Published Jun 26th, 2023, 6/26/23 8:42 pm
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The Tale of Reality
Once upon a time, there was a jolly ol’ crab that went by the name of Pharson. Pharson was a delightful crab that everyone tended to appreciate. No matter the situation, Pharson always seemed to radiate a sort of positivity that couldn’t be mimicked easily. Now the wise old crab, who was around 3 years old (but around 60 in crab years), was a crab that everyone in the small animal kingdom of Rockdale appreciated. The citizens of Rockdale seemed to get along with Pharson pretty well, probably because of his never-ending positivity. Why did he have such an overwhelmingly charming personality? Well it happened that soon after he was born, he was diagnosed with a special type of cancer that only crabs get. His parents were told that their son would have one week to live. However, Pharson survived the cancer. From that point on he vowed to stay positive no matter what situation he was in from that point forward, because chances are his current situations aren’t nearly as bad as the aforementioned.
Now, Pharson lived in the small town of Rockdale, which was an abandoned beach in which animals of all kinds had lived in peace and harmony for some time. The city was moderately large, but it was growing all the time. After a poorly aimed bomb from the Japanese had landed right on top of a military base on the beach, the base was abandoned by all the survivors and forgotten about by all human-kind. Thus, animals inhabited it. The city was built off of trust and sharing, there was no government, there was no money system, and there were no classes. Everyone helped each other, and if someone needed something, they got it.
It happened one day that Pharson was feeling quite depressed. For the first time in a long time, he was reconsidering being nice all the time. Pharson reckoned he could talk about it to his closest friend, Resole, who was a beaver. Luckily for Pharson, Resole came over around 2 P.M that day.
“Phoblo (the animal custom for greeting), Resole,” Pharson waved with his claw.
“Phoblo to you too, Pharson!”
“How goes it, friend,” Pharson asked.
“Very good, as always,” Resole came into Pharson’s home, which happened to be a cave east of Rockdale.
“Resole, I wanted to talk to you about,” Pharson was considering talking to him about Pharson’s problem.
“What?”
Pharson chickened out, “uh- books! Yeah books! Have you seen my collection?”
“Oh, no I don’t believe I have.”
“Ah. Come, take a look,” Pharson stepped over to a peculiar looking bookcase in which he a moderate selection of books of all kinds.
Resole scanned Pharson’s somewhat meager collection of books for a long while.
“What’s this one,” Resole asked.
“Ah. It’s called the Vulgate, or Bible, as our translators have discovered. The scouts who picked it up from the Ruins (what the military base was called by the animals) about a week ago. It amazes me how we are still finding stuff in there.”
Resole slowly nodded, “What’s it about?”
“The scouts gathered that it was a collection of fairy tales of sorts. I have yet to verify this, as I haven’t gotten around to reading it quite yet. It’s quite large, as you can see,” Pharson took the book from Resole and weighed it in his hands.
“Hm,” Resole picked up the book, examined it, then put it back in its snug spot on the bookcase.
Resole and Pharson proceeded to play checkers until suppertime. Proceeding this, Resole left. Later that evening, Pharson was cooking his supper out in front of the cave, when a sudden gust of wind coming from the ocean caught him off guard. Pharson examined the ocean, but didn’t see anything. But then he did notice something. A small floating dot of light that seemed to radiate… something; Pharson couldn’t put his finger on what. The peculiar dot soon expanded in size until it was about 7 feet tall and 3 wide (which can seem quite monstrous when compared to even the largest of crabs.) It continued to radiate the same energy as before, which Pharson still hadn’t decoded. The small frame that the previously small dot of light had formed looked like a dull mirror, except it reflected something other than Pharson, or so it seemed; Pharson couldn’t tell because it was very dull. But the image began to become clearer and clearer, until Pharson could make out a figure in the frame. It appeared to be a bear. When the image became as clear as real life, the bear stepped out of the frame. He looked around curiously and scratched his chin. That is, until his eyes locked with Pharson’s.
“Greetings, lad,” the bear tipped his hat.
“Phoblo,” Pharson returned the gesture, although he was quite confused. Pharson had neither heard the word Greetings or Lad before, but he assumed it was some sort of greeting; well at least he hoped.
“Pharson, right?”
“Yes, how did you know?”
“That isn’t important now. You must come with me, your entire future is at stake.”
“What? Who are you? What do you want? And what did you just step out of?”
“All will be explained in time, just come with me!”
Pharson looked back at his cave, and then the bear, and the still existent frame behind the bear. Reluctantly, Pharson took steps forward, and as he did, steps, reminiscent of the frame that the bear stepped out of, appeared before him, guiding him to the bear. When the crab had stepped up just under the bear, the bear motioned into the frame.
“After you,” the bear pointed.
As Pharson got close to the frame, he began to see an image. It appeared to be some sort of vehicle, the likes of which Pharson has not seen again, even to this day. Around the vehicle, Pharson saw what appeared to be thousands of stars, all with different colors. The sight dazzled him. Pharson carefully put one of his claws through the frame, and when he saw that it didn't harm him, he put the rest of his tiny body through the frame. He found himself in the interesting looking vehicle. The bear stepped through the frame, and sat down in the seat in front of Pharson.
“Now hang on,” The bear looked back towards Pharson.
The bear flipped a switch in front of him, which resulted in the small tube they were in making a small whirring noise, then firing them rapidly forward. Pharson, who had always been sure of the grip he could create with his claws, wasn’t so convinced that he would be able to hang on. It seemed as if they were going through time and space. Pharson, who was quite stunned, soon got used to the constant movement, and settled down enough to ask the bear some questions.
“So, what’s your name,” Pharson asked.
“You can call me Trophus.”
“A fine name.”
“Well I don’t know about that,” Trophus giggled, “but it’s an alright name, lad.”
Pharson, who was still perplexed by this new word, Lad, decided to ask Trophus what it meant, “Lad? What does it mean?”
“Oh, I guess I should’ve figured you wouldn’t understand that. It’s a term used by the people I’m around.”
“Oh.”
“Now listen, I know what you're thinking. You’re probably wondering why you’re here and where we’re going. This will all be revealed in time. But until then, I’ll try my best to answer any questions you have.”
“Oh, ok,” Pharson paused, “What is this contraption we’re in?”
“We call it a travel tube. It’s used to travel through realities.”
