Agony! Thomas was in agony! What had he done? The second he had leapt through the opening he had made Thomas knew it was the worst mistake of his life. He fell to the ground writhing in pain. The apparently tranquil forest which he had seen through the slit in the air was not at all what it had seemed. From the moment he had come through the opening every millimeter of Thomas’ flesh felt like it was burning and he seemed to be completely unable to breathe the air there. The atmosphere of that place was intense with, what Thomas would later describe as, ‘focused light’. It was as if every bit of the surface of his skin was being submitted to burning lasers so as to remove layers from his flesh.
Thomas could hardly think and he was in an absolute panic. He tried to calm himself and focus so that he might form a plan. He looked behind him at the direction from which came into this nightmare but there was no opening, nor was there any visible sign suggesting that he could make a new opening. His horror intensified when he realized that he was no longer holding the letter opener and he didn’t know where it was.
“Where…where…” he choked out. But, as he could not really breathe, he could say no more. His eyes burned, like the rest of him, but he forced them open and scanned the forest floor. He could see no sign of the letter opener. Everything was shimmering and hazy like a mirage. He thought he saw what looked to be a long line of small pools of water but he doubted his senses. Some notion that, if they were real, they might relieve the intense burning crossed his mind. His energy, however, was already fleeing from him due to the lack of oxygen.
It couldn’t get any worse. ‘This is where and how I die’ thought Thomas wretchedly, ‘and no one will ever know what became of me.’
He tried to force himself to his feet, and he had almost made it, but that is when he saw it. Thomas didn’t believe in demons, or at least he hadn’t, but that belief was running into a problem at this very moment. ‘I don’t believe…I don’t believe in you’ he tried to tell himself. But even as he tried to wish it away the creature advanced upon him.
It was large, very large, and it had three horns sprouting from its head. Though it walked upright, like a man, it had the overall appearance of something like a panther. The exception to this, besides the aforementioned horns, were the arms and hands which resembled a cross between man and a bird. It had what looked like hands but with razor sharp talons for finger tips. Sprouting from between the shoulder blades were long, draping feathery wings which almost hung about the creature like a cloak.
It was with those taloned hands that the creature now laid hold of Thomas, clutching him around his waist with one hand, lifting him off the ground with great ease, and with the other hand he palmed Thomas' head like a basketball. Thomas tried to shriek with fear but at this point he was barely clinging to consciousness. The thing forced Thomas’ face towards its own, opened its jaws wide, and clamped its mouth over Thomas’ face.
Thomas had just enough time for the dreadful thought, ‘I’m dead. But at least it will be over’ before he realized that he felt no pain from the thing’s jaws. It was not tearing his flesh, nor crushing his skull. It was forcing its breath down his throat and despite the horror of this realization, Thomas realized he was actually breathing because of the breath of this monster.
He had little time to reflect upon this strange and unnerving new form of breathing because the beast quickly carried Thomas over to one of the pools of water and plunged him whole underneath. The beast pulled him back out quickly and then repeated this action two more times after which he set Thomas upon the forest ground and released him. It took him a moment to gather his wits but, to his utter astonishment, Thomas realized that not only was he now breathing on his own but also he no longer felt as though he was on fire.
In fact everything seemed to have changed about the place. It was the beautiful, calm, picturesque forest that had beckoned him to leap through that portal. He could see clearly now that there were, in fact, a long line of pools or ponds. They stretched on, in fact, beyond his ability to perceive or number how many there were and they stretched on this way in both directions. The trees, on either side of the pools, were tremendously tall and their diameter was larger than any tree Thomas had ever seen in his own world. They had a quality that could only be described as ancient. All of the terror and fear of this place, all of the pain and suffering and agony, all of the regret about coming here was completely gone.
Thomas had been reveling in the scenery for some time, reflecting on the immovable peace which had come over him, when he rather incidentally noticed that the beast was still standing nearby and looking at him. When Thomas’ gaze fell back upon it he realized that he had seen him wrongly. Not that anything about the physical characteristics had changed, the description remained accurate, but his perception of the beast, the thing he had called a monster in his own mind, was completely different now. It was the picture of majesty, strength, and honor. Nobility. That was the word, it was kingly.
Thomas stared hard at the beast for a long while. The beast stood perfectly still with its gaze locked upon him in return. ‘What should I do now?’ Thomas wondered. It seemed right that he should thank the beast, but that was silly. Something like this surely wouldn’t understand his speech, would it? Thomas was no longer certain of almost anything he had once taken for granted. He decided it couldn’t hurt to speak to it. It deserved his thanks whether it would understand him or not.
Although he no longer sensed that his life was in danger, and the environment of this place no longer seemed to be inhospitable, and even though this beast had certainly just taken measures to save Thomas’ life, he realized that he still feared the beast. It seemed appropriate and just to fear it. Part of its nobility demanded that it should be feared even if loved and appreciated. “Th-thank you.” stammered Thomas.
The beast nodded its head deferentially. That was encouraging, it seemed to acknowledge his thanks in a meaningful way. “This place is all changed now since you shared your breath with me and put me under the water.” Thomas offered this almost like a person might offer a passing comment about the ‘lovely weather we are having today.’
“No.” Thundered the beast. At this one word Thomas shrank back. He hadn’t expected the beast to speak back, not really. After a moment Thomas gathered his courage and spoke again. “I am sorry, sir” for sir seemed the respectful thing to say “but what do you mean when you say ‘no’? A moment ago I felt like I was burning to death and I could not breathe the air here. Now I am not in pain and I can breath on my own. I was in terror and everything looked like horror…even yourself, if you don’t mind my saying so, and now everything has changed.”
