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Different Dimension

by Timothy Biggins
Chapter 2
Nothing arrived tonight.
That was the first indication.

No sound from the trees.
No shift in the air.
The stars kept their distance
and the road stayed obediently straight.

I waited longer than necessary.
Long enough to feel foolish.
Long enough for the waiting itself
to start feeling observed.

The machine stayed silent,
but not broken.
Every light indicated ready.
Every gauge sat perfectly centered,
as if prepared for a task
that had been completed elsewhere.

I checked the time.
It agreed with itself.
That bothered me.

A dog barked once in the distance
and stopped mid-note,
like it had received clarification.
The night adjusted around that decision
and held.

I realized then
no signal was coming.
Not because I’d done something wrong,
but because there was nothing left
to ask of me.

The system had already accounted
for my position,
my patience,
my willingness to stay.

Whatever was being measured
finished without announcement.
Whatever conclusion was reached
did not require my understanding.

I went inside.
Locked the door out of habit.
The lock turned smoothly,
as if relieved.

Behind me, the world continued
in a configuration that worked.
Not for me.
For something else.

That was when I understood
the waiting had not been a mistake.
It had been the demonstration.