The Wormhole

Summary

A scientist travels through a wormhole he discovered in an Alaskan cave, witnessing what he believes to be the Big Bang, and returns to a reality where his family's items are altered, suggesting a change in dimension.

Abstract

In the narrative titled "The Wormhole," a scientist, equipped with a pressurized suit and thrusters, embarks on a journey through a mysterious orange-hued portal found in an Alaskan cave. His mission is deeply personal, driven by the desire to reunite with his late family, with their cherished belongings serving as his anchor. The scientist's suit and sensor technology are designed to adapt to any environment and to determine his location in time and space. Upon entering the wormhole, he experiences a disorienting array of lights and sounds before encountering a phenomenon he interprets as the Big Bang. His return to the lab reveals that, while the year remains 2020, the dimension has changed, evidenced by the transformation of his family's possessions and a photograph suggesting a parallel universe with blue-skinned, monkey-human hybrids.

Opinions

The scientist's determination to use the wormhole to reconnect with his family indicates a strong emotional drive underlying his scientific pursuit.
His preparation, including a suit with thrusters and a carbon-dating sensor, reflects a methodical and cautious approach to exploring the unknown.
The scientist's reaction to the altered reality, including his shock at the changed items and the unfamiliar appearance of the family in the photograph, conveys a deep personal impact resulting from his journey through the wormhole.
The narrative suggests that the wormhole has the potential to connect to different dimensions or times, with the scientist's experience implying that such travel could lead to profound and unsettling discoveries.
The scientist's realization that he may have witnessed the Big Bang reveals a sense of awe and curiosity, despite the inherent dangers of his experiment.

This was too big to miss

Image public domain, taken from Digital Comic Museum

A wormhole before him pulsated with an orange hue. He discovered it in an Alaskan cave and was about to step through it. His makeshift lab was full of pictures of his late family. His son’s baseball glove, daughter’s doll, and wife’s custom-made hairpin laid on the table to his left. These items would help orient himself when he returned from wherever or whenever this wormhole took him.

His pressurized suit could withstand any environment, and he equipped it with thrusters. The wormhole could lead to a zero-gravity environment and he needed a way to move. Where and when the wormhole took him was unknown. It could take him to the future, to another dimension, or maybe to another habitable planet.

To prepare, he created a sensor that would carbon date surrounding materials and check the frequency of it. The display on his arm showed what year it was and if he traveled to a different dimension.

“Year 2020-Dimension Unchanged,” his display read.

He stepped into the portal. Everything burst into buzzing trails of light, like microscopic shooting stars. The trails of light swirled in unison straight ahead and then everything disappeared. Light, sound, stars, and planets were absent. The silence was deafening. He flicked on his helmet beams. All he saw were his hands in the beam of light. Beyond that, nothing.

He used his thrusters to turn back towards the portal. It was still there. Thank God, he thought. As he spun, he swore he heard a voice. Suddenly, a brilliant flash of light exploded in the distance. His visor immediately went dark, a sign of radiation and dangerous UV rays. The visor adjusted so he could see, just as a cluster of molten rocks the size of planets flew past him. As he looked back towards the explosion, enormous pieces of molten rock, gas, and brilliantly bright explosions swirled outward from the center.

“Year N/A–Dimension Unchanged,” his display read.

That’s impossible, he thought to himself. Using his thrusters, he maneuvered back to the portal. While fascinating, he knew that his life was in immediate danger. He passed through the portal and fell to the floor of his lab.

I think that was the Big Bang; he thought as he frantically ran the possibilities through his head.

“Wait, something is different,” his voice shaking as he slowly stood.

The table where he left his family’s items were on the other side of the room. As he looked closer, he noticed that each of the items had changed. His son’s glove had seven fingers. His daughter’s doll was blue, and his wife’s hairpin was missing. Then he saw it. The pictures on the table were different. Blue skin? He snatched one picture with both hands. The family in the picture didn’t look human at all. They looked like a monkey-human hybrid with blue skin and no hair, but the clothes and location looked oddly similar.

“Year 2020-Dimension Unknown,” his display read.