I sat immersed in the morning sunlight, its golden warmth enveloping me in a cocoon of tranquility. Although I held a book in my hands, its pages remained untouched as my thoughts wandered into different realms. The café, sparsely populated and quiet, offered the perfect setting for my contemplation, each empty table adding to the depth of my solitude. Lost in my thoughts, I almost forgot why I had come—to spend a moment with Megha, to unravel the mysteries of her being, and to get to know her better.
But why was I so lost in thoughts? I couldn’t even recall the origin of these musings. Perhaps it began with a few pages of the book, leading me to imagine fantastical worlds and taking me on a mental journey far from the café.
Just then, Megha arrived, her presence bringing me back to the real world. “Hi. Where are you lost?” she said as she took the seat.
“Nowhere, really. I was just… I was just lost in some thought,” I replied, struggling to articulate my thoughts. “How are you?”
“I’m good. I’m sorry I’m late.” she said, taking a seat on the comfy chair facing me.
“It’s alright.” I replied, glad that she had finally arrived. Before I could ask her what she would like to have, she picked up the book I had placed on the table. Her eyes lit up with excitement as she exclaimed, “Wow, you’re reading A Thousand Splendid Suns!”
I smiled, delighted to find a shared interest. “Yes, I started it a few days ago. It’s recommended by many people. Have you read it?”
“No, I haven’t read it, but I’ve heard a lot about this book. It’s on my TBR list.”
“TBR?”
“To be read. I thought, as a fellow reader, you knew. It’s often used by avid readers.”
“Oh, I see. Sorry, I wasn’t familiar with the abbreviation. Have you read any other books by Khaled Hosseini?” I asked, our conversation flowed effortlessly.
“Yes, ‘The Kite Runner.’ It’s one of my favorite books so far.”
“Mine too,” I said, smiling and feeling a growing sense of connection between us. “It’s an incredible read.” Realizing we hadn’t ordered yet, I glanced around the café and signaled for the waiter. “So, what would you like to have?”
“Hmm, how about a caffè latte?” Megha replied, briefly scanning the menu.
“Sure.” I agreed, signaling to the waiter.
“What about you?” Megha asked, her eyes curious.
“Umm, I’m not sure. I just finished a cappuccino. Actually, I came a bit earlier. Thought to read the book in the meantime.” I explained.
“That’s great. It’s important to take out time for your hobbies.” Megha remarked warmly. She then turned her attention back to placing our orders and said, “Well, I insist you also order something for yourself.”
“Okay. Okay. I can’t say no to you. I think I’ll have ginger honey lemon tea.” I said, signaling to the waiter.
As we waited for our drinks, Megha glanced around the café, her eyes lingering on the artwork adorning the walls. “This place has such a cozy atmosphere!” she remarked.
“Yes, it’s one of my favorite spots to unwind.” I agreed, taking in the comforting ambiance. And soon we were immersed in our conversation getting to know more about each other.
As I was conversing with her, I became aware of a peculiar conversation nearby. I heard the first person asking, “So, how did the concept of the multiverse come about?” to which the other person replied, “Well, it started with Einstein’s theory of relativity where he revolutionized our understanding of space and time by showing that they are intertwined in what he called spacetime. He said that gravity was not a force but the warping of fabric of spacetime around a massive object.”
Person 1: “So how does it propose the idea of a multiverse?”
Person 2: “Well, this idea was further expanded to explain other forces too. Like we can explain that electromagnetic force is not a force in itself but warping of dimension. And this leads to another question- warping of which dimension? The spacetime dimension was already used to explain the force of gravity and no other known dimension was there to explain other forces and thus it was proposed that perhaps there could be other dimensions which are so tiny and curled up around us that we cant perceive them or detect them by any means.”
Person 1: “Wow! that blows my mind.”
Person 2: “Yes, it’s quite interesting. And the idea of these multiple dimensions was resurfaced by string theory.”
I was so attentively listening to their conversation that for a while I was completely detached from the world around me and upon focusing back on ourselves, I realized that Megha was not there. When she left, I could not recall. Did she tell me before leaving? I must have hurt her by diverting my attention. Such questions were on my mind but before I could understand what had happened, the conversation drew my attention again. This time I realized that the conversation was not between the guys in the cafe but from the speakers in the cafe. That was strange. Who plays such a podcast in the cafe! PODCAST! That helped me recall something. I listened further to confirm if my thinking was just right.
Person 2: The vast number of dimensions required by string theory suggests the existence of many universes, each with its own unique set of physical laws and properties. This idea is supported by the concept of dark energy, which is another mysterious component of our universe. The amount of dark energy in our universe is incredibly fine-tuned, so much so that it’s highly improbable.