“Realities?”
“Yes. Your world is just one of many alternate universes.”
“What does that mean?”
“Well,” Trophus paused, “there are basically a bunch of exact copies of your world, but the actions and minds of the characters inhabiting each other reality are all slightly different. For instance, where you might eat shrimp for dinner in one universe, you might just skip dinner in another. Does that make sense?”
“Well, kinda… Who’s ‘we’?”
“What?”
“Well a second ago you said, ‘We call it a travel tube.’”
“Ah yes. By ‘we’ I mean me and my ‘associates’”
“Ok,” Pharson would’ve asked more but he was still processing all the new information he had just learned.
Just when Pharson was about to ask another question, Trophus interrupted, “We’re here!”
The travel tube slowly stopped and ceased its whirring. Beside the travel tube a frame, very much like the previous, appeared.
Trophus motioned for Pharson to get out of the tube. Pharson did as he was told, and stepped out of the tube and through the frame. What Pharson saw was like nothing he had seen before, not even in dreams.
This new place that Pharson was in was almost like an exact replica of Rockdale, although slightly different. The sky was purple, not blue, and the water was green. The tree trunks were green and the leaves brown. The sand was hot red, and the buildings hosted many different colors, none like his hometown. Yet with all these changes, it was almost like Pharson never left home.
“What is this place,” Pharson asked.
“You can call it Reality B. Your home is Reality A.”
“Wow.”
“Yes, it is quite a sight to the eyes,” Trophus gave Pharson a moment to process the scene around him, then continued, “Want a tour?”
“Yes, please,” Pharson nodded.
Trophus led Pharson to the right, where they encountered Featherwood, where some apartment complexes were located.
“You might recognize these,” Trophus pointed at the tall buildings.
“Yes, they look almost identical to the ones back home,” Pharson replied while trying to take in the scene around him.
8
Trophus noticed a cat standing on two legs in front of the house with a dog. It seemed as if the cat was writing on a piece of paper.
“What is he doing,” Trophus asked.
“Well, writing a check, of course.”
“Writing a check?”
“Oh yes, I forgot, you’re not from around here,” Trophus laughed at his mistake, “See, everything in this reality operates off of a currency system.”
“Currency?”
“Yes. To put it simply, from doing work well, you can earn small tokens that can be used to obtain things that you want or need, such as food, water, and other commodities.”
“Why this over just sharing what you have with everyone?”
“Well,” Trophus paused, “because every animal should have a right to his/her own things. I mean it only makes sense that because you work so hard you should be able to keep your own things for yourself. I mean it would just be downright un-fair if you had to give everything you had just slaved over to earn.”
Pharson was confused. Why couldn’t everyone just share with each other? He pondered this as Trophus led Pharson on.
Trophus led Pharson east, down the city roads. They didn’t talk much, but Pharson was amazed at the sights around him. He saw things he had never seen before, such as a small machine that, when money was given to the machines, seemed to give out little bags of what
looked to be food, and random art pieces on walls of buildings. All the while, Trophus looked straight ahead though as if he was pondering something.
That’s when Pharson saw a face that looked all too familiar. It appeared to be Resole. Pharson ran over to greet his friend. As Pharson ran closer he noticed a look of dread on Resole’s face. He noticed that Resole would often bend down to pick up little bits of plastic or paper that cityfolk had thrown on the ground. But what Pharson noticed first was Resole’s clothing. Resole was wearing what appeared to be an orange jumpsuit, which was different from his normal vest and top hat that he usually wore. Pharson ran in front of Resole and waved at his friend, but when Resole didn’t seem to notice Pharson, Pharson tried different ways to get his friend to notice.
Around this time Trophus noticed that Pharson wasn’t following him anymore, so he strolled over to Pharson.
“Why can’t he see me,” Pharson asked, somewhat angry.
“When you’re in an alternate reality and there’s a copy of yourself in that reality, then no one will be able to see or talk to you, however you can still interact with some objects.”
“Then how was I able to see you in Reality A?”
“Well, that’s because I don’t truly belong in any Reality. I come from a special place, called the covenant. Time does not exist there. Basically, I can choose whether I want people here to see me or not.”
“Oh,” Pharson was still very much trying to process this, “why does he look so sad,” Pharson asked rightfully.
“Hm,” Trophus paused again, as if he was thinking about how to phrase what came out of his mouth next, “he has regret.”
“Why?”
“He betrayed the city, in a manner of speaking.”
“How?”
“Oh, there are a variety of ways you can. Murder, treason, etc.”
Pharson put on a confused look. He had almost never, in his long life, heard of an animal of any kind, carnivorous or herbivorous, commiting anything even remotely on the scale that those crimes were on.
“Why would someone do something like that?”
“Well, many believe that animals do these things because of circumstances. For instance: If an animal was raised in a home without a lot of money, then that animal might’ve needed to do any one of these things just to survive. It’s widely said that because of his/her motives that there shouldn’t be a punishment, but however there are still some that believe otherwise.”
“Does doing something to ‘survive’ constitute doing something wrong?”
“Well, let’s say your friend broke his arm. He’s bleeding profusely and doesn’t have much time to live. Let’s say you’re not allowed to run faster than a certain speed in your city. Do you think breaking that rule to keep your friend alive would be ok?”
“Well, when you put it like that…”
“Food for thought,” Trophus remarked.
Pharson considered this for a long while until Trophus and Pharson reached the mall complex. One of Pharson’s favorite places to go in his city was the mall. In Reality A, the mall was a place to hang out with friends, to play games, and to just talk sometimes. There wasn’t much else at the mall, so when Pharson saw what the mall looked like on the inside, he was quite astounded. He noticed people were still hanging out, but they were in much smaller groups. It also appeared that the people there weren’t talking about life, but mostly making jokes that mocked other people or specific things, but that wasn’t anything compared to the shops. At every corner there lied some sort of shop that was trying to profit off of people.
But Pharson began to notice something else as well. Every now and again, he would see an animal quickly grab something off of a shelf or table and stuff it into his/her pockets without paying. Pharson classified this as stealing, even though he had never seen it done in his reality.
“Trophus,”
“Yes?”
“Why are they stealing? Isn’t that wrong?”
“Depends on your definition of wrong and right. Even then, is it really wrong if everyone does it?”
“I’d say it’s wrong.”
