33.

There is a lot to take in, physically and emotionally. A lot has happened in a very short amount of time. There is that word again ... time. It still exists on some level in a place that operates on a lack of time. It is a great big ball where some things are linear, and others aren't. Lawrence Williams is no longer with his son, and this may be a good thing for Terrence. He can be and is sure that his father has returned to the life he had been living and that dad has not become yet another lost soul.

But had dad become lost? Surely, if he had then Terrence would know for sure. Wouldn't it be a more logical conclusion to believe in something like fifteen years passing in the real world, fifteen years passing outside the forest park, fifteen years in which Terrence had not returned home. ... And in such time, Lawrence went in search of his son, ultimately coming to his own conclusion that Terrence had been consumed by time and space and in his own search, Lawrence briefly came in contact with his own only child?

Anyhow, Terrence is left once more to wander in peace and relative silence. Near-by birds are still flying about and chirping away. Fallen leaves still crunch beneath his feet. A temporary break from strange activity is most welcome though again being alone with his thoughts might not be a good thing.

In the forefront of his thoughts is his mother. With what Terrence had been given, was there anything he could have done to help his mother? He trusts the information he has been given, he trusts what he has seen as reality so he knows at some stage that she will be ill, so ill that she may have a terminal condition.

There is no point dwelling on what he could or could not have done. If he had said something to his mother, then it could be quite unlikely that she would not have believed anything he may have told her. Anyway, it is time to move on.

If he could track or trace time, then to Terrence it would feel as a good half hour of aimless wandering has past by at such a stage that something else comes his way. Currently being alone for as far as he can see, Terrence hears a very audible whisper.

'Find me' a male sounding voice speaks. If Terrence had been any deeper in thought, he may have missed hearing this sound. He did hear it though; at that he could not tell where it could be coming from. If anything, it may be coming from all around rather than from one spot in particular. Having almost missed it Terrence wants to make sure that he did hear what he thought he had.

'What?' he asks out loud in the hopes what he heard will be repeated.

As he waits for the repeat, he slowly turns a three sixty looking all around and slightly upwards. Seconds pass and his wait is almost painful. Terrence most definitely is not a patient person. He is about to call out again when he hears that audible whisper come at him again.

'Find me.'

'Find who? Who are you?'

Terrence spins round all the quicker now though there is no one near-by who could have spoken. He does get to hear the voice speak once again. Unfortunately, it doesn't answer either of his questions. What it does say is what it has simply said twice before.

'Find me.'

The spinning around makes him dizzy so he comes to a halt. A voice, a very audible whisper has spoken the words 'find me' three times. Can Terrence take it that this voice has spoken to him, as in ... directly to Terrence himself and that it not something or someone speaking out to nothing and to no one in particular? He can confidently assure himself that the voice did mean to speak to him.

Thing now is who does this voice belong to? Where is this person? And why does such a person need to be found? All questions he is sure will answer themselves at some point or another. For some reason and once Terrence is sure the whisper is done repeating itself, he feels oddly drawn back to the park waters. Whether or not this feeling has anything to do with that voice he heard he does not know.

There is no plan, no ideas as to what he can do with himself to move things forwards so heading back towards the canal or river or lake or whatever combination of which it so happens to be is as good a thing to do right now as anything else.

34.

Feeling no sense of hurry, feeling as if he has little to do and an eternity in which to do it, Terrence heads back onto the canal walk trail. What is about to turn up is something he cannot prepare for. He couldn't really have prepared for anything he has already encountered so with that lack of hurry sense, Terrence strolls down to and along that Canal trail.

With the canal to his right Terrence looks around in the hopes of taking in something, anything that he may not have taken in from previously having been here. There isn't long to wait for indeed Terrence sees something that he can be totally sure had not been around before. On the far side of the canal there is a clearing with which he is sure is new.

Not only is there a clearing that Terrence is sure had not existed the last time he was in this area, but there is also something else up a ways up along that clearing. There is a building, a house possibly, some sort of cabin even. Is there someone up there? As in living in this unusual place? It is quite possible that there is. Only one way to find out for sure, there is a sense of urgency now, a need to get up to this cabin before it can go disappear on him.

If something exists where it hadn't previously, with it seemingly appearing out of nowhere and with this place being what it is Terence does not want to take any chances that this something, that this cabin could simply just disappear.

So, to get across the waters it has to be back to that large wooden bridge, a place which certainly feels like it is an epicenter for all that is. Terrence does not waste this moment or delay with getting there though once he is on the bridge, it grabs him. It is as if something is reaching into his soul and anchoring him here. Whatever presence he feels is in this place, it is at its strongest right here.

The bridge does delay him though it doesn't completely prevent him from getting to where he wants to go. Karen O'Neill, the jogger jogging with her dog, may be drawn here to this bridge; Mary may be drawn here also though neither of these ladies are here in this moment. Terrence has somewhere to be, and he is determined to get there. The bridge is crossed and on he goes.

On he does go. A thin dry dirt walkway leads off in the direction Terrence wants to go. There is someone up by that cabin. This person is outside and using an axe to chop wood. Terrence approaches slowly and cautiously. There is something about this person outside this odd and unusually placed cabin. This person does nothing to alter his movements despite the fact that he must know that someone is coming close.

There is something about this person, an odd familiarity. It is only when Terrence is close enough to be within conversational distance that he can see it properly. It is him. The person chopping wood is Terrence himself or so it would seem. Terrence continues to move towards ... himself. This place is seriously messing with his head.

Alright this park with whatever presence which resides within it, all that is and all that it can be, it seriously can do all sorts to one's head. There may be no time present though apparently one can still age. No time and all of time at once. If approaching Terrence could presume that his wood chopping alternate is himself on the path he currently is on and assuming that he never properly leaves this place, then he could also assume this alternate in any kind of normal reality would be in his mid to late forties.

Only a few feet away from ... his alternate self ... wood chopper Terrence finally takes a moment to acknowledge an arrival.

'So, you got my message then so.'

'The find me whisper, ... it was you?'

'Oh yeah, when you have been here as long as I have you get to pick up a trick or two.'

'But there is no ...'

'... no time here, and all of time at once, so yeah, we still age as if there were regular time.'

'Then what about Karen O'Neill and Todd Grogan? Why haven't they aged?'

'Thought that on would be clear, for them they have only just arrived here. They've only been in this place a matter of mere minutes. I have been here what could be considered a long time. Hey, wanna come inside?'

Hardly being in a position to turn himself down, Terrence watches his older self, place the axe he had been using to one side then he follows himself into the cabin where Terrence is to discover that he is not to be alone with himself. There is someone else sitting within the main living space.

'Terrence this is Jason Ryan, Jason this is younger me.'

Taken aback somewhat, Terrence is almost at a loss for words. In his shock and awe, he does manage to get one question out.

'You are the guy with the chainsaw.'

'Eh, yeah that would be correct. Sorry to have frightened you the first time we ... crossed paths.'

All this is certainly getting to be a little too much. With thinking that however, it is obviously all going to be fine, older Terrence seems quite relaxed and at home with all which must have occurred in his time in this place.