Crossing the Barrier

Four years earlier, Kristen had crossed the Memorial Skybridge, equipped with little more than her diploma in Minor Magics, a scholarship for the Rootworld Academy of the Arts, and a visa signed by the mayor. She had tried smuggling her paintball gun and equipment, but that stuff never made it past customs. She remembered thinking the officer was going to let her through after the first of two men with swords, who looked considerably suspect, walked right through the stone archway.

"No projectile weapons," said the Officer.

"Couldn't he technically throw his sword?" Kristen had asked as the last man disappeared into the bright ripple of the portal.

The guard had grunted, then torn off a chit and handed it to Kristen. "Fill out your information and it will be returned to your home address." He'd hiked an elbow toward a large drum, "Else, the bin."

Kristen stepped out of line and started filling out the form on the table beside the officer, stopping only to watch the flash as two more people stepped through the portal. "How does it work?"

The guard waved another woman through and then had briefly turned his head toward Kristen, "Don't you know anything?"

"Well," Kristen said, putting the pen back in the little cup and holding the slip toward the guy.

The officer pointed to a roll of yellow tape and a collection of large plastic bags with drawstrings.

Kristen started to bag up her items and noticed the guard waving another over to relieve him at the entry for a moment. "What about my facemask?"

The officer made a short exchange with his relief then took the paintball mask in his hands, rotating it, then examining the small snorkel. "Hmmp. No moving parts?"

"It's adjustable if that's what you mean," Kristen said, wondering what that had to do with anything.

"I guess you can see if the rubber survives." Then the guard said, "Hey Lance, they have rubber in Rootworld?"

"Dunno," said his relief, "never been."

"How they make rubber anyway?" said the Officer.

"Plant, I think. Should be okay."

Kristen had wrinkled her nose at that. Maybe she hadn't known anything.

"You can try the mask. Now, put the slip in the bag with your stuff. Write your name on the tape and stick it to the front. I will take care of the rest."

Kristen had done as she was told, then watched another person pop through the lighted pool in the rock archway.

"Nothing to worry about. Didn't your parents tell you anything?"

"Parent," she corrected, then said, "You mean besides happy hunting? I know the history. I just don't understand if it is still the sun out there."

"Sun, white hole, what's the difference? We're still going around it and all. The Globe has just stopped spinning because the ocean's all in one place."

"I know that! I got top marks in geography and science."

POP! Another person vanished through the ripple.

The officer had tapped his relief and the man had begun walking away. "You're up kid."

Kristen had stepped back to the front of the line and remembered telling herself not to close her eyes. "Yeah, but…"

"Quantum entanglement," said the Officer nudging her forward. "Should have paid attention in physics class."

"My counselor said I could enroll on the Rootworld side."

The officer laughed just as Kristen began feeling the heat. At the threshold, she looked back.

"I think you mean meta-physics," said the big man. Then, slapping the next traveler and hiking a thumb toward Kristen, said, "Guilders! Always neglecting the tangible! Happy Hunting!"

POP!