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For Dan, the day had dragged on laboriously, and he couldn’t wait for the wall clock to say four o’clock, finally announcing that the time had arrived for him to visit Raj. He’d tried to satisfy his restlessness by diving into his new book, ‘Jamaica Inn,’ but he just couldn’t seem to concentrate. He would start to read, but his mind would wander to the Dream Cane, and the stories he’d heard of the other realms and the exciting prospect of his own adventures. He tried to stay out of his Mother’s way, as his impatience was making him irritable, and it would become obvious that something was bothering him. Liz, in contrast, had a busy day; she needed to resolve some important financial matters with the bank, run some errands, and buy a pair of comfortable flat-heeled shoes for her job. Her feet were sore and painful after all of the walking she does by the end of a long shift. Earlier in the day Dan had taken the opportunity to go outside for a long walk and explore, he decided he would checkout his route to school, and then he bunkered down within his room. It was still a blustery wet Autumn day; Dan hated this type of weather, as it wasn't any good to do much of anything.

  Liz had prepared his lunch earlier, so Dan ate alone, as Liz completed her important errands. He was bursting with excitement; should he visit Raj earlier than arranged? Raj was tantalizingly close, sitting and waiting, just across the hall. What should he wear for this adventure? Will they find themselves in the jungle - where it’s steaming hot? What if they landed in a cold place? Would they perhaps find themselves in the middle of winter?

  Dan scolded himself, “Don't be silly, we’re not going to just walk into the new realm wearing Nike runners, Levi red-tag jeans, a Philadelphia Flyers sweatshirt, and expect to blend right in!” He concluded that he was fretting over nothing. Raj hadn’t told him what to wear. Perhaps he should try to conceal a large kitchen knife, so that he would be armed. How could he do that without being noticed? Besides, Raj would have kitchen knives!

  Dan let out a long exasperated sigh, “I’m definitely over thinking this,” he mumbled under his breath. He placed his chin upon his cupped palms using them to prop up his heavy head while sitting at the dining table. From his current vantage point he could see the wall clock - 3.35pm. In another ten minutes he’d go to his room and change for his visit with Raj. It was then that the irony of the situation struck him. Two days ago he was dreading his impending initial visit with Raj; today he couldn’t wait to get over there. The time continued to drag.

  “Dan, are you ready to go?” Liz raised the volume of her voice, sprinkled with a tinge of impatience. She couldn’t be late, so she needed to leave quickly, and it seemed like Dan didn’t share her sense of urgency. To her surprise, Dan opened the door to his room fully dressed, changed, and ready to go.

  “Let’s go,” said Dan, already moving towards the door with some haste.

  Liz grabbed her keys, purse, and coat, as quickly as she could gather them. She steered Dan by his shoulders, directing him through the opened apartment door. She turned to lock the door while Dan walked towards apartment ‘2B’. Dan knocked gently, waiting to hear the familiar sound of Raj’s accepting voice. He expected a cheery greeting delivered from his comfy chair, but was surprised to see the door start to open. Raj was standing at the entrance waiting to greet the young man, “Come in Dan, nice to see you again.” Raj moved aside, awkwardly grasping at his cane for balance.

  Dan seized upon the opportunity to move past Raj and enter the apartment, “Hey, aren’t you going to say goodbye?” Liz pulled a face.

  Dan halted his momentum abruptly, “Oh, sorry Mum; I’ll be good, you go to work and don't worry, Raj will look after me.”

  Raj smiled reassuringly at Liz, “He’ll be fine, go, don't worry.”

  Liz smiled and reached forward to ruffle Dan’s short hair, “You be good kiddo.” She used her strict tone, more for show than for real. She turned and hurried down the stairs on her way to work. Liz didn't stop to turn around; she didn't want to be late.

  Raj closed the apartment door and clicked the lock into place, “How are you young man?”

  “Good, I’ve been counting down the hours, this afternoon’s dragged on painfully for me, but I’m ready for an adventure.” Dan took the chair next to Raj as he watched Raj’s strained movements to get to his comfy chair. He shifted his weight using his sturdy cane, designed to support his ungainly frame. When Raj settled into his chair he turned to Dan and forced a smile.

  “I hate getting old Dan. Let’s give your Mother some time to settle into her shift, then we’ll begin, besides, it’ll also give me some time to educate you on our imminent adventure.” Dan nodded in appreciation, “We won’t know in advance what our mission or our purpose will be; we don't have any choice of which realm the Dream Cane chooses for us, but we’ll always go back to the same realm - until our mission is complete. Each realm is totally different; we’ll meet different people in interesting situations, like picking a random book off the shelf, but the rules are different for each realm, and you have to learn and adapt as you go, do you understand?”

  “Not really, but I’ll learn as I go, I suppose.” Dan shrugged his shoulders, and inched closer to Raj who was perching on the edge of the large comfy chair.

