Chapter 9: Strands of Unwoven Reality
She continued on, the phenomenon she had just encountered still fresh in her mind. She hadn't the time to ponder its significance or its likelihood of existence, or that of the other incidents, when she rounded the bend and walked only a few steps before stopping dead in her tracks. A towering barbed wire fence loomed in her path, with a splintered and well- worn sign dangling perilously from its clutches.
"GOVERNMENT PROPERTY - NO TRESSPASSING. TRESSPASSERS WILL BE APPREHENDED AND PROSECUTED TO THE FULLEST EXTENT OF THE LAW. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED."
Shiiit.
She ignored the sign's attempt to scare her and looked around quickly. The fence had to be at least 8 feet high and extended for what appeared to be miles zig-zaggedly through the forest.
Ixias noticed a large, gnarled old birch tree about 300 yards off to the right of the path, where its topmost branches dangled over the fence.
She tiptoed, crunching unluckily loudly through the woodland as she made her way to the tree. She stopped at its trunk and peered curiously up the length of the tall tree.
Slinging her purse over a lower branch, Ixias freed her hands and stepped back a few paces to give herself some room.
Drawing in a deep breath, she kicked herself into gear and dashed for the tree. Leaping with all the muscle she had inside of her, she rose into the air and grasped for the branch.
What happened next nearly choked the logic out of her.
She soared into the air and had gone far more vertically than she had intended to - some 5 feet higher than should have normally been humanly capable. Not only did she clear the branch, but she landed firmly on it, standing as if she had simply stepped up from a ladder.
She teetered precariously on the branch and stared down the 10 feet to the ground which she had just cleared in one meek leap. Her eyes widened.
"Oh. my. god. How the FUCK did I just do that? What is going ON!?" She yelled aloud to herself. She couldn't comprehend all that was happening to her in such a short amount of time. If sinkholes and invisible walls and the bending and breaking of everyday physical laws was driving Ixias to what felt like the brink of insanity, how was she to deal with what awaited her at the Miracle Glitch?
She bent down nervously to grasp her purse from the lower branch when she lost her balance.
Ohgodohgodohgodohgodhelpmehelpmehelpme!!!
She tumbled off of the branch just missing the barbed prickers of the fence and fell towards her clumsy doom. But what happened next gave her an enlightened sense of the existence of miracles.
She closed her eyes and wished that she wasn't about to hit the ground as she fell flailingly through the air. Just as she was about to make her unholy impact, she stopped short a mere 3 centimeters from the ground, hovering immobile. She didn't just slow down - she completely stopped short and froze in her place.
Ixias slowly opened her eyes, afraid to witness what heaven or hell lay before her. She hovered intensely over the ground, frozen in silent await.
When her mind relaxed, she fell to the ground in a small cloud of dust. Coughing and sputtering stammered fragments of questions, she rolled over and dusted herself off.
"What is happening? How is it that I ran into an invisible wall, and plunged into solid dirt, and jumped 10 feet in the air, and. and. I can't deal with this, I'm such an idiot, how could I think I could handle something I knew next to nothing about,. what is all of this, what kind of nightmare have I walked in to?" She slumped against a leaning maple and nearly wept overwhelmingly.
She continued on, the phenomenon she had just encountered still fresh in her mind. She hadn't the time to ponder its significance or its likelihood of existence, or that of the other incidents, when she rounded the bend and walked only a few steps before stopping dead in her tracks. A towering barbed wire fence loomed in her path, with a splintered and well- worn sign dangling perilously from its clutches.
"GOVERNMENT PROPERTY - NO TRESSPASSING. TRESSPASSERS WILL BE APPREHENDED AND PROSECUTED TO THE FULLEST EXTENT OF THE LAW. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED."
Shiiit.
She ignored the sign's attempt to scare her and looked around quickly. The fence had to be at least 8 feet high and extended for what appeared to be miles zig-zaggedly through the forest.
Ixias noticed a large, gnarled old birch tree about 300 yards off to the right of the path, where its topmost branches dangled over the fence.
She tiptoed, crunching unluckily loudly through the woodland as she made her way to the tree. She stopped at its trunk and peered curiously up the length of the tall tree.
Slinging her purse over a lower branch, Ixias freed her hands and stepped back a few paces to give herself some room.
Drawing in a deep breath, she kicked herself into gear and dashed for the tree. Leaping with all the muscle she had inside of her, she rose into the air and grasped for the branch.
What happened next nearly choked the logic out of her.
She soared into the air and had gone far more vertically than she had intended to - some 5 feet higher than should have normally been humanly capable. Not only did she clear the branch, but she landed firmly on it, standing as if she had simply stepped up from a ladder.
She teetered precariously on the branch and stared down the 10 feet to the ground which she had just cleared in one meek leap. Her eyes widened.
"Oh. my. god. How the FUCK did I just do that? What is going ON!?" She yelled aloud to herself. She couldn't comprehend all that was happening to her in such a short amount of time. If sinkholes and invisible walls and the bending and breaking of everyday physical laws was driving Ixias to what felt like the brink of insanity, how was she to deal with what awaited her at the Miracle Glitch?
She bent down nervously to grasp her purse from the lower branch when she lost her balance.
Ohgodohgodohgodohgodhelpmehelpmehelpme!!!
She tumbled off of the branch just missing the barbed prickers of the fence and fell towards her clumsy doom. But what happened next gave her an enlightened sense of the existence of miracles.
She closed her eyes and wished that she wasn't about to hit the ground as she fell flailingly through the air. Just as she was about to make her unholy impact, she stopped short a mere 3 centimeters from the ground, hovering immobile. She didn't just slow down - she completely stopped short and froze in her place.
Ixias slowly opened her eyes, afraid to witness what heaven or hell lay before her. She hovered intensely over the ground, frozen in silent await.
When her mind relaxed, she fell to the ground in a small cloud of dust. Coughing and sputtering stammered fragments of questions, she rolled over and dusted herself off.
"What is happening? How is it that I ran into an invisible wall, and plunged into solid dirt, and jumped 10 feet in the air, and. and. I can't deal with this, I'm such an idiot, how could I think I could handle something I knew next to nothing about,. what is all of this, what kind of nightmare have I walked in to?" She slumped against a leaning maple and nearly wept overwhelmingly.