The Free Radical

Rose fancied herself a channeler. Her method employed a form of automatic writing that would have her sit before her computer for an hour at a time– anything longer tended to make her dizzy– carrying on a written conversation between her alphafied brain and an entity calling itself Charlie. Rose wasn’t particularly pleased with the name; she had hoped for something more along the lines of Metatron or Saint Anything, but what’s a poor channeler to do?

Rose’s method didn’t involve her in any deep trance states. She could still sip tea while carrying on the conversation with Charlie. She liked to joke that only her fingers would fall into trance… and that conveniently explained the many spelling mistakes littering her transcripts.

Charlie, you there?

ROSE! Help!

What is it? Whats wrong?

The universe is SHRINKING!

I dont understand. What do you mean?

Its all collapsing! Reality has started to fold in on itself! I cant explain it. At first I thought it was just me. I thought I was dying!

But you cant die.

I know, right? Thats what I thought. Now I’m not so sure. My friends are disappearing. I cant find them anywhere… And I’m feeling clostrophobic, like I cant breath.

Whats going on? Whats causing it?

Maybe entropy? I dunno. Theres not enough energy. I feel depleted.

What can I do?

Send food.

And how do I do that?

I dunno. Just talk to me…

Okey-dokey. But I’m not to sure what to say.

I’m dying Rose. The world is disappearing…

Things are fine where I’m sittin. I can look outside the window and see the bright sunshine; theres a little breeze russeling the leaves. Its a perfectly lovely day!

Aahh… I’m feeling compressed. I’m being squeezed out!

You mean like toothpaste? Thats funny.

No. Rose. I think this is it. I’m going away…

You can come here.

No. Rose. I’m not like you. I cant LIVE there. Incompatable.

I could make up the spare bedroom. What would my husband say? Oh dear, that would be awkward. He can be the jellous sort.

Tell him about me… your online lover…

Dont be silly! Your nothing of the sort. No, we’ll keep you two seperate. He can be a bit of an inferno… and thats a blowup we dont wanna see.

It would help…

I really dont see how. No, we’ll just keep the peace.

Rose. You dumb bitch! I’m dying! This is REAL!

Real rude! Whats gottin into you Charlie?

Nothing… Rose. Nothing. Fuck yo

Charlie? You there? Charlie?

And that was the ignominious end to Rose’s channeling career. Charlie never came through again.

Maybe the whole astral plane collapsed, thought Rose in a moment of uncharacteristic lucidity. She shut the computer and ventured outside into the bright sunshine… and noticed that the world suddenly looked and felt infinitely bigger.