Humanity awoke from the vision of the Multiverse with a severe headache, the type a bad bottle of four dollar red wine could bring. Everyone was stipulated midway back. Sophie would never know, but a very small fraction of humans down on earth, about twenty thousand, died from cerebral hemorrhages after the shock. Brains and human bodies were fragile in many ways but this wasn’t here or there.

This time there was no pinch, no positive effect, only a vision of greatness, some higher Communion only to be followed by pain and darkness. On earth, the vision lasted seconds but felt like hours to humanity. No one but Sophie could accurately understand the meaning of the images. To humankind in the broadest sense, the message gleaned from the experience was that the Multiverse was much more complicated than they had previously imagined and that Frank Sinatra had somehow hurt it.

Liam’s ego was bruised. He had to admit his own understanding of the Multiverse and the consequence to cause theory was a feeble and childish. Sophie had been clear: men would play a role in two weeks. Unlike the Great Communion, which elevated the consciousness of the human race, this latest vision did no such thing.

Men on earth, already humbled now felt insecure. The sun was raining on them, and earth was days from complete destruction because they recklessly caused mass destruction and death in the Purple. They had also allowed an artificial intelligence to grow out of control as they played like children. The media and their experts were mostly resolved. They, as a race now-united, deserved what came next.

***

Time skipped and moved sideways. There was a shriek as time resumed.

Images jumbled and jumped.

Once again, life skipped but this was no pinch, it was different.

***

The Multiverse showed to Sophie how it worked and connected temporarily two events. Back in her first visit to the Underworlds, butterflies made of book pages flew out where on each side were events ‘caused’ and ‘linked’ by a greater force.

There is was again, a flood of butterflies difficult to ignore. Everyone tried to distinguish the visions. Many had to do with sand on mars, Georges was there talking to Marilyn. Images of her digital world had to be ignored by most. The Multiverse was desperately trying to speak, she was simply unable to make sense.

Every piece of the recent story flashed. The mercury rescue, the war with the Purple, the song of Marilyn, the Pinch and the Communion.

“Sophie,” spoke Liam with great difficulty. His voice resonated to all living creatures as the minds were connected.

“Yes?”

“Nothing illustrates the future, this is all the past.”

Sophie looked around, the butterflies slowed until she could see hundreds of images from the past of this story. “What does it mean?”

“There is no future,” offered Liam.

Sophie, simply corrected him. “Or nothing today, nothing before the Attraction is linked with the world after the Attraction. That is the key here.”

“Of course sweet one.” There was hope in his voice. “She fears simply because it’s a perfect pivot, a perfect break. A point in time where nothing before is linked with anything after.”

“It must feel to her as train wagons, connected by a link about to snap off.” Added Liam. Humanity in tow was wrestling.

In the back, Sinatra sang.

***

This was different than the pinch. When humanity’s consciousness was finally released, it slowly surfed back. It saw a clock, the one in Sophie’s room begin to advance furiously. The seconds, then minutes began to roll forward as if the Multiverse was moving quickly to her end. Hours began to scroll. Sophie was not happy. This was a run forward made of panic and fear.

She willed to see the game and her father play. Slowly, the time clock began to slow down. Time was being pushed back to normalcy. She desired it. Days had passed and slowly the clock returned to a normal pace. Once it did, life resumed. Humanity had not moved, Sophie still stood in her room next to Milly hand in the air.

The Clock Read:

November 7, 2072 - 16:45 PM

15 Minutes to Round 30

The Multiverse wanted the Attraction, it had forced the time forward at the eve of Round 30. Sophie’s father would play.