“But everyone does it, and the government doesn’t seem to care that much. So is it still wrong?”
“Do people get to say what’s wrong or right?”
“Do the people get to do that in your reality?”
Pharson thought about this for a little while, but eventually came to a conclusion.
“Yes, I guess so.”
“You say that almost like you think people shouldn’t determine what’s wrong or right. Do you have anything against that?”
“Well, no, but something about it seems wrong to me.”
“Well if people get to decide what prices they put on their goods, what to call books they write, or even what to eat for dinner, why not what’s wrong and right?”
“Hm. You make a good point.”
Trophus giggled, “Well thank you.”
Pharson seemed to see an expression of manicness and anticipation with the last word that Trophus had said, but Pharson didn’t seem to think much of it.
Trophus led Pharson out of the mall, and they continued east. Their next stop was Jidi’s Diner. But as Pharson got closer to the diner, he noticed it wasn’t a diner in Reality B. The giant neon sign on the front said “Jid’s Bar & Casino”.
“What’s a casino,” Pharson asked.
“Well, let’s step inside and see.”
The two travelers stepped inside, and were greeted instantly by a new aroma and smell that Pharson hadn’t experienced previously. Inside, Pharson saw dozens of machines and tables of all shapes, colors, and sizes, however, even with all these differences, a decent amount of them had one thing in common. They all had two slots, one for money intake, and the other for outtake. Pharson went and watched one person play around the machine for what felt like two hours. Pharson slowly began to comprehend what they were all about. Someone would put in a certain amount of money into a machine, and then seemingly by chance an amount of money would come out. But in the long time that the two had been there, the one person playing the machine hadn’t won a single dime.
“Is he ever going to win,” Pharson asked.
“Well, you never know. If he left now, it’s possible that the next time he played if he had stayed he could’ve won. So why risk not winning? You know some of these people walk away from these places millionaires.”
“Interesting.”
Pharson insisted on not staying for longer, as he was growing more and more uncomfortable at the sight and aroma of the place. They soon left and continued their trajectory east, and next they made an unexpected stop. Back in Reality A, there was an abandoned lot that nobody used because it was infested with rodents, but in Reality B, this lot wasn’t abandoned.
“This is a school,” Trophus pointed.
“What’s that?”
“It’s a place where kids congregate to learn and be prepared for the future.”
“Why do people have to do it here rather than at home?”
“Well, as I told you, people in Reality B have jobs that take up a lot of time. Some don’t have enough time to teach their kids, however, there are some that would rather not care for a child all day and night. Either way, most end up sending their children to the schools.”
“It seems like a fine institution.”
No answer from Trophus. A bell sounded, and kids came running out a door and towards a playground.
“What are they doing?”
“Well, every day, at this time, the Children get a short break from the hard work they endure all day.”
“Makes sense.”
“I suppose,” Trophus answered.
There was only one other place to visit in the city, and that place was Pharson’s cave. Of all the places in the city, Pharson was most excited to see what his alternate self was like. Was he cool and mysterious? Maybe very rich and famous? All the time Pharson was getting more and more excited.
When they arrived at the cave Pharson noticed a new building out front that was not there before.
“What’s this place,” Pharson asked.
“Why, it’s where you work.”
“Work?”
“Yes, remember I told you about how people earn money here.”
“Ah, yes.”
They went inside the building, where they saw many people in tight spaces on little machines clicking on some sort of device. It didn’t matter what they were doing, Pharson just wanted to see his alternate self, and it didn’t take long for that wish to come true. Alternate Pharson stepped out of a large room that had a desk inside.
“You turned out to be very successful in this Reality,” Trophus started, “you own your own business and have a lot of people working for you.”
“Is that good?”
“In this Reality, very much so.”
While Pharson stood watching in awe, Alternate Pharson stepped over to a desk where a person sat clicking away.
Pharson’s alternate self looked very much like the stereotype for a business man Pharson had somewhat expected. Alternate Pharson wore a very expensive looking suit, a pair of glasses, and a look on his face that said “don’t mess with me”.
“Jones, where are those reports I wanted,” Alternate Pharson asked the person at the desk.
“Oh, sir, I was just working on them.”
“I told you to have those on my desk by 2,” You could detect anger in Alternate Pharson’s voice. No one else was affected by this, which greatly surprised Pharson.
“S- sir, I was going to, but with yesterday being a national holiday and all-”
“NO,” Alternate Pharson interrupted, “there are NO excuses for something like this! Would you rather have taken the day off or be fired?!”
“S- sir, I think you’re being rather harsh-”
“NO, get OUT of my building! NOW!”
The employee contemplated his choices, then slowly got up and stepped out of the building with his face low.
“W-what did I just see?! Why was he so angry,” Pharson asked with disbelief.
“Sometimes you have to be a little mean. You can’t be nice all the time. Your alternate self probably wouldn’t have become so successful if he hadn’t.”
Pharson stayed silent as he watched Alternate Pharson gather his things and leave to go home. After Alternate Pharson left, Trophus and Pharson followed.
Alternate Pharson went inside and was greeted by someone that real Pharson was all too familiar with. A host of memories flooded back into Pharson’s mind. Memories that he would very much like to have forgotten, but he had to remember, he had no choice.
Pharson hadn’t always been single, in fact at one point he had a very loving and caring wife, whose name was Fiona. Pharson loved Fiona more than he could fathom, and the love was mutual. Fiona was just as positive as Pharson was, sometimes even more.
While Pharson hadn’t seen nearly any crimes be committed in Reality A, there was one particular instance where Pharson witnessed a crime that he would never forget for the rest of his life.
One day, Pharson and Fiona were strolling through the mall, and they were just getting ready to leave. That’s when Pharson noticed that someone was following him. Pharson tried to ignore it at first, but as time went on, he was still being followed. Pharson and Fiona left the mall, making the walk back to their house, but that strange person continued following them all the time. Pharson couldn’t identify the person, as he or she was wearing a mask.
Eventually the man following Pharson and Fiona called out to them.
“What can I do for you, sir,” Pharson tried to stay polite.
At this point the man pulled out a knife and came rushing for Pharson. Pharson just sort of blanked. He stood still, not processing what was happening. However Pharson’s wife had fully figured out what was going on. There was only one other person around, and he was just as in shock as Pharson was. So Fiona pushed Pharson out of the way. However, in the process, she ended up getting stabbed. She didn’t make it.
