6200 ch. 2

Two

“It’s time to start the rest of my life,” I thought ironically. It’s been a couple days. Benny had been very kind. She didn’t talk, just changed the wrapping on my arm, fed me, and waited for me to wake up from my depression. I was very grateful to her.

I got up and went looking for her. She was outside. “So, you have finally risen.”

“Yeah, and I’ve got some questions.” I looked around. “Starting with, how is the house bigger on the inside than the outside?”

“It is not a house, it is a spaceship, and it is not bigger on the inside, It is only that the inside makes use of the fourth dimension.” She was looking at me, measuring my expression to see if I believed her.

“There are only three dimensions.” I said. Right after I felt my face go red. What did I know?

“In all actuality, there are twenty-seven, not counting half dimensions, and there are millions of those.” She didn’t smile at my mistake.

“OK.” I decided I believed her. “What were those, uh, weird things?”

“They are called ‘Strange Ones,’ I do not know what they are really, but they are probably aliens.” Her face was blank. She was like . . . a stone.

“Um, ‘Strange Ones’ isn’t very creative on your part, why not something like ...” honestly, I couldn’t think of anything.

“Make me aware when you find a name.” She turned away. I thought about the days I had been here. I’d never seen her smile. A normal person would have at least cracked a grin at my lame attempt. “Next question.”

“Where are we?” I was worried that someone was looking for me. Then I remembered there was no one to look for me.

“Andes Hills, although a more appropriate inquiry would probably be: When are we.” I took the bait.

“When are we?” I blinked, “How long was I out?”

“One day, although that is irrelevant.” She sounded like making these unhelpful little remarks was the most fun she’d had in years. Looking at Benny, I figured it probably was. “What year do you think it is?”

I answered easily, “Two thousand twelve.”

“No.”

“Two thousand thirteen.”

“Not even close.”

I sighed. “When then?”

“It is the year sixty-two hundred.”