Greg remembered the terror, the feeling of total helplessness. He recalled the pilot explaining to everyone on board the DC-10 that the engines were failing. The possibility of a crash landing was, baring a miracle, definite. The passengers tried to stay calm and follow the crash procedures, but one by one they began to panic. Within minutes, the entire cabin was engulfed in a frenzy of hysteria. When the plane started down everything went quiet. People began praying, hoping for the miracle that would spare their lives. It never came. The plane came down in a deserted park, exploding on impact. Seventy five people were killed, including six crew members. There were no survivors.

     At first there was nothing; like everything had come to an abrupt end. Then there was a tunnel, and at the end of the tunnel there was a light. Greg could feel himself being drawn into the light. As he looked around himself, he could see that he wasn't alone. The other passengers were floating toward the light along with him. Then it was all around him, a warm loving light that seemed to go on forever. He looked over at the others, who seemed to be heading off in one direction or another. Before long they disappeared. He had no idea where they'd gone or how long he'd been alone in the light, somehow it didn't matter. It just felt good to be here. Suddenly, the light began to dim. Everything faded to black, and then there was nothing, until the voice brought him back to reality.

     "Adam"? It was a woman's voice. "Take it easy. You’re going to feel a mild disorientation for about an hour, and then everything should start clearing up".

     "Adam"?! He thought. "Who’s Adam? My name is Greg. At least I think it is". He remembered feeling like this once or twice before, but he wasn't sure when it was. Could he have had too much to drink last night? Was it all just an hallucination? He didn't remember going out. In fact, the only thing he could remember was getting on that plane, and even that was getting fuzzy. Greg Kelly’s entire life was becoming more and more like a dream. It was as if he'd never really existed, but he had, he knew he had! About an hour had passed before Adam Pendleton started feeling more like himself.

     "Well Adam, how are you feeling"? It was the same woman who spoke to him earlier. She was an older woman, around fifty five or so. Her hair was wavy and black, and it looked as though it had been dyed. Her face was wrinkled, possibly because she'd spent too much time in the sun when she was younger. She was tall; about five foot nine, give or take an inch. In spite of her height, she only weighed about one hundred pounds. She was very thin. She was dressed like a doctor of some kind.

     "I’ll feel allot better", he said. "when you let me out of this box".

     "I see you still haven't recovered your full memory". She said as she unbuckled the straps around Adam’s body. "This box, as you call it, is a stasis chamber. It is connected to a larger molecular chamber at the center of the building. The probes on your head channel you thought patterns into a micro-projector, which in turn projects your mind to a subatomic version of our own earth. You paid us fifty thousand dollars to give you a life in the middle class. I trust it was to your satisfaction".

     "No i t was not"! He complained as the doctor helped him out of the chamber. "Do you have any idea what happened?! I died in a plane crash! I was only twenty six years old! Now, I paid you people for a full long life, with a wife, and children! I wanted to grow old. I wanted grandchildren. Just a nice middle class existence! What the hell happened"?!

     "Well, we cannot directly control the course which a person's life will take. In fact, the only way we can even know what is going on is if we become involved ourselves. This is strictly against the rules”.

     "So then, you lied"!

     "No, not really. You see, the technology we use to provide you with your subatomic life is still relatively new. We first discovered this micro-universe five years ago, during an experiment. The intent of the experiment was to slow down the movement of molecular particles so that we could get a better look at them. The discovery of a universe inside our own was astonishing. Later we discovered the other earth, and that was when we decided to build the complex system you see before you. By slowing molecular activity in this micro-universe we were able to slow down the progression of time as well. Since you've been back, only four years have passed since the crash, where before one of our days would have been as a thousand years to them. So you see, there is so much we must keep track of that we simply can't be sure anyone will get exactly what they paid for".

     Adam removed the smock he was wearing and began putting on his street clothes. "I suppose there's a disclaimer somewhere in the contract I signed that absolves you of all responsibility, right"?

     "Well yes, as a matter of fact there is. But we would be happy to provide you with another life free of charge, if you'd like".

     Adam tucked in his shirt, and straitened his tie. "Well of course I’d like, but not today. Another life might take up to two days, and I have a business meeting in Miami day after tomorrow. I do, after all, have other responsibilities to attend to. You don't get to be president of one of the largest conglomerates in the world by playing the game of life".

     "We understand completely sir. I’ll have the nurse phone your car".

     "That won't be necessary doctor. I don't feel like waiting. I’ll just hail a cab".

     Adam Pendleton stepped out into the night, waving down the first taxi he saw. Climbing in the back, he told the driver to take him to the to his penthouse apartment on fifth avenue. The driver grunted as he stepped on the gas. There was an almost overpowering smell of alcohol in the cab. The driver was swerving all over the road.

     "Excuse me", Adam looked at the driver's I’d. posted on the back of the front seat. His name was Anthony Barbello. "Mr. Barbello are you drunk"?

     The driver grunted again. "You some kinda fancy dan cop or sumpthin"? Adam could barely understand what it was the driver said.

     "No I’m not a cop. I’m merely concerned for my health. I don't think you're in any condition to be driving a motor vehicle".

     The taxi was moving quite fast now; fifty or sixty miles per hour. The driver turned and looked Adam in the eye. "You part'o that MADD thing? You a mutha against drunk drivers"? The driver never took his eyes off of his passenger.

     "My god man, keep your eyes on the road"!

     The taxi rocketed down 125th street, until it reached Lennox Avenue. In the intersection at 125th and Lennox the taxi's flight ended. The cab ran a red light and slammed into a bus, ending the lives of Adam Pendleton, Anthony Barbello, and three passengers aboard the bus.

     At first there was nothing; like everything had come to an abrupt end. Then there was a tunnel, and at the end of the tunnel there was a light. It was exactly the same as what Greg had experienced after the plane crash. As he entered the light, a feeling of warmth and love swept over him. The light seemed to go on forever, and he could just make out three or four figures off in the distance. He felt at peace with himself. He liked it in the light, so much in fact, that he hadn't noticed that he was alone. The figures he'd see had disappeared, and the light was beginning to fade as well. Everything went black, and then there was nothing, until the voice brought him back to reality.

     "Mr. Hebert"? It was a man's voice, deep and rugged. "Take it easy Matt. You're going to feel a bit disoriented for about an hour, and then things will begin clearing up".

     "Matt Hebert"? He thought. "But my name is Adam Pendleton, isn't it"? Suddenly, his face contorted into a look of horror. It was as if he had discovered the secret of the universe, and the knowledge was more than his poor mind could handle. Was that it? Did he actually see the true face of reality? No one will ever know, because two weeks later, matt Hebert was institutionalized. The diagnosis: Multiple Personality Disorder.


     Definition of infinity: Unbounded space, time, or quantity. An indefinitely large number.

     How much do we really know about this world we live on? Could it be that we are merely part of an atom which dwells inside an atom? If so, does it ever end? Perhaps we can experience life on these tiny worlds. After all, our bodies are made of atoms. Who knows where our minds go when we sleep? If there were worlds within our bodies, could we live other lives? Could we control events on these worlds? If so, would we be like gods to the beings who lived there? The answers could be locked away, deep inside us all. Perhaps none of us will ever learn the truth; however, if you should run across a man named Matt Hebert who answers to the name Adam Pendleton, or Greg Kelly, you might think to ask him. Then again, do you really want to know?