The Other Side – I

My name is William, and if you’re reading this, then I failed. I hope I didn’t… or don’t. It’s hard writing this way… Anyway, I hope you don’t read this, but if I do fail, then someone will need to know what happened, so that maybe they can fix it.

You see, I am what’s commonly known as a medium. Not the kind that burns incense and tells you your grandma loved you for 50 bucks. A real medium. There are seven of us, at all times. Each born with a particular power and trained by our predecessor for 7 months before they are allowed to pass on. Our job, contrary to popular conception, is not to communicate with inhabitants of other dimensions; it is to make sure everyone stays in the right one. You’d be surprised how often somebody tries to make a break for another dimension

Probably the most famous instance of a successful breach occurred a little over 1000 years ago. His name was Vlad, and they still make movies about him. Each dimension has a name. You and I live in The Middle. That is, as you might imagine, the warm, nice hospitable dimension that sits right in the middle of all the others, and where everyone wants to be. The Middle has 7 sides, each with a dimension bordering it, and each of those dimensions has a particular creature that inhabits it.

Vlad came from the Dark Side, where vampires live, and the rivers run red with blood… because they are blood, which is great if you’re a vampire. Every creature you have ever heard of comes from one of the seven sides. Werewolves, for instance, come from the Wild Side. Angels come from the Bright Side, and so on.

I am responsible for maintaining the barrier between The Middle and The Other Side, and I am writing to let you know that what happened was not my fault. I only ever traveled to the other side to make sure there were no humans trapped there, and I took care of every stray breach to this side according to protocol… But that wasn’t enough.

I guess I should start at the beginning. One day, about a year ago, I went down into my basement to check the portal, and it was glowing magenta. Magenta is good. That is the correct color for the Other Side. However, just as I was getting ready to head back upstairs, the portal turned red. I looked back… magenta… I turned my head: red. The portal is not sentient, but sometimes it is temperamental. Under no circumstances, though, should it have been doing that, so I climbed the creaky stairs back down into my basement, and I knelt over the murky pool of purple light. I closed my eyes, and stepped down into the portal as if it were a hot tub. I felt the familiar tingle of energy crackling up my spine, and soon found myself sitting in a pool of green energy, on the Other Side.

I looked up at the murky, yellow sky. It was a nice day by this dimensions standard. I climbed up out of the portal and looked around at the familiar grove of trees, where this portal lived. The trees were in neat rows, carefully planted and cultivated. Their black trunks were sturdy and thick. The owner of this farm, Zed, was a good friend of mine, and his crop appeared to be ready for harvest, because the branches of the ancient trees hung heavy, and at the ends of them, were brains.