Chapter 4

The last few days had been spent wondering what had happened to him. He had learned more from Sam the night before about the circumstances in which he had been found. He had been on the front lawn outside of the house. He had left for work and a few minutes later he had been found by the, next door, neighbour.

No one had been seen in the area at the time of the incident which had occurred within minutes of him going outside. Dan had been out cold and Sam had called for an ambulance which had taken him to hospital. The doctors had found a lump on his head and had declared that he had concussion.

The police had called on Sam to ask about Dan's accident, but they could find no hint of foul play and no witnesses to a third party being involved. He must have fallen and hit his head everyone decided. He could not remember what had happened and could not imagine how a fall and a bang on the head could account for what had subsequently occurred.

Dan was a little disappointed. He had hoped that someone had seen, at the very least, a flash of light or maybe some sort of swirling wormhole. Unless he began to recall that day it would remain a mystery. There was another thought which kept pushing its way into his mind. If he was in this world was the other Dan in his?

It made him feel uncomfortable to think that someone else was sleeping with his wife. His Sam would see someone who looked like him, but she would surely know that it was a different man. He was struggling in this world with its lack of technology. How would the other Dan begin to comprehend the things that he was seeing there.

He began to list the items which would be completely alien to his counterpart. Mobile phones, computers, microwave ovens, television technology, modern transport, credit cards, every room in a house would contain a thing that he had never seen before. How would someone cope with being thrust into that situation.

It was easier for him. Dan knew how this world worked because it was not complicated. There was a television with one channel and a basic car. There was one government ruling the entire world and it was the only employer. The poor man who was probably in his place would not know that he needed a coffee maker and a man bag to make his life complete.

And what about the clothes? Formal Dan would be horrified to find that he wore jeans and an open necked shirt to work. He would be staring at a pair of trainers as if they were the most ridiculous shoes he had ever seen. As he walked down the road and saw women with skirts above their knees he would be outraged.

Women could wear what they wanted. Women could go out to work. Women could live on their own or with other women to whom they could get married. What would someone who was used to women remaining at home make of all of that. As he asked himself these questions Dan was feeling sorry for his other self.

It was highly likely, he thought, that old fashioned Dan would have some sort of breakdown when faced with a very modern world. When he learned about the pollution, wars, terrorism, famine and poverty he would surely wish with all his heart that he could go back to his own world. Would there be a moment when he would wake up back where he belonged?

Thinking about what might be happening back on his old world was not helpful. Dan would have to live here in the best way that he could. There was nothing he could do to get back to his Sam and Grace, so he would learn to survive here. Maybe if he was here for long enough he would stop wondering what the other Dan was doing in his old life.

Dan looked into the wardrobe to see what clothes he had. There was nothing there which could be considered casual so he would have to wear one of the suits. He sought out Phyllis to ask her opinion.

"Gentlemen of your class wear suits and would never leave home without a tie."

"Of my class?"

"You are of the leadership class." she elaborated.

Sam was asked about his wardrobe earlier, but she had become upset by his continued confusion and lack of memory. He would consult Phyllis wherever possible to save his wife from undue stress. This version of Sam was obviously not used to making decisions or having any responsibility. What did she do all day?

"What are you doing today?" he asked his wife.

She was taking the children to a play group in the morning and then they would come home. Grace and Alex would have a nap and then they would be allowed to watch a programme for children on the television. This was what happened on most days. Sometimes she would leave the kids with Phyllis so that she could go shopping or attend a meeting.

The meetings that she went to were something akin to the women's institute as far as Dan could tell. They learned about nutrition, child rearing and how to run a household properly. Sam admitted that the ladies liked a bit of gossip and talk of fashion too and this wasn't frowned upon if they kept it to a minimum.

It seemed that Phyllis did all of the cleaning and cooking. She would accompany Sam when she went to get food and would act as a nanny to the children. The house was immaculate and it would have been a source of shame to Sam were it not so. Phyllis worked hard but she said she was lucky to work for a such a nice family.

The car on the driveway was calling to Dan. He had to go and open the bonnet to see what was there. His journey the day before had been strange in that the vehicle he was in never exceeded 20mph. He was pleased to see all the basic components were as he expected. Cylinder, pistons, spark plugs and valves were in place and he felt on slightly more solid ground. This he understood.

He was keen to take the car out, but Phyllis informed him that it was only to be used for official business. He could drive it to and from the ministry and if he was required by them to go elsewhere. Very occasionally he might take his family on a trip at the weekend. Fuel for the vehicle was strictly rationed. A trip into town to visit the library which was only two miles away must be undertaken some other way.

Dan was dressed in a brown suit, apparently this was not as formal as the black and navy ones, as he set out from his home. Sam had been very anxious about him going out alone but he had assured her he would be okay. The other Sam would have argued her point but this meek Sam capitulated straight away. He didn't really like this version who pouted and sighed but didn't say what she thought.

