I was recovering from a long bilious flight and checked in to a cheap and dingy 3-star hotel room. The hotel was located on a small block nestled into the busy and crowded city of Cairo. The noise from the heavy traffic, combined with the non-stop humming from the old and dirty air-condition stopped me from sleeping. This destroyed any chance of me recovering from my 17-hour flight from Sydney. The night was young, so I decided that I should explore this magical city of Cairo on my own. My guided tours were to begin tomorrow morning and I had no plans for the rest of today. I was always a firm believer in walking around in a new city on my own is the best way to experience it. I like to stir myself away from the typical tourist traps and the heavily-time constricted trips. This way one can see the genuine hustle and bustle and the everyday life of a city’s inhabitants and beauty of the culture.

I took the remote control and switched off the old wooden-framed vintage television. I was about to leave the dilapidated hotel room, when I felt a rush of hesitation and anxiety overwhelm me. Humans tend to overestimate certain dangers. I am, for instance, often afraid of shark attacks when swimming in Australian waters, although shark attacks are scarce. Although excited that I was in Cairo, I feared getting targeted in a terrorist attack. Such things occur often in Egypt, according to the media that continuously influence the population.

The fear was amplified by the fact that my loving partner of many years, sweet, gentle Elaine, had refused to travel with me to Cairo. Elaine had cited the risk of a terrorist attack as her main reason for not going. Eventually, I brushed off my negative thoughts and calmed myself down. I reminded myself that my everyday choices were more important. My daily actions, such as my diet and exercise, have a larger impact on my life expectancy than terrorist attacks will ever have.

I walked around in Cairo, absorbing everything the magical and lustrous city had to offer. I enjoyed smelling the fragrances and photographing the historic buildings. After walking for hours, I came across a sizeable Egyptian Bazaar.  I am not a big fan of shopping, but I remembered that Elaine had asked for a tin of Egyptian perfume. I also wanted to eat something, and the food there smelled delightful.

The Blue Crystal.

After eating an authentic Egyptian meal, I felt a bit fazed by the noise and the massive commotion at the bazaar. Whenever I travel overseas, I always stand out as an obvious tourist, as I am very tall, and I look very North European. It’s the price that I must pay for being 190 centimetres (6’3”) tall man with a North European Swedish bloodline. My looks attracted a myriad of salesmen, and they were all trying to peddle me different trinkets. I felt the stress and discomfort coming upon me, as I dislike crowds and people pushing things upon me. After rejecting dozens of street peddlers, I finally came across something I wanted. It was a shimmering blue crystal sold from a healing crystal market stand, located at the far end of the dingy market.

I studied the mysterious blue crystal for a while. I tried to contact the presumed seller, an old Egyptian woman, who was squatting behind an old wooden table. She was smirking and showed off her yellow teeth and the wart on her big nose. But, why did I want a crystal? I pondered the question, and I couldn’t come up with any sensible explanation. I have never had any interests in gemstones or healing crystals my. But this enchanting crystal was shining with a bright and wondrous blue light. It was so beautiful that it looked as if the crystal was talking to me. This was something I hadn’t experienced since I ingested LSD and magic mushrooms in my rebellious youth. I took it up with my two fingers, laid it in my hand and stared at it for a long time. I felt completely mesmerised by its beauty for what felt like an eternity.

“Can I help you, Good Sir?” The rasping sound of the lady seller was suddenly interrupted by a young Egyptian man that appeared from the back end of the squalid shop.

I came back to my senses when the store clerk approached me. How long had it been? The other street peddlers had swarmed to me like bees, but this Egyptian man had taken his time and given me the chance to study his products first. I examined the man, he looked different. While the others wore typical Middle-Eastern garments, this Egyptian man looked like a time traveller. Or at least was participating in some sort of a Renaissance fair.

“How much is this crystal...?”, I stuttered with a confused voice.

“For you sir, this beautiful Zeto crystal is only 1500 pounds!” Said the salesman confidently.

1500 Egyptian pounds. How much is that in Australian Dollars? I thought to myself. I calculated the figures in my head and figured out the answer, it was over A$100 Australian Dollars. I was confused, and I studied both the Egyptian salesman and the enchanting crystal for a while. I must have misheard him.

“Excuse me, did you say 1500 Egyptian Pounds for this piece of glass?” I asked.

“I did, but the price has just gone up. It is now 2,000 Egyptian Pounds!” answered the angry and impatient peddler.

The salesman's answer bewildered me. The street peddlers always lowered their prices at any sign of haggling, but this Egyptian man had increased the price instead. How could this be? I was going to put the crystal away, but I couldn’t, I felt extremely drawn in and compelled to buy it.

