Free Shattered by Sophia Sharp

very interesting, isn’t it? Oh, one more thing. Time flows differently here. Sometimes much faster than in the real world, sometimes – much slower. Usual y, though, it’s much faster. So everything we’ve experienced so far – from me jumping off the car al the way to this conversation –
    has occurred in the span of only a few seconds in the real world.”
    “Wait, so in the real world ,” Laura emphasized for clarification, “we’re both asleep? On top of your car?”
    “That’s right. And as soon as we go back, we wake up.”
    “How do we go back?”
    “I’l show you. Not just yet, though. What I was just saying, about time flowing differently, that’s more important. Now, do you remember when you took your first step, and you stumbled towards me?”
    “Yes, I do.”
    “What’d you feel, when it happened?”
    “What did I feel?”
    “Yea, like what was that like for you?”
    “Um… I felt dizzy, I think. Like I lost my sense of gravity. Kind of like I couldn’t say which way was up and which was down.”
    “Did objects kind of… streak together for you?”
    “Oh that’s right! Yea, my vision blurred a bit and al the colors merged.”
    “Ok, wel , I cal that a glitch . And what it is, I think, is your body protesting you entering this realm. It’s nothing to worry about. Unless it happens in rapid succession, and doesn’t stop.”
    “Does that happen often?”
    “No,” Logan admitted. “But when it does, you have to watch out for it. Like I said, sometimes time flows faster here than in the real world, but – sometimes –
    much slower. It’s rare when it flows slower, but you be careful then.”
    “How come?”
    “Because if it flows slower here, you might get caught sleeping for a very long time in the real world. Days, weeks, or even months can pass in seconds. Years, maybe, I think, if you don’t get out fast enough.”
    Laura gasped. “Years?”
    “Yes. And nothing wil wake you. Your only clue to that happening is if those glitches occur, over and over, right when you get in.
    “If that happens, you need to get out as fast as you can. You never know – every second you stay here longer might be another few hours you’re asleep for –
    or more – in the real world.”
    “Has that… ever happened to you?”
    “Once, when I was much younger. I came here, and wave after wave of those glitches attacked me. I didn’t know what was going on. I didn’t think too much of it, though, once they stopped, and stayed for maybe half an hour. When I got up in the real world, nearly ten days had passed.”
    “You were out for ten days ?” Laura marveled.
    “Yea,” Logan grinned. “I found myself in the hospital when I woke up, and I had no idea what was going on. The doctors thought I had fal en into a coma in my sleep. I gave the nurse quite a scare when I shot to life in the middle of the night.” He laughed. “That’s the only danger for you here. Getting caught when time flows slowly.”
    “But you said that doesn’t happen very often?”
    “No, it doesn’t. Usual y it’s flowing a lot faster, like right now. It al comes in waves, I think. Maybe the best way to think of it is… the scale of time oscil ating back and forth. Like a pendulum.” He made a sign with his hands designating one. “When it swings to the very right—” he brought a finger to the right, “—
    time here is much slower than in real life. And as it fal s back and swings to the left—” he motioned with his finger to the left “—time here gets faster and faster, until it peaks as it hits the very left. And then it goes back. On and on again, back and forth, in a cycle.
    “Now, one thing I’ve realized is that it’s not a perfectly even pendulum. Most of the swing is spent in the zone where time is faster here. Only a smal sliver—” again, he motioned with his finger “—of the pendulum’s swing is spent in the zone when time is slower here.”
    “I think I get it,” Laura