The next night, Isolde arrived at the beach early. Aurelian was away, so on this night, she had relished the rare opportunity to pack herself a picnic and watch the sunset over the Copernican Ocean.


    For a few weeks, she had been slipping away to the same spot every midnight, chasing the faint hope of seeing the portal—and Zethar. The enigmatic cosmic researcher had a way of leaving her with the feeling that the universe itself had shifted, revealing possibilities she’d never imagined.


    Sometimes, they appeared only briefly to one another. Or could only see each other in silent flashes; their words delayed or lost altogether to the void between them. A few other times Isolde and Zethar were able to converse clearly for nearly an hour; mostly trading facts to try and uncover the nature of their dimensional overlap.


    “How do you suppose it is that you speak the universal language,” Isolde asked once. “If we are not in the same universe?”


    “Perhaps we are in the same universe but on divergent timelines,” Zethar had replied. “Or it’s possible, we’re truly so far apart that our worlds have yet to discover one another. The very existence of this portal proves how little we truly understand about space or time.”


    Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Now, waiting for Zethar after sundown, Isolde prayed this wouldn’t be one of the nights the anomaly failed to manifest. When it finally appeared, it was in a jarring flash further down the shore, the sound of which shattered the air. For a moment, it felt as though even the ocean’s tide had stilled.


    “Is everything alright?” She cried out, running to the light.


    “I’m here,” Zethar called back.


    His voice was clearer than it had ever been, and though the light of the portal around him was practically blinding, Isolde could distinguish his features more sharply than any of the times he had appeared before. His eyes were wide and excited.


    “I’ve been working on something,” Zethar explained. “A device that strengthens the portal by stabilizing its energy levels. Makes it easier for us to see and hear one another. It isn’t perfect, but I seem to be making good progress.”