“Okay, 2000 Egyptian pounds. That’s a deal.” I said sheepishly, as I paid for the glowing blue crystal and put it in my pocket. After paying for the enchanting gem, I took a cab back to my dingy hotel. My brain was not working, and I desperately needed a good night's sleep.

A bumpy bus-ride.

The following day, I woke up feeling a stabbing pain in my stomach, after a minimal amount of sleep. My choice of food the day before hadn’t been a smart one, and I had spent the entire night throwing up in the bathroom.  I was considering not showing up for the bus ride to the pyramids, but I decided against it and got myself ready to go. I was only spending a few days in Cairo, before flying to Sweden to my dear old parents. Spending my time being sick and self-pitying in this cheap hotel room was not my version of an ideal holiday.

I passed up on the hotel breakfast. Instead, I bought some refreshing mints and other snacks in the corner shop outside of the hotel. I did this to cover up the stench of my vomit from the night before. I didn’t want to risk throwing up on the bus, bringing some mints and a bag of nuts would be handy if I got hungry later. I got on the tour bus. The guide was chirping and sharing some interesting facts about Cairo. At least I believe he did, but my attention was foggy after the rough night. I slipped into a dreamy abyss and fell asleep on the bus.

After what felt like a short time, we had reached the pyramids, and I woke up from my nap feeling a bit better.

Not That Grand.

A problem that I have, is that the actual world is usually less grand than the idealistic world. The pyramids are the best example I can come up with to exemplify this. In the idealistic sense, the pyramids are majestic, built by thousands of workers over many years. These precise artefacts followed the astronomical movements with almost better accuracy than we can do with modern technology.

But, in my perceived world, I was in the middle of a barren desert watching a pile of crumbling rocks. Not that interesting.

The smiling tour guide approached me and tapped on my shoulder. For an optional fee of 1,000 Egyptian pounds, I could follow a guided tour inside one of the pyramids.  If not, I could sit at the coffee shop and enjoy the scenery for the next few hours. Paying the extra money to crouch around in a dark a cramped tunnel doesn’t sound like the most fun way to spend money. But on the other hand, I was on-site, and maybe the pyramid would look better on the inside? I paid the hefty fee. The tour guide smirked slyly and stuffed the money in his pocket. He seemed worried that people could see him take the money, indicating that this was not an official part of the tour. I was hesitant to go with the guide and wanted my money back, but I had already paid for it and could not go back.

Inside the pyramid

A short while later, I entered the pyramid together with the tour guide and a few other tour participants. As expected, I didn’t enjoy being inside the pyramid. It was dark, packed with stale air and it was too cramped for a big guy like me. Besides, the food poisoning I had the night before hadn’t prepared me for this spelunking adventure.

Suddenly, I felt like I was going to vomit again. Being the last person in the group, I snuck off into a side passage to avoid embarrassment. Out of the blue, I sensed a glowing blue light from my khaki pants. The blue crystal that I bought at the bazaar, which I had forgotten to take out of pocket the night before, felt hot and shone with an eerie blue light. It was sparkling so bright so that it almost lit up the entire room and hurt my eyes. I picked up the crystal from my pocket and I studied it. Suddenly a trap door opened below me, and I slid down a secret passage.  I slid for several seconds until I hit the floor with high speed. I heard a loud cracking noise and I felt a surge of extreme pain through my body. I had landed badly on my right foot and broken it. I looked around and felt panic take its hold over my body. I was injured and alone in a very dark tunnel with no way to get up. I was going to scream for help when something caught my eyes: The blue crystal. In the dark tunnel, it shone stronger than ever before. I felt compelled to crawl over to where it dropped when I fell and pick it up.

Going Through the Portal to Another Dimension

Once I picked up the glimmering crystal, I heard a noise. The whole wall had lit up, and it was full of illuminated lines of hieroglyphs that I couldn’t comprehend. The hieroglyphs struck me with feelings of awe and surprise. I noticed that there was a slot in the wall where my blue crystal would fit perfectly. I inserted the crystal into the slot and the entire wall made a loud cracking noise. Suddenly the wall shifted in anti-clockwise motion. The wall blocks began to rotate and filled up its crevices with more blocks that appeared from inside the wall, like an amazing game of Jenga. A luminous and calming bright blue light emerged from the wall crevices. I tried to touch the light, but it seemed like it didn’t have a surface as my hand sunk straight through it. I pulled out my hand from the blue light, and it was still okay. I felt scared and amazed at the same time. I felt compelled to know what was on the other side of the shining wall crevice. Relying on my good leg, I decided to jump into the light and find out what happened next.