Later, they were able to identify the killer as Joyan Prict, the father of the cheery girl, Fawness Prict. Fawness had recently passed because of an accident with a boat. Joyan, who loved Fawness very, very much, had gone mad from the grief. No one knew why he did that heinous crime; people can only assume that he really was insane.
Pharson collapsed and cried, a wave of a million emotions coming over him. Pharson had gone numb with grief and tears. He had tried to forget about her, but here she was. Fiona stood, alive and well, talking to his alternate self. It was too much for Pharson to withstand. Pharson rolled up in a ball and wept.
Trophus looked like he had anticipated that this would happen, but he just stood and watched Pharson.
Pharson had never really grasped why Fiona pushed Pharson out of the way that one day many ages ago. Why not push the onlooker into the mess, or just not push at all? Pharson never could wrap his mind around it. It took months to get over Fiona’s death, and even after that Pharson would never be the same again. He had felt like he had half of himself just stripped away from him, without warning. He couldn’t bear it. He wished it was him who had died. After all, that’s what he vowed to do when he married Fiona. Pharson had always thought that it was his fault that Fiona had passed.
“H-how,” Pharson asked.
Trophus contemplated for a moment then answered,
“At that moment when Joyan was sprinting for you, Fiona had fully processed what happened, but she didn’t want to push you out of the way for fear that she might get hurt, so she grabbed the only onlooker there and pushed him into you. He ended up getting stabbed instead.
After it happened, Fiona didn’t want to get in trouble, for she thought that she might get in trouble for the onlooker’s death, so they covered it up. Joyan didn’t care what you and Fiona did, so he didn’t tell, and you and Fiona buried the onlooker and didn’t tell anyone what happened that dreadful day. Eventually, the town did realize that they were missing an animal, but after countless searches, because of the great hiding skills of your wife, they never found the body or who did it.”
Pharson then cried internally for his wife.
However, Pharson did eventually collect himself.
“I think it’s time for me to go home,” Pharson said.
“If you say so,” Trophus replied.
As they walked back to the frame, Trophus decided to ask Pharson a question.
“How come you’re always positive?”
Pharson then told Trophus his story.
“Has being positive ever gotten you anywhere in life?”
“Well… now that you say it, no.”
“Then why do you stay positive?”
“Well, I just told you-”
“Yes, but if you don’t get anything out of it, then why are you doing it? Aren’t you just wasting your energy?”
“Well…”
“I should’ve thought. Most people don’t have a real reason they stay happy. The reason they’re doing it isn’t getting them anything; any reward. If there’s no one telling you to be happy and positive, and there's nothing you’re getting out of remaining positive and happy, then why stay happy.”
“You.. make an interesting point.”
As they passed the mall, Pharson became aware that he was very hungry. He asked Trophus if he could get some food from the mall. Trophus told Pharson to go get some.
It began to rain.
Pharson told Trophus that he didn’t have any money. Trophus replied and told Pharson to go and steal some.
The rain began to pick up.
“I told you, I don’t think that’s right-”
“Who determines what’s right and wrong? Is it you,” Trophus began to raise his voice.
“Well, yes!”
The rain was getting louder all the time.
“Then you can determine that stealing isn’t all that bad!”
It started to thunder.
“Well- but-” Pharson sighed, and although reluctantly, decided to go steal some food.
The thunder roared louder.
Trophus followed Pharson into the mall and over to a shop that was selling chips.
“There, just take it and shove it into your pocket,” Trophus told Pharson.
Pharson slowly reached his hands for the chips.
As he touched the chips, there was a deafening boom. It put everyone around in a deep sleep except for Trophus and Pharson. Pharson turned around, and saw not Trophus, but a dark and terrifying entity slowly reaching for Pharson. Pharson sensed and saw that this entity was the true embodiment of evil. The entity slowly reached for Pharson, its gooey scales getting closer all the time.
Just as the entity was about to touch Pharson, Pharson heard another roar behind the entity, although this one wasn’t thunder. It was a lion. Pharson didn’t notice it before. The lion was twice as big as any creature he had ever seen in his life. The entity turned around, then showed a look of extreme anger on his face. He screeched and leapt for the lion. The lion and entity fought for some time, each driving a deafening blow to the other, then both finding their ground and repeating this.
A scratch here, a bite there. It seemed like it would go on forever. The lion eventually threw the entity to the floor, and let out the loudest roar yet right in the entity's face. The lion trapped the entity. The entity tried to break free, but couldn’t. With one final bite, the lion killed the entity, and the entity exploded into a thousand purple pieces.
The rain began to die down.
The lion looked both ways, then at me. He locked eyes with me. He turned in my direction. He walked towards me, but changed forms with every step. First he was a tiger, then a monkey, then he transformed into Resole, then into Fiona. With every step, the rescuer changed and morphed into a different person that I knew.
“W-who a-ar-are you,” I asked with fright.
“I am the Way,” the rescuer took a step, “the Truth,” another step, “and the Life.”
Even though I knew I had never seen this rescuer before, I felt like I knew him for years, maybe even my entire life.
He looked so old, yet he looked like he had just been born.
He looked peaceful, yet full of rage.
He looked like he knew me, yet we had never met.
He cared about me, and I began to care for him.
The rescuer stopped when he was about a step away from me, this time he morphed into me.
“Take my hand and believe,” The rescuer said authoritatively, yet with a calming smile on his face.
25
“But- I don’t know-”
“Take my hand and believe.”
I took his hand, and was instantly filled to the brim with joy and calmness. I opened my mouth to speak, but couldn’t, so he closed it. I opened it again, then closed it again. This rescuer, this savior, he was the reason that not just I, but all animals and people alike, were alive. He delivered them out of judgment. He was happy to call everyone his friend.
He was the Word. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. The Word died on the cross. The Word rose on the third day. The Word was, the Word is, and the Word is to come.
The Word is Jesus
Epilogue:
When Pharson took the Word’s hand, Pharson fell into a deep sleep. He woke up at home. His entire experience felt like a dream, but he knew what he lived for now. It wasn’t positiveness, his friends, or even his life. His life goal was to glorify the Word.
Pharson got up and stretched his legs. He picked up the Bible off of his bookshelf, and sat in his favorite rocking chair, one that Fiona had loved when she was alive. Pharson opened the book and read.