Paying attention to the conversation and also trying to notice the strangeness of my surroundings, I confirmed that my thought was right. It was a dream. I was finally lucid dreaming. The conversation that I heard was actually the sound coming from my mobile, the podcast was still being played. I unlocked a new hack. If you listen to some podcast or something similar, you can hear those voices in your dream in one form or another. That may help you realize it’s a dream.
I came out of the cafe and flew and in a moment I came out of the earth and crossed the whole solar system. I felt like I was flying faster than the speed of light? Was it possible? Did that realm allow a person to fly or run faster than the speed of light? Seems like the speed of light is the maximum speed allowed by fabric of space and time in our universe only and other universes are not bound to that law. Other universes must have different sets of physical laws. The Multiverse must be real and the universe of the Lucid Universe must be one of those universes in this grand multiverse.
I flew aimlessly as I did not know where to find Swami. I crossed many light years in a short period of time and could not find Swami anywhere. I tried to imagine that mall and that bar where I had earlier met Swami but this did not help. Imagining that mall or that bar, merely constructed the replica of those places and I was not even sure those places existed in such a dynamic universe where everything was changing constantly.
After fleeing aimlessly in the search of Swami I became weary and gave up my search when suddenly the world around me dissolved and I found myself in another strange place, a place where there was nothing to be seen except bright white light in all the directions. One could not simply understand where it started and where it ended. It felt an infinite blank canvas ready to be painted. I could still hear the faded sound of the podcast. I was standing there in silence for some time when my silence was disturbed by a voice that felt like it was a combination of a male voice in unison with the sound of a river. It felt divine. It felt eternal.
It was immediately revealed to me where the sound was coming from. It was a humanoid figure filled with silver with its silhouette similar to mine- same height, same width. It was hovering in front of me and I realized that I was also hovering in the air as there was no ground to stand upon. It was the same in all directions. “Why are you troubled?” the voice asked. Merely by hearing these four words from it, I felt like it was the voice of many wise men.
“Who are you?” I asked.
“It’s difficult for you to understand who I am. You can say I am the soul of this universe and you may say I am your inner voice.” the figure replied.
“I don’t understand, how can one be two things at once?”
“And don’t you think it’s not strange for you to be present at two different places at once, and that too to be at two different universes? You are here and yet your body is at your home, in your bed.”
“That’s just my body there. It’s just my spirit or my ethereal body.”
“Then where shall your senses be?”
“I don’t know.” I said with some hesitation.
“Here you are sensing the soul of this universe whereas you can still hear the words of the podcast that’s being played on your mobile.”
“Yes. I am understanding a bit now. You said you are my inner voice too. This I do not understand.”
“Do not try to understand so much. Now tell me why you are troubled.”
“I am searching for someone who needs my help.” I explained. “But I cannot find him.”
“Who is this person and how do you know he needs your help?”
“I never knew him but I met him in my dream only. He told me that he needed my help.”
“What kind of help?”
“I don’t know. He didn’t tell me but I feel like his spirit is trapped in this universe.” Then I briefed him about all the events related to Swami and me. After which I heard him speak the words I did not expect to hear. He said – “Then what is it that bothers you?”
I became a bit angry and with some effort I managed to say in a normal tone – “Don’t you understand that the mere realization of not being able to help him bothers me?”
“Why does it bother you to realize that you are failing to help someone? No one can help everyone. If you fail to help him, someone else can. Moreover it’s just your assumption that he is in some problem. If he was able to contact you earlier, he can guide you now or maybe he can help himself.”
“Maybe because I don’t know the whole thing, I am more bothered. You are probably right. I should not be bothered by thinking that I’m not able to help. But if somehow I was assured that he is not suffering because of me, then I would be relaxed.”
“I can understand that it disturbs you when someone relies and you fail. But believe me, you will be able to help him when the time comes. He is no danger, at least for now.”
“How do you know?” I said, still taken aback by his words.
“I know a lot of things. In fact everything that you know. Didn’t I tell you I’m your inner voice?”
“Yes, but how?”
“Don’t try to know too much. Sometimes knowing too much may not be good.”
“Ignorance is bliss.” I stated the famous quote, somewhat agreeing with him.
“Yes, exactly. But a few things should be known which you are trying to ignore.”
“What do you mean?” I asked with an urge to know what he meant.
“You know what I mean. Why do you think destiny has chosen you to aid Swami?” His question made my curiosity grow stronger.
“I don’t know.”
“Do you remember the headline of the newspaper article? Your guilty conscience hasn’t left you ever since or has it? It still burdens your soul, doesn’t it?” His mention of that past memory shook me deeply from within. I have been trying to ignore this feeling but it never left me.