I saw a bright flash, and my body drifting through space, travelling faster than the speed of light. Suddenly, I landed. I had ended up in a beautiful courtyard, that looked both ancient and futuristic at the same time.  I have never seen anything so beautiful in my whole life, but at the same time, I felt scared. Where was I, and was this the afterlife?

Meeting the Zetans.

I looked around, and I saw a group of strange-looking humanoid creatures approaching me. One of them spoke to me.

“Greetings human. I am Ra, and the Zetans next to me are Zeus, Brahma, and Odin. “

“I don’t understand!”, I stammered and continued speaking, “Am I dead?”

“Certainly not, as a matter of fact, you’ll never be more alive than today,” Zeus answered.

“Enough of the pleasantries”, Odin scoffed. “Did you bring us any offerings?”

The request surprised me, but I didn’t dare to argue with the deities. I remembered that I had some mints and nuts in my pockets, so I took them out and handed them to Odin. He tasted the food and gave me a disapproving look. “What kind of food are you humans eating these days?! This food is full of chemicals and rubbish”, Odin sneered. “I am sorry, I didn’t expect to meet deities today, and I didn’t expect you to ask for offerings”, I replied. “Is that so?”, Zeus asked rhetorically. “Then how come all the ancient scriptures contain the sacrifice of animals, to the gods?”

Zeus’ question confused me, but fortunately, Brahma came to my aid. “Don’t be too harsh on the human for his poor offerings, gentlemen. How could he foresee that he would stumble upon an interdimensional portal? Humans don’t have foresight like we do.”

Brahma turned towards me and spoke. “Thank you for your offerings today, please tell me your name, human.”

“I am Martin”, I answered.

“Nice to meet you, Martin,” Brahma said before he continued speaking. “Unfortunately, your time here today will be short, so please ask anything you’d like to know before you have to go back.”

“Can you fix my broken foot? It’s so painful.” I moaned.

“You are in luck, we still have healing supplies”, Brahma answered. He turned to Ra and spoke “Ra, can you please inject our guest with a Zetan Healing Serum into his right calf?” Ra approached me and injected the serum. At first, it caused immense insufferable pain, but it receded shortly afterwards. In no time the pain was gone, and the foot seemed to have healed.

“What happened?” I asked in amazement. “The serum accelerated your body’s own healing factor by the equivalent of a month’s healing time. Hence you feel the initial immense pain, and then quick healing proceeds.” Ra replied. “So, this is science and not magic?” I asked. “Yes, Advanced science too complicated for you to understand,” Ra replied.

A Quick Tour of the Divine Palace.

Brahma looked at me and spoke, “Our time is short but let me show you around”. I got up on my feet, and to my great relief, I could walk, albeit with a bit of a limp. I followed Brahma to a beautiful pond, located next to a blooming Lotus Tree. In the pond, I could see a lot of things happening on Earth.

“Master Brahma, if everything on Earth is science and not magic, how can you see all these things from Earth?” I asked.

“When we first came across Earth on our travel across the Milky Way eons ago, we dropped millions of nanotechnology drones. We did this so that we could see everything on the planet. These drones were powered with advanced batteries that have almost unlimited battery time. Thus, some of these drones are still sending images to us.” Brahma replied.

“Wow!”, I replied.

“Yes, when we told your ancestors that we were all-seeing, we were not lying, just explaining to your level of intelligence,” Brahma said.

“But are you really gods, and did you create mankind?” I asked.

“No. We didn’t create mankind, but we made you what you are. When we came across Homo-Sapiens 70,000 years ago, your species was low-tier animals, close to extinction. My Zetan ancestors altered your genome, and raised your intelligence. We made you what you have become since then.” Brahma replied.

“So because the Zetan species is much more advanced than humans, you become Gods to us?” I asked.

“Yes. The only real god, The True Maker, works on a cosmological scale. For such an omnipotent being, the daily prayers and actions of individuals become insignificant.” Brahma replied.

Brahma looked at his wristwatch and seemed keen to move on. “Come, there are more things that I have to show you, and time is short”.

Brahma hurried ahead and opened a door. We entered a very advanced computerised archive. I was full of lifelike hologram generators and other amazing technologies. “This is the Zetan archives, if you choose to stay here you can have access to all the knowledge and science of the Universe,” Brahma said. “Even the age-old question of the meaning of life?” I pondered. “Good one, but no. You see, there is no universal answer to that question. The individual has to make up their own answer.” Brahma answered.

