CHAPTER 26
LOST
Elizabeth found herself laying at the foot of the Cube, being helped up by an attractive young girl of perhaps twelve that she had never seen before.
“Are you all right, Miss Winters?” she asked.
“I’m fine. Where’s Johnny and who are you?”
“Be careful,” said a familiar voice. “She has been changed.”
Elizabeth recognized the voice and turned fearfully to face Small Bear. Instead of a Tribe police uniform he was dressed in Indian homespun clothing and a feathered headdress, but it was certainly him.
“Johnny!” she screamed, while backing away from Small Bear, but Johnny was still nowhere to be seen.
“It’s alright, Miss Winters,” comforted the girl.
“That’s Small Bear!” Elizabeth said. “I don’t know what you did with Johnny, but you won’t get away with it.”
“You don’t understand,” said the girl. “You don’t have to be afraid of anyone here, including Small Bear.”
“Miss Winters, look into the Cube,” instructed Small Bear.
She looked into the Cube cautiously, while still keeping an eye on Small Bear, and was astonished to see both herself and Johnny Goth inside! They weren’t looking back at her, but were facing each other and talking, with her other self obviously frightened and Johnny also upset. Apparently sound could not penetrate the Cube, as their voices could not be heard at all. But the Johnny she saw in the Cube was dressed like her Johnny and was obviously him, and the Elizabeth in the Cube was dressed different than she was.
Things fell into place. Obviously she was now in another world, looking back at her own world! She had been switched with her doppelganger! She was in another universe!
“You aren’t trying to kill me?” she asked Small Bear.
“Of course not,” said the Girl. “He’s the Tribe Apprentice Shaman. Do you understand what happened?”
“Yes, I get it now,” said Elizabeth. “I’ve been switched with my doppelganger and I’m in another world. And who are you?”
“Were you really switched so quickly?” said the girl, who seemed distraught. “I had never seen it happen; I didn’t realize it would be so quick. I’m Laura Goth, Johnny’s younger sister and your student. Well, I was recently a student of someone just like you, that is.”
Elizabeth internalized this startling information without even blinking. Before she could reply the Johnny in the Cube was suddenly looking at her and their eyes met. Her doppelganger was soon running away from him and out of sight but Johnny didn’t even seem to notice. Elizabeth and Johnny ran to each other and pressed against the impenetrable Cube, lips appearing to touch but remaining universes apart.
“Apparently you and Johnny are rather close friends, in your world,” remarked Small Bear.
“Wow!” said Laura.
“How do I get back?” asked Elizabeth, without turning away from her Johnny.
“We don’t know,” said Small Bear.
Elizabeth sunk to her knees as realization finally hit her hard, as she still pressed hopelessly against the cold, unyielding Cube. A universe away, her Johnny pounded his fists against the Cube and shouted curses futilely, then sank down to his knees also so that he could again be closer to her.
Laura knelt next to Elizabeth and held her hand. “It’s all my fault,” she told her. “We shouldn’t have been so close to the Cube. We were just supposed to watch, and find out if someone wanted to voluntarily switch with Miss Winters. I didn’t realize it would be so quick and violent.”
Nor did her Johnny know how she could get back; she could read the despair in his eyes. He had wanted to get back his father, and now he had lost her also.
Suddenly the Cube began to shimmer like an old-fashioned TV snowing up. Elizabeth saw Johnny reach again for her hopelessly; then he was gone.
“Everyone get back,” shouted Small Bear urgently.
Elizabeth tried to stay, pressed against the Cube, but Laura and Small Bear pulled her to her feet and forced her several meters away, despite her resistance.
“As you have just seen, it’s dangerous to be too near the Cube, especially when it changes,” explained Small Bear. “You never know whose doppelganger might be standing on the other side.”
“Is it less dangerous than standing next to a traitor?” she asked, shaking out of Small Bear’s grasp and eying him warily.
“You are in a different world now, Miss Winters. I am a different Small Bear than the man in your world, and I am no traitor.”
They were looking back at the Cube, which had stopped shimmering and was now totally black.
“Why is it all black? What does it mean?” asked Laura.
“It shows a different world now,” stated Small Bear.
“In that world, the Cube is probably fully buried in the rock of the mountain,” reasoned Elizabeth.
“Yes,” agreed Small Bear. “I have seen this before. Yours is the most likely explanation.”
“When will it change back to my world?” asked Elizabeth fearfully.
“Unknown,” said Small Bear. “Perhaps never. There seem to be hundreds of other worlds, perhaps more. Since we began our studies three weeks ago we have witnessed many worlds, but we have found no way of clearly distinguishing them. Too many are nearly identical such that we do not know if we have seen any of them more than once. But all folks we have communicated with in the Cube about the knowledge of such things agree that exchange of the same person between worlds is the only way to penetrate the Cube and pass between worlds.”
All this was overwhelming to Elizabeth. She again nearly fell to her knees, but Laura grasped her arms and steadied her. Mark and Mort had failed to get back to their world, despite their powers and knowledge. But she would do it; she had to. “Is this the first time you’ve had an exchange of doppelgangers yourself?”
Laura and Small Bear looked at each other awkwardly. “Not exactly,” admitted Small Bear. You are our fourth Elizabeth Winters this week. We are trying, but we have not retrieved our own Elizabeth yet.”