The End.
Once upon a time, there was a jolly ol’ crab that went by the name of Pharson. Pharson was a delightful crab that everyone tended to appreciate. No matter the situation, Pharson always seemed to radiate a sort of positivity that couldn’t be mimicked easily. Now the wise old crab, who was around 3 years old (but around 60 in crab years), was a crab that everyone in the small animal kingdom of Rockdale appreciated. The citizens of Rockdale seemed to get along with Pharson pretty well, probably because of his never-ending positivity. Why did he have such an overwhelmingly charming personality? Well it happened that soon after he was born, he was diagnosed with a special type of cancer that only crabs get. His parents were told that their son would have one week to live. However, Pharson survived the cancer. From that point on he vowed to stay positive no matter what situation he was in from that point forward, because chances are his current situations aren’t nearly as bad as the aforementioned.
Now, Pharson lived in the small town of Rockdale, which was an abandoned beach in which animals of all kinds had lived in peace and harmony for some time. The city was moderately large, but it was growing all the time. After a poorly aimed bomb from the Japanese had landed right on top of a military base on the beach, the base was abandoned by all the survivors and forgotten about by all human-kind. Thus, animals inhabited it. The city was built off of trust and sharing, there was no government, there was no money system, and there were no classes. Everyone helped each other, and if someone needed something, they got it.
It happened one day that Pharson was feeling quite depressed. For the first time in a long time, he was reconsidering being nice all the time. Pharson reckoned he could talk about it to his closest friend, Resole, who was a beaver. Luckily for Pharson, Resole came over around 2 P.M that day.
“Phoblo (the animal custom for greeting), Resole,” Pharson waved with his claw.
“Phoblo to you too, Pharson!”
“How goes it, friend,” Pharson asked.
“Very good, as always,” Resole came into Pharson’s home, which happened to be a cave east of Rockdale.
“Resole, I wanted to talk to you about,” Pharson was considering talking to him about Pharson’s problem.
“What?”
Pharson chickened out, “uh- books! Yeah books! Have you seen my collection?”
“Oh, no I don’t believe I have.”
“Ah. Come, take a look,” Pharson stepped over to a peculiar looking bookcase in which he a moderate selection of books of all kinds.
Resole scanned Pharson’s somewhat meager collection of books for a long while.
“What’s this one,” Resole asked.
“Ah. It’s called the Vulgate, or Bible, as our translators have discovered. The scouts who picked it up from the Ruins (what the military base was called by the animals) about a week ago. It amazes me how we are still finding stuff in there.”
Resole slowly nodded, “What’s it about?”
“The scouts gathered that it was a collection of fairy tales of sorts. I have yet to verify this, as I haven’t gotten around to reading it quite yet. It’s quite large, as you can see,” Pharson took the book from Resole and weighed it in his hands.
“Hm,” Resole picked up the book, examined it, then put it back in its snug spot on the bookcase.
Resole and Pharson proceeded to play checkers until suppertime. Proceeding this, Resole left. Later that evening, Pharson was cooking his supper out in front of the cave, when a sudden gust of wind coming from the ocean caught him off guard. Pharson examined the ocean, but didn’t see anything. But then he did notice something. A small floating dot of light that seemed to radiate… something; Pharson couldn’t put his finger on what. The peculiar dot soon expanded in size until it was about 7 feet tall and 3 wide (which can seem quite monstrous when compared to even the largest of crabs.) It continued to radiate the same energy as before, which Pharson still hadn’t decoded. The small frame that the previously small dot of light had formed looked like a dull mirror, except it reflected something other than Pharson, or so it seemed; Pharson couldn’t tell because it was very dull. But the image began to become clearer and clearer, until Pharson could make out a figure in the frame. It appeared to be a bear. When the image became as clear as real life, the bear stepped out of the frame. He looked around curiously and scratched his chin. That is, until his eyes locked with Pharson’s.
“Greetings, lad,” the bear tipped his hat.
“Phoblo,” Pharson returned the gesture, although he was quite confused. Pharson had neither heard the word Greetings or Lad before, but he assumed it was some sort of greeting; well at least he hoped.
“Pharson, right?”
“Yes, how did you know?”
“That isn’t important now. You must come with me, your entire future is at stake.”
“What? Who are you? What do you want? And what did you just step out of?”
“All will be explained in time, just come with me!”
Pharson looked back at his cave, and then the bear, and the still existent frame behind the bear. Reluctantly, Pharson took steps forward, and as he did, steps, reminiscent of the frame that the bear stepped out of, appeared before him, guiding him to the bear. When the crab had stepped up just under the bear, the bear motioned into the frame.
“After you,” the bear pointed.
As Pharson got close to the frame, he began to see an image. It appeared to be some sort of vehicle, the likes of which Pharson has not seen again, even to this day. Around the vehicle, Pharson saw what appeared to be thousands of stars, all with different colors. The sight dazzled him. Pharson carefully put one of his claws through the frame, and when he saw that it didn't harm him, he put the rest of his tiny body through the frame. He found himself in the interesting looking vehicle. The bear stepped through the frame, and sat down in the seat in front of Pharson.
“Now hang on,” The bear looked back towards Pharson.
The bear flipped a switch in front of him, which resulted in the small tube they were in making a small whirring noise, then firing them rapidly forward. Pharson, who had always been sure of the grip he could create with his claws, wasn’t so convinced that he would be able to hang on. It seemed as if they were going through time and space. Pharson, who was quite stunned, soon got used to the constant movement, and settled down enough to ask the bear some questions.
“So, what’s your name,” Pharson asked.
“You can call me Trophus.”
“A fine name.”
“Well I don’t know about that,” Trophus giggled, “but it’s an alright name, lad.”
Pharson, who was still perplexed by this new word, Lad, decided to ask Trophus what it meant, “Lad? What does it mean?”
“Oh, I guess I should’ve figured you wouldn’t understand that. It’s a term used by the people I’m around.”
“Oh.”
“Now listen, I know what you're thinking. You’re probably wondering why you’re here and where we’re going. This will all be revealed in time. But until then, I’ll try my best to answer any questions you have.”
“Oh, ok,” Pharson paused, “What is this contraption we’re in?”
“We call it a travel tube. It’s used to travel through realities.”
“Realities?”
“Yes. Your world is just one of many alternate universes.”
