I felt so bad about the Terrance incident, and even worse, my dad was coming home later that night. So instead of waiting for him, I left a note on the counter and grabbed my bag. I walked outside and sprinted to the shore. As I stepped in, the water disappeared except for a small puddle at the bottom where I entered my oasis. I stepped in and ran to my tree. It had a hammock and lights on it. I put my bag down and took out my sketchbook, I opened to a new page but then a thousand things sprung into my brain. I put my sketchbook away and started pacing around the tree. "How am I meant to tell my extremely homophobic father that a boy had stayed at my house after hours?" I grumbled, but then,
"Ow!"
A human sound from a world with no other people? I looked over and I saw him. He was running, So I ran after him. I grabbed his arm and he struggled in my grasp.
"Terrance?!" I yelled, confused. "Why, how, what!?"
"Kurtis, what are you doing here?!"
"The real question is what are you doing here!?"
" This place." He paused, " I've pretty much come here my whole life."
I pinched my forehead in annoyance. How had I never noticed him?
"You know what, it's fine. We'll talk about this tomorrow." He sighs.
"Sure."
————
It was the next day and I met up with Terrance at his side of the lake. "Hey."
"Hi." We stood there without a word.
"So… I guess I should explain first ." I say.
"Go on."
"So it all started when I was much younger, around the age of 4. I was outside and sitting by the lake, and I wandered into it, and the portal opened up. So, I stepped in. Probably not the safest decision, but that's the story." I continued, "I never really went further than my tree. I guess I never wanted to. I suppose that's how I never came across you?"
"But then how did I never see you? Come to think of it, I never saw your tree either. It was just… well- I don't know… empty."
"Hm." Terrance appears to be thinking, so I don't say anything. After about a minute, he says something.
"Maybe the world expanded, or maybe it even got smaller."
"What do you mean by that?"