“No.” It said again. “Nothing here has changed, only you have changed. The air here is the same as ever it was, but you have been made to breathe it. The atmosphere is as rich with light as ever it was, but your flesh has been strengthened to bathe in it.”
Thomas paused to reflect on what the beast had said to him. Finally he spoke again, “Then it is you, I think, that I have to thank for all of this? You affected this great change in me? I know that I didn’t do anything.” The beast’s face contorted a bit and, at first, Thomas thought it was snarling but then he realized it was…smiling and perhaps even laughing a bit! It spoke again, “All of the most important changes come to creatures in this way.” Said the beast in its mirth, “No change for the better would ever be possible if aid did not come from beyond.”
Thomas tried to understand this but he wasn’t sure exactly what the beast meant. “What is this place?” Thomas asked. “It has many names. Some in your own world heard rumors of this place and have called it ‘Yggdrasill’ or ‘The world’s tree’ which is close in some ways but, as you see, there is not one tree here but many.”
“I don’t know about that, myself” shrugged Thomas “but I do want to understand what this place is.”
“At one time this place was an intersection to many other worlds but those ways are now shut.” Said the beast.
“Why are they shut?”
“The root world of these portals, the world which originally linked all these others together, is now ended.” Stated the beast.
The idea of this made Thomas feel quite sad and even a little despairing. As he reflected on this idea of a world ending he felt loss. He began thinking of various kinds of worlds coming to an end in some sort of naturalistic way, such as when our own universe will have exhausted itself so as to no longer be able to support life anywhere. Thomas had learned about the concept of the universe’s coming “heat death”in one of his high school science classes. As he reveled in this sad idea of inevitable nothing the beast drew him back to the present with a growl.
“I know your thoughts and you misunderstand, utterly. The world did not die, it came to completion. It was swallowed by life and newness which is ever new and never dying. Such is the blessed fate of all worlds, despite the nonsense now running wild in your head.” The beast had practically growled this whole proclamation but now it subsided.
“There were many worlds then?” Inquired Thomas.
“There are many worlds.” Replied the beast.
“But, I thought you said the doors were shut?”
At this the beast laughed, and it was unmistakably a laugh, and then said, “And do you suppose that when doors are shut that what is behind them ceases to exist?” It laughed again and continued, “only the fool really believes that trees falling in forests make no sound when no one is there to hear it.”
“Then, these worlds still exist but no one can get to them anymore?” Asked Thomas sadly.
At this the beast actually began to shake with laughter. It laughed so loud and long that Thomas began to laugh too, though he did not understand the joke. At last the beast spoke again, saying, “Thomas, Thomas! How did you come to be here? I tell you that you came here today in a way no one ever has before. Just because one way shuts it doesn’t mean that no others may open.“
Though Thomas was very curious to ask more about the ways into other worlds, and of course it had dawned on him that he had used the letter opener to get here and this must be what the beast meant, he was rather unsettled by the realization that this beast had just called him by name.
“How is it… that you have called me by my name?” He said with some hesitation.
“Because you are mine, Thomas. And I know my own.” Replied the beast.
“Excuse me sir,” Thomas started, a bit flustered, “but I am quite certain that we have never even met before today. How could I be yours when I don’t even know your name.”
“My name is Everywhere.” Responded the beast.
“I don’t understand…do you mean to say your name is famous or that ‘Everywhere’ is actually your name.” He asked quizzically.
“Yes.” Said Everywhere. “I am Everywhere and also Everywhen and Everygood. I have many true names and some belong to this world and some belong to that world, but all of them speak to who I am and who I am does not change. Just as this place has not changed, but you have changed, I do not change but also no one sees me exactly the same way twice.”
“I am quite certain I have never seen anything quite like you Everywhere.” Said Thomas.
“Indeed you have. You see me everyday and everywhere but seeing, you have not seen. For you were blind and you were dead but now you see me for you are alive. Now you will always see me.” Replied Everywhere.
“I am very confused but… I think I am starting to understand something of what you mean. I had been taught for so long not to believe in things like this, things like other worlds, things like…you. But recently I have been learning new things and starting to think that maybe something like you really could exist. Although I was thinking of some more…well…some sort of more abstract idea. There is nothing very abstract about you…I realized that when you had my head in your mouth.” Replied Thomas honestly.
Everywhere laughed again and said, “The philosophers are on to something true. But their perspective is like seeing out one direction through a window. But I am on both sides of that window, Thomas, I am Everywhere. You must learn to look through both sides of the window, for I am told to you, and indeed to all people, in two ways. In one way I am an idea, and that idea is true. In the other way I am a tangible, and that way is true. Put those ways together and you will see me as I am.”
Thomas’ mind reeled. He thought he knew what Everywhere meant but he resented the idea.
“You will, for a time, resist me as I am but its too late. Indeed it was too late from the beginning. But know this, you are mine.” Spoke Everywhere knowingly. “In the meantime I have brought you here for a reason. A reason beyond just your own welfare, I mean. I have something for you to do. Indeed I have something for everyone I call to do, for their calling is always for their good and for the good of others.”
“Brought me here? But, I came here on my own. I came here because…because…” he dropped off.
“You came here because I called to you” said Everywhere. Then Everywhere began to sing that beautiful song which Thomas had first heard. Only this time it was infinitely louder and it shook him to the marrow and Thomas fell on his face like a dead man.