“What does that mean?”
“Well,” Trophus paused, “there are basically a bunch of exact copies of your world, but the actions and minds of the characters inhabiting each other reality are all slightly different. For instance, where you might eat shrimp for dinner in one universe, you might just skip dinner in another. Does that make sense?”
“Well, kinda… Who’s ‘we’?”
“What?”
“Well a second ago you said, ‘We call it a travel tube.’”
“Ah yes. By ‘we’ I mean me and my ‘associates’”
“Ok,” Pharson would’ve asked more but he was still processing all the new information he had just learned.
Just when Pharson was about to ask another question, Trophus interrupted, “We’re here!”
The travel tube slowly stopped and ceased its whirring. Beside the travel tube a frame, very much like the previous, appeared.
Trophus motioned for Pharson to get out of the tube. Pharson did as he was told, and stepped out of the tube and through the frame. What Pharson saw was like nothing he had seen before, not even in dreams.
This new place that Pharson was in was almost like an exact replica of Rockdale, although slightly different. The sky was purple, not blue, and the water was green. The tree trunks were green and the leaves brown. The sand was hot red, and the buildings hosted many different colors, none like his hometown. Yet with all these changes, it was almost like Pharson never left home.
“What is this place,” Pharson asked.
“You can call it Reality B. Your home is Reality A.”
“Wow.”
“Yes, it is quite a sight to the eyes,” Trophus gave Pharson a moment to process the scene around him, then continued, “Want a tour?”
“Yes, please,” Pharson nodded.
Trophus led Pharson to the right, where they encountered Featherwood, where some apartment complexes were located.
“You might recognize these,” Trophus pointed at the tall buildings.
“Yes, they look almost identical to the ones back home,” Pharson replied while trying to take in the scene around him.
8
Trophus noticed a cat standing on two legs in front of the house with a dog. It seemed as if the cat was writing on a piece of paper.
“What is he doing,” Trophus asked.
“Well, writing a check, of course.”
“Writing a check?”
“Oh yes, I forgot, you’re not from around here,” Trophus laughed at his mistake, “See, everything in this reality operates off of a currency system.”
“Currency?”
“Yes. To put it simply, from doing work well, you can earn small tokens that can be used to obtain things that you want or need, such as food, water, and other commodities.”
“Why this over just sharing what you have with everyone?”
“Well,” Trophus paused, “because every animal should have a right to his/her own things. I mean it only makes sense that because you work so hard you should be able to keep your own things for yourself. I mean it would just be downright un-fair if you had to give everything you had just slaved over to earn.”
Pharson was confused. Why couldn’t everyone just share with each other? He pondered this as Trophus led Pharson on.
Trophus led Pharson east, down the city roads. They didn’t talk much, but Pharson was amazed at the sights around him. He saw things he had never seen before, such as a small machine that, when money was given to the machines, seemed to give out little bags of what
looked to be food, and random art pieces on walls of buildings. All the while, Trophus looked straight ahead though as if he was pondering something.
That’s when Pharson saw a face that looked all too familiar. It appeared to be Resole. Pharson ran over to greet his friend. As Pharson ran closer he noticed a look of dread on Resole’s face. He noticed that Resole would often bend down to pick up little bits of plastic or paper that cityfolk had thrown on the ground. But what Pharson noticed first was Resole’s clothing. Resole was wearing what appeared to be an orange jumpsuit, which was different from his normal vest and top hat that he usually wore. Pharson ran in front of Resole and waved at his friend, but when Resole didn’t seem to notice Pharson, Pharson tried different ways to get his friend to notice.
Around this time Trophus noticed that Pharson wasn’t following him anymore, so he strolled over to Pharson.
“Why can’t he see me,” Pharson asked, somewhat angry.
“When you’re in an alternate reality and there’s a copy of yourself in that reality, then no one will be able to see or talk to you, however you can still interact with some objects.”
“Then how was I able to see you in Reality A?”
“Well, that’s because I don’t truly belong in any Reality. I come from a special place, called the covenant. Time does not exist there. Basically, I can choose whether I want people here to see me or not.”
“Oh,” Pharson was still very much trying to process this, “why does he look so sad,” Pharson asked rightfully.
“Hm,” Trophus paused again, as if he was thinking about how to phrase what came out of his mouth next, “he has regret.”
“Why?”
“He betrayed the city, in a manner of speaking.”
“How?”
“Oh, there are a variety of ways you can. Murder, treason, etc.”
Pharson put on a confused look. He had almost never, in his long life, heard of an animal of any kind, carnivorous or herbivorous, commiting anything even remotely on the scale that those crimes were on.
“Why would someone do something like that?”
“Well, many believe that animals do these things because of circumstances. For instance: If an animal was raised in a home without a lot of money, then that animal might’ve needed to do any one of these things just to survive. It’s widely said that because of his/her motives that there shouldn’t be a punishment, but however there are still some that believe otherwise.”
“Does doing something to ‘survive’ constitute doing something wrong?”
“Well, let’s say your friend broke his arm. He’s bleeding profusely and doesn’t have much time to live. Let’s say you’re not allowed to run faster than a certain speed in your city. Do you think breaking that rule to keep your friend alive would be ok?”
“Well, when you put it like that…”
“Food for thought,” Trophus remarked.
Pharson considered this for a long while until Trophus and Pharson reached the mall complex. One of Pharson’s favorite places to go in his city was the mall. In Reality A, the mall was a place to hang out with friends, to play games, and to just talk sometimes. There wasn’t much else at the mall, so when Pharson saw what the mall looked like on the inside, he was quite astounded. He noticed people were still hanging out, but they were in much smaller groups. It also appeared that the people there weren’t talking about life, but mostly making jokes that mocked other people or specific things, but that wasn’t anything compared to the shops. At every corner there lied some sort of shop that was trying to profit off of people.
But Pharson began to notice something else as well. Every now and again, he would see an animal quickly grab something off of a shelf or table and stuff it into his/her pockets without paying. Pharson classified this as stealing, even though he had never seen it done in his reality.
“Trophus,”
“Yes?”
“Why are they stealing? Isn’t that wrong?”
“Depends on your definition of wrong and right. Even then, is it really wrong if everyone does it?”
“I’d say it’s wrong.”
“But everyone does it, and the government doesn’t seem to care that much. So is it still wrong?”