“What does it have to do with Swami?” I asked, even though I had guessed the answer.
“Suhasini was his daughter. Don’t you remember the newspaper article stating that she was his daughter?”
“That was not my fault.”
“Of course it wasn’t. But running away is equally sinful as committing that sin.”
“I was afraid.” I said, realizing palpitations in my heart growing stronger.
“Yes, facing the truth is difficult. That’s why bravery is valued. It requires a sacrifice and not everyone can make a sacrifice. Life has given you a second chance, use it wisely.” -His voice was calm and full of care like some elder is guiding you. He continued- “That’s why you are troubled at the realization of your inability to help. This is the problem with the human mind. They think they can escape the punishment of their own sins, but in time it all comes back to them. You humans do not learn so easily. You made the same mistake Sarthak. You could have chosen something else but you did not. And that’s why you are currently depressed.”
“I wish I hadn’t made that mistake.” I spoke more to myself than speaking to him..
“Yes. At that moment it feels so right and we don’t give it a second thought if what we are doing is right or wrong. Humans learn it the hard way. What’s done is done. Don’t bother yourself with that any more. Wait and things will guide you.”
I realized that he was about to go back when I stopped him and asked – “Where will I find Swami?”
“Trust in the universe and in time, the answers will reveal themselves.”
With those words, the humanoid disappeared, leaving me alone. For some time I deeply pondered on the things he said. I cried out loud “Forgive me.” I closed my eyes and kneeled down, I buried my face in my hands, thinking about the mistakes I had made.
When I opened my eyes found myself on an abandoned beach, where he stood before me.
“Are you real?” I asked.
Swami smiled. “What do you think?”
“I don’t know. Things are strange here. Difficult to comprehend.”
“Yes it is.” he said with a broad grin.
“What kind of help do you need? Are you taking some kind of revenge?”
“What?”
“About your daughter, Suhasini. I am sorry but I didn’t kill her. I was just…” I was overwhelmed with the emotions, hardly able to speak anything but somehow I finished my sentence- “I was just too weak to take a stand. And believe me it’s been haunting me for months. Please forgive me. I didn’t kill her. Have you brought me here for punishment?”
“You’ll uncover everything with time. Find me and help me. I think it’s the time for your lucid dream to end.” His voice was so calm and yet so dramatic that it seemed like he did not care about anything. He could have been angry with me for I caused him to lose his daughter.
I realized in deed my dream was ending. The scenery before my eyes was slowly fading and the sound of the podcast was becoming clearer. Was this podcast so long or my dream was so brief? I found myself being pulled by an unknown force. I was pulled away from my surroundings and soon everything around me dissolved.
I realized I was back in my bed but I could not stir my body, I could not wake up. For some time my eyes remained shut despite my efforts to open them and when finally I opened my eyes and saw a demon sitting on my chest. I immediately realized I was having sleep paralysis but after some time I found out with the help of my previous knowledge of sleep paralysis that it was not usual. Sleep paralysis lasts for only one or two minutes, not more than that. I was expecting this phase to pass soon even though each second was difficult to bear. But after passing a lot of time, it did not relieve me. The demon was there, right there, sitting on my chest. I tried to talk to him, but obviously I could not speak, and he could also say nothing. The only thing I could do was to slide my eyes away, so that I would not look at him.
Then, all of a sudden, that demon went away. I noticed that my soul or my spirit, whatever it was; was not in my body but hovering over it. I turned around and saw my sleeping body and tried to enter it, but I could not. And then one thing happened. I noticed that I was not all alone there. My family was there with me- my brother, my mom, they were all there beside me. They were all worried that I was not waking up. They had been trying so much, but I was not waking up.
I was moved to see them so worried about me. I wanted to tell them I was ok, just not able to return to my body. Being trapped outside my body as a spirit I was unable to interact with the physical world. Despite my efforts, they couldn’t hear me or see my struggles. Feeling helpless, they took me to the hospital. They told my family that my vitals were low and I was admitted to the hospital. Even after receiving the treatment, I was not waking up. So, they finally declared that I was in a coma, and I was put in an ICU- the same ICU where Swami was admitted.
I recalled that a similar event had occurred to Swami and now I had begun to understand what could have happened. WAS HE TRAPPED IN THE LUCID UNIVERSE? WILL I EVER BE ABLE TO RETURN TO MY BODY? Exhausted and feeling disconnected, I returned to the Lucid Universe to continue my quest to find Swami. I NEEDED TO FIND HIM. I NEEDED TO GO BACK.