Written for Pancreatic Cancer UK to fundraise and raise awareness of this terrible disease after losing my dad in November 2020

Part 4

Kerry

As my phone rang, Georgie flashed across the screen.  The professor had been busy and, in his lab, had recreated the lightning affect.  He had sent some mice into space and was now wanting humans to step into the time void.  Georgie and Abigail had also found themselves to be copies but where Georgie had heard of Hurricane Hannah, Abigail hadn’t.  We concluded that Abigail had been living in this timeline the longest.

Mastering how to return is a leap of faith, the mice had not come back, but we hope they are enjoying their new lives.

Georgie

Georgie wondered if the changes in James were because he wasn’t actually her James.  It appeared that the other Georgie had wanted a family, and family car.  She was not bothered, at some point a decision must have been made and her life stemmed from it.   With all the complications of decisions and timelines she was confused with how this all worked.

Curious and wanting to get back to her own time, she had agreed to jump into the unknown.  She had no family to think of, just James who appeared to not really be hers.

The thought of recreating the lightning bolt scared her but she trusted that if Kerry was brave enough then she should be as well.

Abigail

Abigail was more dubious about the plan.  She didn’t want to be a doppelganger copy, this was not her world.  However, she was settled here and all was good, she liked her life and was happy to stay. Agreeing to stay with Kirsty they would work with the Professor in their current timeline.

The decision

It has been agreed that Georgie and I will go on ahead.  The Professor has given us a tool that recreates the lightning from Hurricane Hannah, so hopefully we will be able to leap between timelines. I’m trying to stay positive, it’s going to be an adventure, but this could be dangerous. We might be copies but we are just as vulnerable as our human originals and people don’t usually hop between parallel timelines.

The plan is for the two of us to go in the morning.  Sleep is restless and uncomfortable, a mixture of excitement and anticipation. It’s not easy to rest when your life as you know it is about to be turned upside down.  I have spoken with my family, I’m hoping after all of this, there is a way to get everyone in the world and parallels back to where they should be.  Surely we can’t all stay in the wrong place forever.

The lightning bolt

Holding Georgie’s hand, we are both shaking, both anxious but both knowing that we must do this. Both clutching another lightning ball in our spare hand we smiled nervously as the room filled with sparks of recreated Hurricane Hannah. Standing at the edge of the void this was it.  As the fake storm started the room around us changed.  Kirsty and Abigail vanished but a familiar face stayed. As the room became clearer, we could see the shocked face of Professor Jeffries.  We had travelled from Cambridge University to Cambridge University.   We should have guessed that would happen, I’m assuming that the Professor did.

“Who are you? Where did you come from?”

“Hello, sorry.” I wasn’t sure what to say.  Glancing at the walls I could see diagrams of Hurricanes and lightning bolts and then lists of diseases to be cured,

“This is strange, what is happening?” Georgie was shaking.

Professor Jeffries

“What’s happening?”

“Professor, have you heard of Hurricane Hannah?”

“No, cause not, there was Hurricane Rebekah a few weeks ago, but not Hannah.”

“In your research, have you heard of the doppelgangers?”

“I’ve found no concrete evidence for them.”

“You have listed diseases on your wall, are they getting cured?”  I hoped for a yes, but that would be too simple.

“They are doing a lot of research; they are close with diabetes and the pancreas.  Dementia they have managed to reverse.   Surely you know this.”

“Do you know the theory that when a person makes a decision, another them is created and takes the other option.”

“I’ve heard of it but have no evidence.  Who are you?  You both appeared in my office in a flash of light, so what is this?

Doppelgangers

“Georgie and I are doppelgangers.  We are copies of an original.   We have jumped from a different timeline.  Was there lightning with Hurricane Rebekah?”

The Professor started to stammer and stutter.  “Yes, there was, and lightning is not normal with a hurricane.”

“So, when these hurricanes happen, we believe that somehow people and families are pulled between the time parallels.  It sounds far fetched but our DNA has checked out as identical to our doppelgangers.  There are more then one of us, each formed from a different decision”.

“Did you just leave another me?”

“We did?”

“I’ve a thought, the me you know, obviously didn’t have the answer you are seeking.  Why are you here?

“We are hoping to find the answer to cures for major illnesses like Pancreatic Cancer.  We also want the answer on how to put everyone back in their correct timelines and stop the frequency of the doppelgangers meeting.  People are shifting between time parallels, and not knowing.  Its scary to be told that you are a copy of someone else.”

“Right, I have no one here, and the University have just today dismissed me for my research that they don’t agree with.  I have paperwork on the illnesses and cures so far”.

Grabbing his laptop and a pile of papers he chucked them in a large bag. Looping it around his arm he added.

“Come on, all hold hands, I’m jumping with you, let’s find those answers.  If I’m guessing right, we will be jumping between the university in all the timelines.  I’m always here, hopefully the other me’s are too, come on, one of us, I hope, has the answer that you need.”

More lightning

As Georgie started to create the storm, I hoped we were doing the right thing.  Are we collecting Professors?