“Do people get to say what’s wrong or right?”
“Do the people get to do that in your reality?”
Pharson thought about this for a little while, but eventually came to a conclusion.
“Yes, I guess so.”
“You say that almost like you think people shouldn’t determine what’s wrong or right. Do you have anything against that?”
“Well, no, but something about it seems wrong to me.”
“Well if people get to decide what prices they put on their goods, what to call books they write, or even what to eat for dinner, why not what’s wrong and right?”
“Hm. You make a good point.”
Trophus giggled, “Well thank you.”
Pharson seemed to see an expression of manicness and anticipation with the last word that Trophus had said, but Pharson didn’t seem to think much of it.
Trophus led Pharson out of the mall, and they continued east. Their next stop was Jidi’s Diner. But as Pharson got closer to the diner, he noticed it wasn’t a diner in Reality B. The giant neon sign on the front said “Jid’s Bar & Casino”.
“What’s a casino,” Pharson asked.
“Well, let’s step inside and see.”
The two travelers stepped inside, and were greeted instantly by a new aroma and smell that Pharson hadn’t experienced previously. Inside, Pharson saw dozens of machines and tables of all shapes, colors, and sizes, however, even with all these differences, a decent amount of them had one thing in common. They all had two slots, one for money intake, and the other for outtake. Pharson went and watched one person play around the machine for what felt like two hours. Pharson slowly began to comprehend what they were all about. Someone would put in a certain amount of money into a machine, and then seemingly by chance an amount of money would come out. But in the long time that the two had been there, the one person playing the machine hadn’t won a single dime.
“Is he ever going to win,” Pharson asked.
“Well, you never know. If he left now, it’s possible that the next time he played if he had stayed he could’ve won. So why risk not winning? You know some of these people walk away from these places millionaires.”
“Interesting.”
Pharson insisted on not staying for longer, as he was growing more and more uncomfortable at the sight and aroma of the place. They soon left and continued their trajectory east, and next they made an unexpected stop. Back in Reality A, there was an abandoned lot that nobody used because it was infested with rodents, but in Reality B, this lot wasn’t abandoned.
“This is a school,” Trophus pointed.
“What’s that?”
“It’s a place where kids congregate to learn and be prepared for the future.”
“Why do people have to do it here rather than at home?”
“Well, as I told you, people in Reality B have jobs that take up a lot of time. Some don’t have enough time to teach their kids, however, there are some that would rather not care for a child all day and night. Either way, most end up sending their children to the schools.”
“It seems like a fine institution.”
No answer from Trophus. A bell sounded, and kids came running out a door and towards a playground.
“What are they doing?”
“Well, every day, at this time, the Children get a short break from the hard work they endure all day.”
“Makes sense.”
“I suppose,” Trophus answered.
There was only one other place to visit in the city, and that place was Pharson’s cave. Of all the places in the city, Pharson was most excited to see what his alternate self was like. Was he cool and mysterious? Maybe very rich and famous? All the time Pharson was getting more and more excited.
When they arrived at the cave Pharson noticed a new building out front that was not there before.
“What’s this place,” Pharson asked.
“Why, it’s where you work.”
“Work?”
“Yes, remember I told you about how people earn money here.”
“Ah, yes.”
They went inside the building, where they saw many people in tight spaces on little machines clicking on some sort of device. It didn’t matter what they were doing, Pharson just wanted to see his alternate self, and it didn’t take long for that wish to come true. Alternate Pharson stepped out of a large room that had a desk inside.
“You turned out to be very successful in this Reality,” Trophus started, “you own your own business and have a lot of people working for you.”
“Is that good?”
“In this Reality, very much so.”
While Pharson stood watching in awe, Alternate Pharson stepped over to a desk where a person sat clicking away.
Pharson’s alternate self looked very much like the stereotype for a business man Pharson had somewhat expected. Alternate Pharson wore a very expensive looking suit, a pair of glasses, and a look on his face that said “don’t mess with me”.
“Jones, where are those reports I wanted,” Alternate Pharson asked the person at the desk.
“Oh, sir, I was just working on them.”
“I told you to have those on my desk by 2,” You could detect anger in Alternate Pharson’s voice. No one else was affected by this, which greatly surprised Pharson.
“S- sir, I was going to, but with yesterday being a national holiday and all-”
“NO,” Alternate Pharson interrupted, “there are NO excuses for something like this! Would you rather have taken the day off or be fired?!”
“S- sir, I think you’re being rather harsh-”
“NO, get OUT of my building! NOW!”
The employee contemplated his choices, then slowly got up and stepped out of the building with his face low.
“W-what did I just see?! Why was he so angry,” Pharson asked with disbelief.
“Sometimes you have to be a little mean. You can’t be nice all the time. Your alternate self probably wouldn’t have become so successful if he hadn’t.”
Pharson stayed silent as he watched Alternate Pharson gather his things and leave to go home. After Alternate Pharson left, Trophus and Pharson followed.
Alternate Pharson went inside and was greeted by someone that real Pharson was all too familiar with. A host of memories flooded back into Pharson’s mind. Memories that he would very much like to have forgotten, but he had to remember, he had no choice.
Pharson hadn’t always been single, in fact at one point he had a very loving and caring wife, whose name was Fiona. Pharson loved Fiona more than he could fathom, and the love was mutual. Fiona was just as positive as Pharson was, sometimes even more.
While Pharson hadn’t seen nearly any crimes be committed in Reality A, there was one particular instance where Pharson witnessed a crime that he would never forget for the rest of his life.
One day, Pharson and Fiona were strolling through the mall, and they were just getting ready to leave. That’s when Pharson noticed that someone was following him. Pharson tried to ignore it at first, but as time went on, he was still being followed. Pharson and Fiona left the mall, making the walk back to their house, but that strange person continued following them all the time. Pharson couldn’t identify the person, as he or she was wearing a mask.
Eventually the man following Pharson and Fiona called out to them.
“What can I do for you, sir,” Pharson tried to stay polite.
At this point the man pulled out a knife and came rushing for Pharson. Pharson just sort of blanked. He stood still, not processing what was happening. However Pharson’s wife had fully figured out what was going on. There was only one other person around, and he was just as in shock as Pharson was. So Fiona pushed Pharson out of the way. However, in the process, she ended up getting stabbed. She didn’t make it.
