"Give us a minute to get over there and get you out of that gear, Andrew." Aaron Mackenzie, billionaire mad scientist, calls through the headphones in my helmet.
As I wait, my initially powerful wave of nausea begins to subside, and I realize I won't be vomiting inside my anti-gravity suit today. That's good news, right? Hey, I'm taking that as a victory.
Okay, now it's really starting to sink in where I've just been and what I've just experienced. As the door at the top of the SSG sphere opens and Aaron, George, and Barbara rejoin me on the suspended platform, another wave overwhelms me—this one not of nausea, but of complete humility and wondrous joy. Oh my goodness! Don't you get it? I returned only a moment ago from a completely transformative adventure through time and space!
Uh oh, behind my visor I feel tears beginning to well up spontaneously. Oh boy. My friend and these level-headed scientists are about to see a grown man weeping uncontrollably. Yuck. Too bad for them, though. As George pulls away my helmet, the floodwaters burst through the dam. Perfect timing—wet cheeks, runny nose—instantly I'm a complete emotional mess.
"This changes everything, you guys!" I sob happily as Barbara hands me a small box of tissues. "I feel like my entire life was all leading up to this exact moment, when I could stand on this platform and tell you what is really real. Because now I understand. Before, I thought I knew, but I didn't really know, did I?" I'm giddily chortling and crying simultaneously.
"I feel like my entire life was all leading up to this exact moment."
"It's okay, Andrew." Aaron smiles wryly as he gently reassures me. "After Barbara and George finish extracting you, let's go get a snack down in the conference room. Sound good, buddy?"
TO BE CONTINUED...
(Image courtesy of wix.com.)