My arms stirred a little, and I felt my fingers rustle something soft. My entire body felt leaden, and it felt like every bit of motion cost me all my strength.

I noticed the periodic low beeping coming from my right. It seemed oddly familiar. I inhaled, and a cold dry wind came rushing into my lungs. My throat felt hairy and parched, and my lips remained dry even as my tongue tried to lick them.

My eyes tried to flicker open. The LED lights sticking out from the ceiling blinded me for a second, but I instantly knew where I was. My hands slowly made their way to my chest, trying to check if my body was... well, whole? 

Did I just survive that? 

Somehow I'm still alive. As proof, I felt a sharp pain shoot up my left hand where it was pierced by an IV line. At the same time, pins and needles seemed to crawl up every part of my body. The antiseptic white of the hospital room pressed itself into my senses, a sight that was both calming and alarming.

How long had I been here?, I wondered as I looked at the bedside table full of fruit baskets and flowers. Judging by the wilting of the latter, I must have been out cold for at least a couple of days.

I sat up after much effort, and had half a mind to press the buzzer to the nurse's station. That's when I saw a most unwelcome face peering through the chicken-wired window of my hospital room door.

Seeing that I had noticed him, Karl slithered into my room. He glanced quickly behind him before closing the door, as if making sure no one saw.

"What the... GET OUT OF HERE! Don't come near me!"

"Aren't you wondering how I got here? I told them I got separated from my dad and was looking for him. Clever, huh?" He hopped onto the empty monoblock chair beside my bed, beaming brightly. I had to stop myself from physically wiping the smile off his face.

"Don't look so glum," he said as he noticed my expression, "your friends might come back at any minute, and they might think you're worse off than you really are."

"Worse?! I was hit by a truck when you lured me to the middle of the street, you... you freak!"

"Were you, now? If that's true, then you really need to be more careful," he mused. There was something really unsettling about hearing a child talk this way. "Also, you must be superhuman! The accident didn't even leave a single scratch!"

I stopped. He was right. I felt like coming off from the worst bout of flu ever, but for the most part I was fine.

"What happened?" I really tried to stop myself from asking, but curiosity got the better of me.

"You died," he said without any fanfare. "Or at least, a version of you did. Or maybe it's a part of you? I'm not really sure myself." A shadow passed his face as he ended his sentence.

"What...?"

"Here's something you probably don't know. When a person goes down a Time Shaft, only his consciousness makes it to the other side. The official story is that you were found unconscious in the park near the Shaft, with what looks like a severe head bump. When the you from six months ago died, your consciousness simply found its way back home."

My head spun. What? Nothing's making sense at all, and whatever he's saying doesn't make it any better.

"You mean all that wasn't real? Some sort of dream?"

"Oh no, it was all real! Just ask your friend Gian, he was here earlier today, too."

Wait. He's fine? So it really worked?

"Then, what about all those people who were lost, trying to go up and down the Shaft? Why didn't we find any of them?"

"Almost all of them deliberately carried their bodies into the Time Shaft, so they're still there. If they hadn't made it back that means they're still alive somewhere in time. Your case is different because... let's just say it was an accident, and your consciousness was pulled apart before your body actually fell in. That allowed the authorities to recover you and bring you here."

"Then... why?"

"Why what?", he looked at me again with that bemused smile.

"Why did you take me there? Why did you lure me into the Shaft? Did you just want me to save Gian?"

"Hmm... no. I don't really know your friend so his fate doesn't concern me. But think of it as more of a... demo, maybe?" 

"Demo for what?"

Karl ignored my question. Instead, he jumped up and made for the door. "Anyway, I gotta go now! I had just wanted to see if you were awake, but you saw me through the window. Visiting hours will be over soon, and you friends might be here again before then."

Right before he closed the door behind him, I blurted out:

"You've done this before, haven't you?"

He froze for a bit. "Ahh, have I been that obvious? But you're right. In fact, I've been doing this for as long as I can remember."

"Why?! Who are you, really?"

He looked back at me and grinned again before closing the door. "I'm Karl. I'm an orphan. I can do whatever I want!"