Later, they were able to identify the killer as Joyan Prict, the father of the cheery girl, Fawness Prict. Fawness had recently passed because of an accident with a boat. Joyan, who loved Fawness very, very much, had gone mad from the grief. No one knew why he did that heinous crime; people can only assume that he really was insane.
Pharson collapsed and cried, a wave of a million emotions coming over him. Pharson had gone numb with grief and tears. He had tried to forget about her, but here she was. Fiona stood, alive and well, talking to his alternate self. It was too much for Pharson to withstand. Pharson rolled up in a ball and wept.
Trophus looked like he had anticipated that this would happen, but he just stood and watched Pharson.
Pharson had never really grasped why Fiona pushed Pharson out of the way that one day many ages ago. Why not push the onlooker into the mess, or just not push at all? Pharson never could wrap his mind around it. It took months to get over Fiona’s death, and even after that Pharson would never be the same again. He had felt like he had half of himself just stripped away from him, without warning. He couldn’t bear it. He wished it was him who had died. After all, that’s what he vowed to do when he married Fiona. Pharson had always thought that it was his fault that Fiona had passed.
“H-how,” Pharson asked.
Trophus contemplated for a moment then answered,
“At that moment when Joyan was sprinting for you, Fiona had fully processed what happened, but she didn’t want to push you out of the way for fear that she might get hurt, so she grabbed the only onlooker there and pushed him into you. He ended up getting stabbed instead.
After it happened, Fiona didn’t want to get in trouble, for she thought that she might get in trouble for the onlooker’s death, so they covered it up. Joyan didn’t care what you and Fiona did, so he didn’t tell, and you and Fiona buried the onlooker and didn’t tell anyone what happened that dreadful day. Eventually, the town did realize that they were missing an animal, but after countless searches, because of the great hiding skills of your wife, they never found the body or who did it.”
Pharson then cried internally for his wife.
However, Pharson did eventually collect himself.
“I think it’s time for me to go home,” Pharson said.
“If you say so,” Trophus replied.
As they walked back to the frame, Trophus decided to ask Pharson a question.
“How come you’re always positive?”
Pharson then told Trophus his story.
“Has being positive ever gotten you anywhere in life?”
“Well… now that you say it, no.”
“Then why do you stay positive?”
“Well, I just told you-”
“Yes, but if you don’t get anything out of it, then why are you doing it? Aren’t you just wasting your energy?”
“Well…”
“I should’ve thought. Most people don’t have a real reason they stay happy. The reason they’re doing it isn’t getting them anything; any reward. If there’s no one telling you to be happy and positive, and there's nothing you’re getting out of remaining positive and happy, then why stay happy.”
“You.. make an interesting point.”
As they passed the mall, Pharson became aware that he was very hungry. He asked Trophus if he could get some food from the mall. Trophus told Pharson to go get some.
It began to rain.
Pharson told Trophus that he didn’t have any money. Trophus replied and told Pharson to go and steal some.
The rain began to pick up.
“I told you, I don’t think that’s right-”
“Who determines what’s right and wrong? Is it you,” Trophus began to raise his voice.
“Well, yes!”
The rain was getting louder all the time.
“Then you can determine that stealing isn’t all that bad!”
It started to thunder.
“Well- but-” Pharson sighed, and although reluctantly, decided to go steal some food.
The thunder roared louder.
Trophus followed Pharson into the mall and over to a shop that was selling chips.
“There, just take it and shove it into your pocket,” Trophus told Pharson.
Pharson slowly reached his hands for the chips.
As he touched the chips, there was a deafening boom. It put everyone around in a deep sleep except for Trophus and Pharson. Pharson turned around, and saw not Trophus, but a dark and terrifying entity slowly reaching for Pharson. Pharson sensed and saw that this entity was the true embodiment of evil. The entity slowly reached for Pharson, its gooey scales getting closer all the time.
Just as the entity was about to touch Pharson, Pharson heard another roar behind the entity, although this one wasn’t thunder. It was a lion. Pharson didn’t notice it before. The lion was twice as big as any creature he had ever seen in his life. The entity turned around, then showed a look of extreme anger on his face. He screeched and leapt for the lion. The lion and entity fought for some time, each driving a deafening blow to the other, then both finding their ground and repeating this.
A scratch here, a bite there. It seemed like it would go on forever. The lion eventually threw the entity to the floor, and let out the loudest roar yet right in the entity's face. The lion trapped the entity. The entity tried to break free, but couldn’t. With one final bite, the lion killed the entity, and the entity exploded into a thousand purple pieces.
The rain began to die down.
The lion looked both ways, then at me. He locked eyes with me. He turned in my direction. He walked towards me, but changed forms with every step. First he was a tiger, then a monkey, then he transformed into Resole, then into Fiona. With every step, the rescuer changed and morphed into a different person that I knew.
“W-who a-ar-are you,” I asked with fright.
“I am the Way,” the rescuer took a step, “the Truth,” another step, “and the Life.”
Even though I knew I had never seen this rescuer before, I felt like I knew him for years, maybe even my entire life.
He looked so old, yet he looked like he had just been born.
He looked peaceful, yet full of rage.
He looked like he knew me, yet we had never met.
He cared about me, and I began to care for him.
The rescuer stopped when he was about a step away from me, this time he morphed into me.
“Take my hand and believe,” The rescuer said authoritatively, yet with a calming smile on his face.
25
“But- I don’t know-”
“Take my hand and believe.”
I took his hand, and was instantly filled to the brim with joy and calmness. I opened my mouth to speak, but couldn’t, so he closed it. I opened it again, then closed it again. This rescuer, this savior, he was the reason that not just I, but all animals and people alike, were alive. He delivered them out of judgment. He was happy to call everyone his friend.
He was the Word. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. The Word died on the cross. The Word rose on the third day. The Word was, the Word is, and the Word is to come.
The Word is Jesus
Epilogue:
When Pharson took the Word’s hand, Pharson fell into a deep sleep. He woke up at home. His entire experience felt like a dream, but he knew what he lived for now. It wasn’t positiveness, his friends, or even his life. His life goal was to glorify the Word.
Pharson got up and stretched his legs. He picked up the Bible off of his bookshelf, and sat in his favorite rocking chair, one that Fiona had loved when she was alive. Pharson opened the book and read.
The End.
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And a dream