Lions, Tigers, and Bears

A response to Nathaniel Lee's "Infinite Possibilities" in Mirror Shards.

Dodd walked along the shore of the lake that was so large that the shimmering surface of the lake stretched out so that all he could see on the other side were the distant mountains silhouetted against all of mankind's thoughts and desires etched across the sky. Dodd thought on what the old man had said. Anything was possible.

Even the return of his dead wife? As if in answer, a woman walked along the shore with her hair dark in the dim light -- but Dodd knew that it had to be red -- with ends that curled back as if they were shy. Amy. He ran towards her and pulled her into an embrace, which lasted long and erased the last six months of pain or at least pushed them away for a moment.

They spent time together, but how much Dodd didn't know because the dim heavenly light never changed. It could have been only hours or could have been days, years, or centuries. They made love many times with her smell woven through him. But, nothing they did left any mark of permanence upon the lake or its shore.

Eventually, Dodd returned to the old fisherman without Amy and asked the old man, "How do I get back?"

"The same way you got here the first time."

"No, how do I return to my normal life?"

"You just have to want it deep down and click your heels together three times." The old man checked his line while keeping an eye on Dodd. "Why would you want to go back?"

"Have you caught any fish?" asked Dodd.

"No --"

"Exactly, you can't change anything here," said Dodd as he started to click his heels together.

"Ahhh... but I see and know everything."