I studied the room and all the amazing objects in there for a while and then my eyes fell back on Brahma. Brahma seemed restless and a bit reluctant, but eventually, he spoke. “So, Martin it is time for you to make a choice,” Brahma said. “What choice?” I replied.  “You can either stay here, spend time with us Zetans and learn everything there is about the universe. Or you can go back to humanity on Earth and live in ignorance,” Brahma said. “Why can’t I have both?” I asked.

“Because the portal will soon be closing, and once it’s closed, we have no means of opening it from here. If you choose to stay you will have God-like knowledge, but you’ll also suffer from constant hunger and loneliness. You’ll see everyone you care about dying from age through the magical pond.”

Ignorance is Bliss.

I pondered the options for a while. I realised that the choices didn’t only have consequences for me but for everyone else. If I disappeared without a trace, the people I cared about would never get closure. They would always wonder what happened to me. I told Brahma about my decision. He replied: “I see, you choose the easy path of ignorance.” “No, I choose to do what is best for the people I love. Forsaking everyone I care for and who cares for me in the pursuit of knowledge is selfish and cruel!”, I replied.

Brahma studied me for a while. Then Zeus entered the room and spoke: “What did the human choose?”, Zeus asked.

“Ignorance,” Brahma replied.

“They all do. Only one more thing to do.” Zeus said.  After saying this, Zeus pulled me towards him, while Brahma branded my right arm with a luminous tattoo. Zeus then injected me with Zetan Healing Serum while Brahma carried me back to the portal.  The last thing I remember was Brahma repeatedly shouting. “Find Keila Eisenstein, show her the tattoo on your arm, warn her of trusting Rangda the Deceiver!” Before I fell into the glowing abyss and blacked out.

Waking up in a Hospital

I woke up a few days later in an Egyptian hospital. The doctor told me that I had a psychotic outbreak caused by a rare form of a food-borne parasite. I asked the doctor, “Okay, but can you explain how my broken foot had miraculously healed and a freshly inked tattoo on my arm appeared suddenly overnight?”. He responded with “Both of those wounds are fully healed, and it must have happened over a month ago.” The doctor answered and then left the room.

I decided to keep quiet and not say anything. There was nothing to gain from trying to convince this doctor of an extra-terrestrial encounter. Besides, I wasn’t too sure myself any more what had happened.

A few days later I left the hospital. As I am writing this story while on a plane back to Europe, I only have two questions:

What happened to me, and how did I get this strange glowing tattoo with a map of the world filled with alien symbols?

Who the hell is Keila Eisenstein…?!

I pulled myself together and got up to a sitting position in my hospital bed. The exertion almost made me vomit, but I had made up my mind: I couldn’t stay in this filthy hospital any longer. It was the 3rd of February, and I had already been here for three days since my ill-fated excursion to the Cheops Pyramid. The two first days in the hospital had been alright. Those days I was unconscious and thus unaware of my surroundings. But on the third day, I woke up and I had realised what a filthy and depressing place I was in. I needed to get out, walk in a park and inhale some fresh air. It was February and winter in Egypt, so my goal was within reach, only a few hundred meters away.

As I got up, Dr Abdulrami, the same doctor who had dismissed my story the day before, approached me. “Mr Orchard. Why are you getting up?

“I need to get out of here, this place is making me feel sick!” I replied

“But you shouldn’t leave the hospital already. You were unconscious for two days.” Dr Abdulrami objected.

“That might be. But that staying in this filthy hospital won’t do wonders for my health either. I will seek further medical attention when I reach Sweden. My flight departs tomorrow. “I said and held back some vomit.

“Very well, Mr Orchard. I cannot hold you here against your will. Make sure to settle your bill before you move out!” Dr Abdulrami replied dismissively and walked off.

I walked up to the counter and settled my hospital bill. It was a substantial bill, but fortunately, I had travel insurance, courtesy of Elaine’s anxiety. Speaking of the devil, she must be worried sick about me. Because except for a short email on my first night, I hadn’t spoken to her for four days.

I turned on my phone, and as it turned out, I had 32 missed calls and messages from her. While I was happy that she worried it was also a bit draining. I was weak from my ordeal, and the last thing I wanted was to spend my mental energy reassuring her. I checked Google for a beautiful park in the neighbourhood, and I settled for the short walk to the Al-Azhar park.

***

An hour later, I was drinking plenty of water while enjoying the cool breeze in the shade under a tree. The view was beautiful, and I felt a deep sense of relief from not being in that filthy hospital any longer. I stared at the tattoo on my arm. It was full of alien symbols that made up a three-dimensional holographic map floating over my arm. I couldn’t understand why no-one else seemed to notice my tattoo.

