the long, long hallway. “Well, it was just a building. Nothing special or unusual about it.”
“But it was after you’d gone through that tunnel that everything changed, right?”
“Well, yeah. But I don’t remember traveling through the universe or anything.”
He chuckled. “Those that believe say you can’t always tell when you’ve gone through one of them wormholes or whatever they’re called.”
“Oh. So how would you know if you did?”
“How should I know? I didn’t say I believed in it. Just that some people do.”
I didn’t respond. I wasn’t sure if I believed what he’d suggested, although it did pretty much explain everything. But I found it hard to believe that I wouldn’t have felt something or seen something if I had traveled to a different universe. I shook my head. The idea was too crazy for me. There had to be another explanation. “How much longer until we get to Timber Hills?”
“Oh,
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