I don’t know exactly what I saw that day, I don’t know how it happened. I’ve tried going back to that room so many times, the one with the blue clouds and the portals. It really does feel like a dream, but I finally made it back.

I know my parents always advised against it, but I tried sticking a fork into an electrical outlet, just to see if I could get that burst of power again. Surprisingly, it worked, but it also hurt a lot.

Not that I know how to be a good ghost, but I was definitely on the right track once I saw that blue room again.

Over and over, I’ve jumped through the portals, each time quickly returning to the room. I fear that one day I may not come back, so the trips are brief. But this stuff is fascinating, that’s for sure.

I don’t understand the logic behind it all, but the portals glow without a light source in that dark room. And the breeze, the soft cool breeze that blows out of them. It’s very calming. I guess it’s something I just have to accept amongst the other supernatural occurrences in my life.

Every time I enter that room, the visuals are the same. I can see the faint memories inside, displayed on the frosted blue screen. I’ve been watching them for hours on end now, a TV show of my life on repeat.

But there’s one I always return to, one that I feel could change the future if I entered at the right time. I would love to bring it into reality.

Every time I pass it, I can hear the ocean in the background. It’s a little smaller than the rest, but it’s pleasant. Harper is always there in this different timeline, repeatedly. She's always drafting a poem, and it’s pleasant.

In the portal next to it, the date is November 13th, the day that I died. Again I find her writing something in this one, and it’s in my diary of all places. It’s never any good. So pessimistic, so drawn towards the sad things in life. She never used to be like that.

It has to be brain worms. They crawl in and sit and wait, weighing you down; you can't get them out. It’s like an earworm, but far more sinister.

And a whole lot more metaphorical.

My thought process is that if I enter the right portal, I can bring the ‘good’ to my reality and leave behind the Harper I have now.

But then I ask myself, why should I even bother helping someone like her? To replace her with a better version of herself. That’s no way to punish a murderer. We're barely friends, and we’re definitely not lovers. It’s more like having a tumour of an enemy attached at all times now.

Sure she doesn’t mean much to me, and I can find new friends if I want.

…

That was a joke, I can’t even leave Harper’s side anymore.

But having a friend doesn't mean anything to me.

Okay well…

Maybe a little bit.

But I like this new reality more, so I think I’ll give it a go.

What’s the worst that could happen?

Epilogue End

To be continued in Part 2…