Phyllis had sketched him a map of the area so that he wouldn't get lost. He had seen buildings and road names that he recognised on his trip back from the hospital so he was fairly confident that he would find his way around. On his walk he passed a school playground and was pleased to see a group of boys playing football. He wondered where the girls were.

He strolled along just enjoying the freedom of being on his own. Dan didn't know what he was expecting to find out. Would there be a main reason why this world had not run a parallel course to his world? The concept of a one world government running everything sounded a bit sinister, but he would reserve judgment until he had learned more.

The roads that he walked down were clean and well maintained. A few cars and lorries drove by but mostly people were on foot or cycling. The jangle of bells as riders passed and waved was charming and pleasant. He wondered if he owned a bike and if not why not. He reached the high street and walked slowly along it looking at all the shops on offer.

Every outlet was run by the OWG. Food, clothes, furniture, hardware, all the necessities were there. There was very little that could be described as gratuitous. There were two cafes and two smarter restaurants. He saw no jewellers or gift shops selling overpriced nick knacks. There were no art galleries or shops selling electronic equipment. Definitely no mobile phone stores.

He saw hairdressers but they were basic inside. There were no garish colours or witty trade names on the facias outside of any of the businesses. There were windows displaying goods which were simply stacked to show what was available rather than artistically arranged to grab one's attention.

People were going about their daily lives and they all seemed to be reasonably dressed and, yes, happy. Shopkeepers greeted him with a cheery good morning and everyone was polite. Older people were deferred to and he saw men raising their hats when a lady went by. He hadn't seen a screaming child having a tantrum or a drunk sat on a bench. The scene was anodyne which in its way was troubling.

As he peered into the shop windows Dan was getting an idea of the price of things. He could see that items were tagged with pound signs. He could not see any reference to shillings and pence so he assumed that a decimal system had been adopted at some point. Nothing seemed particularly expensive but he did not know what the average wage was. As someone working for a ministry he seemed to live a comfortable life but he wondered what someone like Phyllis was paid.

He saw the library up ahead and he quickened his pace. Dan entered the building and liked the gloomy interior and the near silence. A chair scraped along the floor or the sound of footsteps were all that disturbed the peace. The librarian and his assistant nodded soberly to him and Dan proceeded to have a look around.

The reference section of the library was vast. Three quarters of the shelves in the entire place were given over to histories and manuals stretching back over hundreds of years. Many of the older items were behind glass with instructions that they could only be accessed with the head librarian's permission.

The fiction section was small with older books protected behind glass again. He saw the names of a couple of authors he had heard of. Charles Dickens and Jules Verne were featured as were Homer and Walter Scott. There was a small area dedicated to novels written by women. The fact that they were segregated was ominous.

Having had a good look around Dan returned to the area designated recent history. As he scanned the titles of the books he became aware that someone was approaching. He looked up and saw a familiar face.

"Hello Frank."

"Francis, its Francis."

"Yes sorry." Dan didn't take issue with his friend he just went along with it. They shook hands and then Dan waited to find out what his old mate Frank was like in this world.

"I heard that you had been in the hospital. How are you now?"

Dan confessed that he was still suffering some after effects of his head injury. "I'm having trouble with my memory. I remembered your name, well nearly, so that is good."

Frank smiled and explained his presence in the library. "I've been sent to collect the accounts. Every penny has to be accounted for, even when it's been spent on books."

"You are with the ministry for…"

"The Exchequer. Finance and all that." Frank helpfully added a clue about his job.

That would make sense. He had been an accountant in the other place.

"Sorry mate." Definitely the wrong words so Dan tried again. "Sorry old man I'm still a bit woozy."

His friend clapped him on the back and said that he must be about his business. "Cheerio" Francis said as he made his departure.

Dan hadn't really talked to many people in this world so he hadn't encountered a problem. He must remember that things were much more formal here. Names were not shortened and anything that sounded too modern should be avoided too. There were hundreds, maybe thousands, of words in his vocabulary that had no meaning or a different meaning here.

Many of the things which came to mind were technology related. Internet, tablet, laptop, mobile phone, the list went on and on. Popular phrases which had been coined by celebrities and politicians in his time would likely never have been uttered here. What was the history of this place. Had there been wars? Had there been one enormous war? It was time to focus.

As he looked at the spines of the books on the shelf one caught his eye. The thick tome held the title "The Meteor Event and the Subsequent Formation of The One World Government." Not a short pithy name but most certainly this was what he was looking for. Dan took a seat at one of the mahogany tables and opened the book. The OWG stamp was embossed on the flyleaf and he was sure that every other book in the library held one too.