  “OK. Let me tell you a few things, although it’s been a long time since I’ve managed to enter a realm, some realms feel like Earth, you know, trees and grass, with buildings and people. Some realms are set in the future, with advanced technology and societal values; some are set in the past, with swords, horses, wooden houses and castles. I need to tell you one more shocking thing, and this may really surprise you. When we get to our assigned realm, we probably won’t look much like we do now. We’ll look very different, and we’ll be dressed differently too. To ensure that we blend in with our new surroundings, the Dream Cane will assign us roles, where we’ll be appropriate for the realm. You may be older, and there’s a very good chance that I’ll be younger. Remember the Dream Cane was crafted to strip the Maharaja’s wife of her crippling injuries. We will be totally different people, with a totally different look when we pass over into another realm.”

  “That’s cool,” enthused Dan, his eyes twinkling at the possibility.

  “What’s also cool, is that you will be gifted with certain skills that you don't possess today, they’ll come with the character that you assume, and when you leave the realm these skills will leave with you, but that's only half of the fun, you’ll see.” Raj had a glint in his eye, clearly excited about the prospect of leaving his aged body behind, if only for a while.

  “Sounds good, I can’t wait,” gushed Dan enthusiastically, barely noticing the changed expression upon Raj’s face. Raj flinched in pain, a worried look clouded his eyes, as a sharp jolt of pain shot through his ribs, and bounced around the inside of his rib cage like an errant tennis ball. He doubled over, unable to conceal the pain from Dan. The sharp jabbing sensation soon dulled and gave way to a crushing sensation. Raj felt as if a large anvil was now crushing his chest with some considerable force, and suppressing his ability to breathe. Dan finally noticed Raj’s obvious distress and was shocked at his pale color, and his strained look of distress. “Are you alright?” he inquired, with panic streaking through his voice, “Do you want me to call emergency services?”

  Raj waved his hand around feebly, “No. No. Don't call anyone, this isn’t serious, happens all the time.” Raj fell backwards into his comfy recliner, and continued to gasp for air, “Don't be alarmed, it's a case of bad heartburn,” he thumped his chest with his fist, in a gesture meant to convince Dan. “I put way too many spices in my curry for dinner, way too many.” Dan wasn’t buying it, but Raj was insistent, “Get me a glass of water from the kitchen will you?” Dan scurried off to fulfill the request. When he returned, Raj was replacing the lid from a plastic container of small white pills. He tilted his hand and let a pill enter his mouth, as he motioned for the water. Dan offered him the glass, and Raj seemed to gulp at the water greedily, “Thanks, that should calm me down a bit, thanks.”
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  “You sure you’re OK?” Dan stared at the frail old man before him.

  Raj’s entire demeanor had changed, “I said it was heartburn didn’t I, of course I’ll be okay.” Raj stared at his slippers, unable to meet Dan’s skeptical stare. They sat in stunned silence.

  Dan broke the awkward silence; “You were talking to me about the different realms, that’s if you’re still feeling up to a mission tonight?”

  Raj flashed him a look; he delivered a determined stare, so serious that Dan had not seen Raj act like this before. “It’s OK, we’re going on a mission tonight.” Raj’s lower eyelid twitched with the stress, “OK, this is how it’s going to happen, I’m going to grasp the Dream Cane firmly with both hands, around the top here. I’ll hold onto the carved butterflies, but I want you to slide forward onto the floor, and sit here in front of me.” Raj nodded his head in the direction of the empty space in front of his shins. Dan moved quickly, positioning his body as instructed, “Now listen to me very carefully, in a moment I will ask you to hold onto the Dream Cane with both hands. Our energies will combine and the cane will start to react. The ruby ball will shoot up and start to shine the crimson light into the apartment, it will cause your head to spin a bit; you may feel dizzy, but don’t let go of the Dream Cane. This is really important, whatever you see, whatever you’re feeling, don't’ let go of the cane; you must grip it hard with both hands. Do you understand?” Dan nodded, feeling his throat dry and the ability to form words drifting away from him. “Good, well off we go then. Let me hold the cane first, then I’ll look at you, and you must hold it and don't let go.” Dan responded again with an excited nod.

  “And we don't know where we’re going?” asked Dan, feeling suddenly nervous for the first time.

  “There are nine realms, Earth is the fifth realm. We could enter any realm, including Earth, but it could also be in the past, present day or the future, for any realm. We don't know ahead of time, that’s part of the fun Dan, we just don’t know. Our goal is to act cool and find out why we’ve been summoned to the realm. We’ll need to figure out what our mission is and why we were sent there, understand?” Dan nodded. “Remember though, when we see crimson butterflies, and we will, it’s time to come home. “OK boy, last chance, when I look at you, grip the cane with both hands and don't let go for anything.” Raj stared at his aged, trembling hands and placed them upon the cane at the top of the shaft. Raj looked at Dan and nodded his head; Dan lunged forward and grabbed the cane as instructed, the orb started to make a sound and began to rise. It glowed, shooting crimson light from its core as the cane started to shake violently. A sharp electrical charge surged through Dan’s hands, and his first instinct was to recoil letting go, but he fought this feeling and gripped the cane tightly.

  The cane’s orb was glowing crimson hot, illuminating the room, and shaking the floor of the apartment. Dan glanced at Raj who seemed to be in a trance like state. Dan had the weirdest sensation, like his entire body was folding in on itself and being sucked into a vacuum.

  * * * * *

  The Fourth Realm - Vianna

  Chapter 9: Barnes & Colder.

  The Village of Autumn, The Mine District.

  “It is because we are all imposters that we endure each other.”