| | EPISODE I
Is Stephan Hawking correct in assuming that our Universe has more dimensions than the four we perceive? Should be this true, there is no reason why the existence of "Parallel Universes", so dear to sci-fi writers should not exist and, if so, how different to ours would or could they be? To have a peek at these worlds, it is necessary to unfold and flatten the higher dimensions, and that is what my machine was supposed to do.
My limited understanding of the forces and energy levels involved in higher dimensions was probably the cause of my misfortune.
On starting the machine, my own universe started to deform, as seen through a unpolished glass, straight lines bended and curved into circles, getting smaller and smaller, while the light itself seemed attracted and engulfed in these mini black holes.
After a minute or two - but was my perception of time still a constant in relation to my own point of view? - I was in complete darkness, weigthless and senseless environment.
Progressively, the darkness dissipated, and I began to discern shadows and forms. Soon, the world was as before! The machine was still there, idle, humming gently in the late afternoon. A quick glance at the dials, and I realised that my experience lasted only a few seconds. | | Well, so much for Dimensional Travel... I might as well have dinner at Do Cais, and I set-up for my evening.
As I drove along the carriageway, a strange feeling of uneasiness replaced my usual indifference. Something was wrong, but I could not point it out. Something was different, but what? On the roundabout of Lagos, the advertising pannel caught my attention: it was offering new houses, not the Socialist Party candidate for the elections, due within a month. I started searching for these propaganda, to find none. One month before the local elections, and not a slogan, not a placard to be seen. The large pannel telling you that your seat belt is mandatory, also, was noticeable by its absence.
As I parked my car close to the bar, I smiled, thinking that it would be nice if my experiment, in a flash, had gotten rid of the Government! I looked again at the other parked cars, and noticed something else missing: no road tax stickers on the windscreens. Certainly, there were number plates, and they were as varied as always: German's, French's, Belgian's, Portuguese's, and others I could not identify. But the "No Parking" sign, at the corner, had also disappeared, to be replaced by a sign saying "Please, leave this area free of cars".
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