As we arrived in the new timeline there lay another Professor, this time asleep on his settee.  His walls again showed Hurricanes and Lightning and he had noted Hurricane Rebekah. Another timeline that knew Rebekah not Hannah.  Noticing the Professor approaching the man on the settee, I whispered for him to stop.  Being woken by your identical other would not a good idea.

I hoped we wouldn’t have to cross too many timelines to get home, one of these men must have found the answer.  Watching him stir I knew we would soon know about this world, before possibly jumping again.

Written for A story a day for Pancreatic Cancer UK

Here is my fundraising page if you would like to donate.  Any size donation is appreciated.

Written for Pancreatic Cancer UK fundraising and raising awareness after losing my dad to this terrible illness in November 2020

Part 3

Kerry’s thoughts

Meeting with the professor had been an eye opener but we are not superheroes.  In films its always special people jumping between timelines.  I might be a human copy, but I have no special strengths that I’m aware of.

To find out that I’m different to those around me is a huge shock.  I’m from a different timeline.   Some of the things I’ve seen and experienced do not exist here.

If we had not both lost our dads, I wouldn’t have taken part in a charity marathon and my doppelganger Kirsty would not have been on the forum to see me.  She would then not have travelled 200 miles to find me, and we wouldn’t have met.  I believe that everything in life happens for a reason, but how can different timelines be explained.  The bible states that, ‘God made the world’ maybe the world is full of infinite possibilities, just like space.  There is so much we don’t know, and our discovery is beyond anything we thought we would encounter.  Different decisions, branching to many different timelines. Many of us with the same DNA as the original but living different lives.

The University Professor

Professor Jeffries was busy researching hurricanes and lightning.  The association between them was becoming more interesting.   Lightning needs vertical winds but a Hurricanes winds are usually horizontal.  Also, because a Hurricane is often full of warm air there is very little ice to create lightning.

It appeared that when the rare occurrence of the heavy storm and lightning occurred, there was a change in the earth’s atmosphere.

Researching doppelganger meetings there had been a rising number since the first siting in 2005. His task now was to replicate the lightning and hurricane phenomena.  The plan of jumping between timelines was an adventurous one.  Finding a cure for world diseases would be a good cause but he hadn’t figured how you could guarantee to jump back to the right timeline.

Kirsty and Kerry had both asked about going back to their own earth time, it appeared impossible to put his right.   There are possibly thousands of people in the wrong place, many not realising that they have crossed through a time parallel or zone.

The Professor could only assume that it was Hurricane Hannah in their timelines that had caused them to cross over.  However, working with the unknown and assumptions is always complicated.

Georgie

For months Georgie had wondered what was wrong with James. He had quit the job that he had always loved.  James now said that he hated it and sales was no longer for him.  Selling was a gift for him, and he had the flash BMW to reflect it.  Tonight, he had said that he was changing the BMW for a more sensible Range Rover and now wanted a family.  James had never wanted children; his career came first.

Following this revelation, they were sat enjoying Lager Shandy in their local.  Tonight, as the waitress brought them a plate of chips, her eyes lingered on Georgie and then at James.    Wondering what was wrong with the waitress she dipped her chips in the mayonnaise and drank her drink.  Feeling the waitress watching she took James hand and asked,

“Do you know the waitress?

“No, but she seems to be watching us.  Don’t know why, you done something wrong?”

“Not that I know of.”

As they sat feeling more uncomfortable and discussing leaving, they become aware of another couple in the bar.   The pub was silent around them, what was happening?

As the woman turned round, Georgie spat out her drink.

“James, she’s me.”

“Are you sure you haven’t got a twin?”

“If I did, you would know about it.” Georgie stood up and walked to the bar, approaching the woman.

Abigail

“Hi, I’m Georgie, sorry but is this a joke, how do we look the same?”

“I’m Abigail, we are here on holiday.  We came here earlier for lunch and thought we would come back now for the evening.”

Looking over at James, Georgie said,

“You had better join us.”

Over drink and food, they now looked up doppelgangers and found a link to the research of Professor Jeffries.

“Georgie how far away is Cambridge from here?”

“About 100 miles, I think.”

James now looked over at Abigail’s partner Paul,

“Road trip for the four of us then.  The fact you two are strangers but identical does not make sense.  Maybe the Professor knows what’s happening.

Checking the time and the internet, they agreed that tomorrow morning, Abigail and Paul would abandon their holiday plans and they would all travel to Cambridge. They all needed answers, things are not right.

Written for a A story a day for Pancreatic Cancer UK

Here is my fundraising page if you would like to donate,  Any size donation is appreciated.

Written for Pancreatic Cancer UK to fundraise and help raise awareness of this terrible disease after losing my dad in November 2020.

Part 2

What am I?

I had believed all my life that I am like anyone else.  I’m a human being, though not normal, but I do a normal job nurturing young minds as a teacher.  I didn’t read much philosophy until now; this was too weird.  Kirsty and I are not sisters, but our genetic make ups are not like anyone else before. The scientists in the Pathology lab are excited about their new discovery.   They are asking how many of us are out there?  Are we all teachers? Are our parents really our parents? This was not something I had ever questioned before, but we had to ask.

