Ripple In Time - Chapter 7 Im Home

I feel obligated to provide an explanation, not of the how, but of the why.

Back when I was experimenting with the time ripple, specifically the core components of Uncertainty and Calibration, I noticed something odd would happen each time I used the two spells in conjunction. Any object under the effects of Uncertainty, when manipulated by Calibration, would end up duplicating itself, resulting in a manipulated object and a natural object.

Remember the apple? Recall that I was able to put it into a state of uncertainty with my Uncertainty spell, then manipulate the probabilistic effects of spacetime on it using Calibration. In such a way, I was able to finely control the degree to which the apple rotted, as well as control which parts of the apple rotted and which parts didn’t. But herein is the lingering problem that I didn’t mention last time.

Suppose that, through the combination of Uncertainty and Calibration, I managed to produce an apple where only the core was rotten while the remainder of the apple was fresh. After my spell completes, what I would end up with is not just that apple, but actually two apples, the one I just described and a second apple, where the entire apple was rotten. This second apple was the natural state of the apple under the influence of spacetime. It would always be present, no matter what kind of manipulation I applied initially.

The situation with the apple was further complicated by two observations. First, it was wholly unpredictable which of the two types of apple would be in my hand when I went to pick up my initial apple. About half the time, I discovered it was the manipulated apple, while the other half, it was the natural apple.

But if the apple I picked up is but one of the two, one may wonder where the other apple went. And here is where it gets interesting. The answer was that it could be anywhere! Often, I found the second apple under a workbench or atop a bookshelf. Once, I even found it in a toilet, which had been presently in use. Now that was an interesting conversation. But another time perhaps.

Through experimentation, I was able to confirm one thing about the final location of the secondary apple, namely, that the initial and final locations shared an inverse square relationship. This meant that it was exponentially more likely for the second apple to appear close to where the first one had been. But beyond that, the phenomenon seemed completely random to me. In fact, it often felt that spacetime itself couldn’t make up its mind as to where to put the second apple, as if it were confused by the sudden appearance of an unnatural object, and so it just decided to put it wherever.

Now at this point, a thought might have occured to those more perceptive. If the Uncertainty-Calibration spell resulted in the duplication of objects, why didn’t I just use it to make myself infinite wealth by, for example, applying the spell to gold coins. The answer is, I tried. It didn’t work though, and that fact leads me to my second observation.

I discovered that without fail, after some undeterminable period of time, one of the two duplicated objects would suddenly vanish. Again, I could not predict ahead of time if it would be the manipulated object or the natural object which disappeared, nor could I predict when the disappearance would occur, but one of the two objects inevitably would. I could, for example, place the two apples next to each other on a table and just wait- in fact, that was exactly what I had done. Sometimes, one of the two apples would vanish after a few days. Sometimes, it took a few weeks. But there was never a single exception to this phenomenon.

My best guess as to why this occurs is the due to the law of conservation. Namely, the amount of matter in space is fixed throughout the universal timeline. The duplication of the apple creates new matter, which violates this physical law and hence must be rectified through the disappearance of one of the duplicates. That is why one of the two apples always disappears.

This also brings me back to my original point, the “why” of it all. If you understood my explanation, then it must be clear to you already why I had to do it. One of “me” was going to disappear. And it certainly wasn’t going to be me.

But enough about all this. I’ve arrived at my destination.

I push the black metal gate with my right hand. It screeches along its hinges, then opens for me. As I walk past, I take note of the crooked sign to the side. It’s covered in filth and reads, “von Steiner.” So stupid. How tacky. Is my father so afraid people will forget us? I shake my head, then carefully make my way to the main mansion.

Several times as I walk, I nearly stumble and fall. The ground is uneven and the sidewalk slabs are cracked and loose from grass growing through. I find it amusing, however, that the grass is able to grow through harsh conditions such as the sidewalk slabs. This is because to either side of the sidewalk, the lawn is completely barren and brown, without a single sign of life.

As I reach the steps of the mansion, I stop and take a look around. Memories of my alt-past come flooding back to me. It has been quite some time since I have returned here. And yet, not much has changed. The place is just as decrepit and desolate as I remember. Truly the embodiment of a house in decline.

After staring at the exterior some more, I slowly make my way up the stone steps, careful to avoid spots where the bricks are loose or missing. When I finally reach the door, I turn the handle, push the door open, and step inside.

I am greeted by a dark foyer, lit dimly with a sparse number of candles. The flicker of the candles casts ominous shadows along the walls, and at first glance, the place looks abandoned. But I know better. I lift my eyes to the curved staircase, to the second floor where I know my mother and father will be. Then I call out.

“I’m home.”