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

Part 5

The Professor’s

We have been time jumping for over a week now and had met fifteen different Professor Jeffries.  Each one working on their own research and just two who became scared and dubious of our arrival.  If we had stepped outside together, we would have looked a strange bunch.  Two women and now five identical professor’s.  All fifteen had wanted to cure major diseases, and all had researched the lightning and hurricanes.  Some had heard of Hurricane Hannah, some Ruth and others Josie. Between the timelines, there are so many differences.  Thank fully, so far, in all timelines they accept British pounds sterling, so we can buy food.  We have slept at the university, not very comfortable but it’s warm and dry.

Starting to give up hope of finding answers, maybe no one in any timeline had found a treatment for these devastating diseases. Even if we did find it, I’m not sure how we would get back to our Kirsty and Abigail.

Watching the five professor’s travelling with us, they were a strange bunch.  Highly educated, laughing and discussing hurricanes and lightning.  We were going against known reality, a small army of unknown superheroes. The media would love us if they knew what we are doing.

Thoughts

Looking at Georgie, I can see she is thinking the same as ne.  She is yawning with her back against the warm red radiator. Will we find a cure? and how will we know when we are back in our correct timeline?

“So, Professor’s, what is the plan? Do we continue time hopping? Any ideas here?

“Somewhere in these timelines must be a professor who has worked this out, or a scientist who has created a cure.  Also, there must be one who can somehow get the information to all times”.

“But, we are all working on this, and so far no answers.  Plus I try and talk to the scientist’s and get told I’m mad”.

“So, do I.”

“I think across the timelines we are all considered a bit mad, which is good, means they leave us alone to focus on our work”.

“I think Kerry, we continue on our quest, one of us should also have worked out how to get home”.

Standing up, I realise that we are getting nowhere just sitting here.

“Come on, let’s go then, this world Professor are you coming?”

“Sorry, I can’t, I have a family depending on me.”

The other four stared at him.  All single men, they had been so busy with their research and careers that they hadn’t stopped for a wife and family.  Here was the choice that they wish they had taken but hadn’t.

Another jump

Holding hands, we shouted goodbye to this worlds professor and Georgie started the lightning ball.  As the room changed around us, we became aware of a new presence and then four men shouting dad and then, Grandma. This was an unexpected new development. Squeezing Georgie’s hand, surely this was a good sign.

As the men hugged their dad, Georgie and I looked at the frail woman. If the Professors are in their sixties, then dad must be in his eighties and Grandma in her hundreds.

Our professor noticed our stunned faces.

“Dad died from Cancer, and Mum, Dementia in our times”.

This world Professor now spoke. “Here there is early diagnosis, medication and much higher chance of recovery.  How did you get here?”

“Recreated Lightning, did you experience Hurricane Hannah?”

“Yes, we did, why? What’s happening?”

I explained our story and our quest, the fact that all the doppelgangers needed to be returned back to their right timelines, and the cure for these terrible diseases shared.

The elderly man now spoke, “they took my cancer away and they brought mum back”. There are six professors here and a teacher. We can work this out surely.”

“I’m a teacher too”, I said.

Now the elderly lady spoke, “from what you have told us, you have done something which Kenneth has committed his life too. He has been researching the lightning with hurricanes and had an interest in the theory of different decisions leading to different timelines.  For the two to be related, that is book worthy for all professors in all timelines. Now we need to work out how to disseminate the treatment and best practice on all diseases in all timelines.  Here, there is no cancer, unless someone from a different timeline accidentally brings it in.”

“The Professor banged the table, making us all jump.

“I had a phone call earlier from the hospital, a doctor has diagnosed stage 4 Pancreatic Cancer, I said, Impossible.” He picked up his phone, as the hospital answered, he passed on the bad news to check the patient again as the doctor might be right.

Better in all worlds

It took a week for the Professor’s and family to work it out between them.  Creating another form of lightning, a large Hurricane storm, now named Hurricane Tracy in our timeline.  As we all stood in the Cambridge University office with all the information that we needed, it was uploaded to the internet and somehow fed across all the parallel timelines.  As the storm started I took a last look at everyone around me, this was it, I was going home and would never see my doppelganger friends again.

A week later

Staring at the ceiling, the last few months were a blur. I had taken a rest from school, thankfully they were understanding.  My doppelganger stand in had not been too focused on the children for months.  They had decided that I need a break and that I’m not well, sadly they might be right.  However, I did need a break.  The repercussions of our traveling were immense. The information that we had shared through the timelines meant that someone very special was still with me, my dad.  I had not expected this result and I now needed to cherish him.

It had been a brave experience to travel but having dad was certainly the best reward I could have.  The treatments now have changed healthcare dramatically.  I’m so grateful that Kirsty made the effort to come and find me.  That we had had our DNA checked and then followed our plan through. It had seemed drastic and scary at the time, but I’m so glad that we did it.

Some challenges and experiences are worth undertaking and this certainly was one.

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.

I hope you have enjoyed these stories.  Thirty stories in thirty days has been a huge undertaking.  I now hope to take a break and maybe sometime soon get an early night.

Wouldn’t it be nice if the above story was true.  We lose our loved ones, often to horrible painful illnesses, we all want to have them with us longer.  One day hopefully there will be treatments, early diagnosis and cures.  Until then we al have to keep on fighting!

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.