Telling my mum about this her face told the truth.  She had given birth to me and raised me, to her I was a normal human, no question.  The thought that I was some other being, distressed her greatly.

The Professor

Receiving a letter from Cambridge University, Professor Kenneth Jeffries, Head of Philosophy wanted to meet with us.  The hospital had asked us to sign a consent form to share our case as the open-minded doctor believed that we are not of this world.

It was a week later that Kirsty and I were sat drinking coffee in the spacious office of Professor Jeffries.  Never before, had I been involved in a conversation which I would have dismissed as fiction. This is not a Dean Koontz novel its my life.

Professor Jeffries research was directly related to our situation. His work had been the theory that every life changing decision we make, creates another one of us.  For example, as you agree to marry someone, another you will not marry them, and they will go on to marry someone else and have a different life.  I’m not sure how our stories are so similar, but the theory is that we are from different timelines.  Timelines that all play out at the same time.  How had I crossed timelines? Had my mother crossed it with me?

Hurricane Hannah

For Kirsty and me to have both crossed the timeline he needed to find an event that might have caused this.  I thought back to last year, there had been a raging and crashing storm Hurricane. They had named it Hurricane Hannah.  The professor typed Hurricane Hannah into his Laptop.  There was no mention of it.  There hadn’t been a storm. Looking at Kirsty she was nodding at me, she knew about Hurricane Hannah.

“Did Hurricane Hannah have lightening?

“Yes, why?”

“Hurricanes do not have lightning and thunder because lightning and thunder are formed by vertical winds that cause water and ice to rub together. This friction creates the electrical field that causes lightning and thunder. This churning does not happen with a hurricane, hence no lightening.  However, in 2005, Hurricane Emily, Hurricane Rita and Hurricane Katrina all had a huge amount of lightning and thunder as well.

As the Professor was getting more excited a new question went through my mind,

“What about our families, are they our real families? and are these Hurricanes all related.”

“Your families, I think are your real families, but you are all part of other you’s different decisions.  The Hurricane has somehow messed with the other world timelines.  The you’s that live here have been thrown into the other timeline.  I’m also wondering if other timelines have been crossed before, these are unique Hurricanes as they have lightening.

“And how come have Kirsty and I have parents that look different.”

“Kerry, we’ve compared our fathers but not our mothers.”

Reaching into my pocket I pulled out my phone. Opening my phone gallery I passed it to her.

A likeness

Her jaw dropped, “That’s my mum.”

The Professors’ face was a picture.  “This is exciting, so your mums made a decision at some point that meant that she didn’t marry your same father.  Whether she has met both men we don’t know until we ask them”.

“But hang on, how come are Kirsty and I both here?”

“An explanation could be that more than one timeline experienced Hurricane Hannah. Meeting you two, has made my research fact, your DNA has shown that you are the same, but copies of the original”.

“So where are the originals?”

“I think they and their families have been pulled into your timelines. Somehow 200 miles apart you are both here, both unaware of what has happened until now,  We don’t know how many different timelines there are, but this gives evidence to their existence.  This also poses the question of the average number of copies per person.  Also, with you two here, how many doppelgangers are here on this timeline now? And do the originals know they have been pulled into another time?”

Human  Copies

“That’s a lot of questions to answer. So, all the people who I’ve been talking to have been copies or originals of the ones I know in my world.  I guess its coincidence that we are both teachers and coincidence that we lost our dads to the same disease.”

“Unfortunately, Pancreatic Cancer is common and one of the deadliest cancers as people are often diagnosed too late.”

“But in one of the other timelines there might  be a cure, different decisions leading to better outcomes.”

“Yes, in one of them somewhere there could be a cure, it’s a shame that we can’t recreate Hurricane Hannah and choose which timeline to move to.  If we could find the cure and share it across all timelines wouldn’t that be amazing.”

“What would be good Kerry, is to find the cure to all the big illnesses.  Cancer, Dementia, Motor Neurone, Parkinson’s, there are so many that affect many people.”

“Well, I know in my lifetime there has never been a cure to any of them.  So, my timeline is not worth searching and I guess Kerry’s isn’t either”.

“Of course, the other thing that we know, ladies, is that Hurricane Hannah brought you here.  I will try and work out what makes these Hurricanes unique other then the lightening, unless that is it, we need to know how to move between timelines, however, how would we share the information and get home.  What we do know is that my research and theory is correct.”

My thoughts

Meeting with the Professor had raised questions. From meeting someone identical to me to finding a cure for cancer in another timeline.  This had all become like something out of a film.  However, this is my life and it is real.  What is happening next? Looking over at Kirsty I was glad to have met her, but this was all too bazaar and what about all the friends I had left in my own timeline? And all the new decisions that the original was making.  Only in time we will find the answer, we will wait and see.

Written for a A story a day for Pancreatic Cancer UK

Here is my fundraising page if you would like to donate.  Any size donation is appreciated.