I realised that my mind was playing tricks on me. I had experienced three-dimensional pictures from two-dimensional patterns in the past. This was when I ingested magic mushrooms and other psychoactive substances many years earlier. But this time, things were different. Everything looked normal, and it was only my tattoo that stood out.

I woke up from my thoughts when the phone called. It was Elaine:

“Martin?” Elaine said.

“Yes, Elaine” I replied.

“Why haven’t you picked up your phone? Your parents and I have been worried sick about you!” Elaine exclaimed.

“I got severe food poisoning and ended up in a hospital. But I feel better now, and I will travel to Sweden tomorrow as planned.” I replied

“Don’t lie to me, Martin!” Elaine replied.

I felt irritated but decided to defuse the situation. “Login to my net banking and check my credit card statement. “I replied with a tired voice.

“Okay!” Elaine replied, and some silence occurred. Eventually, she spoke again. “A $12,000 hospital bill. What happened to you?”

“I fell unconscious, and I couldn’t pick a cheaper option. Lucky, I got travel insurance this time.” I replied.

“I told you Egypt was a bad place to go!” Elaine exclaimed.

“Well, I guess you were right this time. But I got to go, I am starving, and this time I will go to a five-star restaurant to be safe.” I said.

“Okay. Take care, Martin. I love you. “Elaine said.

“I love you too, Boss.” I said and hung up the phone.

I looked at the phone and reflected on our conversation. I hadn’t told Elaine the truth. I hadn’t told her how I had travelled to another dimension and ended up having a lengthy discussion with extra-terrestrial deities. Or was the reality that I had a severe case of food poisoning, and I had imagined everything that happened in the pyramid? I wasn’t sure anymore. I checked my phone for nearby five-star hotels to choose my dinner place. Eventually I settled for Four Seasons.

***

An hour later, I was sitting at the fabulous restaurant in the Four Seasons hotel. Usually, I was too frugal to frequent places like this, but I was celebrating that my travel insurance would cover most of my hospital bill. At least my finances wouldn’t suffer as much as my mind and body did from this holiday. You got to celebrate the small wins in life. As I was trying to enjoy the Egyptian tasting platter, claimed to be the best in Cairo, I noticed something interesting. A gorgeous blonde woman accompanied by a plain-looking Jewish man. She looked like she was trying to hook-up with the man sitting at the next table, who was also there with his wife. Both partners seemed oblivious to what was going on.

Was the Four Seasons Hotel Cairo’s premier swingers’ venue, or was my head, not right? No matter what, I felt compelled to know how this would turn out. The gorgeous blonde got up and made her way to the toilet. Shortly afterwards her fling also got up heading the same way. This was it! I got up and observed the man. As I had anticipated, the two lovebirds met up outside the toilets. They looked around cautiously before the two of them entered the men’s room. I still got great intuition!

But I wanted more concrete evidence. Perhaps the couple were spies exchanging information? I headed to the neighbouring toilet, leaned my ear to the wall. From the noises, I could confirm that the two of them participated in a session of banging 101. I smiled. This would be a great scenario for my next book.

I got back to my table, paid my bill, and headed for my hotel. One more night in Cairo before I was bound for Sweden to visit my dear old parents for a couple of weeks.

***

The next day I was sitting at a bar at Cairo International Airport. My plane wasn’t due in several hours, and I reckoned that I might as well taste the two local Egyptian beer varieties: Stella and Saqqara. They tasted like any other beer, but at least I got the social media posts of me drinking the local beer varieties. This would be the highlight during this Egypt holiday.

A few beers in, I saw a familiar face. The gorgeous blonde woman I had seen at Four Seasons the previous evening. She looked at me and smiled seductively. Ouch, this was awkward. I panicked with a mix of fear and anticipation as she approached me. Without even knowing her name, I desired her more than I had ever wanted anyone.

“Are you feeling lonely?” The blonde woman said as she approached me.

“I was, but not anymore, “I replied and tried to stop myself from blushing. I felt like I was close to a stroke, my blood pressure had risen to an extreme level around this blonde bombshell. I felt the urge to relieve the stress by fucking her brains out!

“Do you believe in destiny?” the woman asked.

“I am not sure,” I replied.

“I do. Destiny made us meet here. We are two wayward souls, whose paths crossed briefly never to meet again. “The woman said

“So, what is happening next?” I asked.

The woman turned her eyes to the cleaner’s closet and whispered into my ear. “I want you to **** me. Hard, raw and furiously.”

I thought of objecting. It was madness. Who was this woman who I had witnessed fucking another man yesterday behind her cuckolded husband’s back? I didn’t even know her name, and god knows what diseases she might be carrying. I thought of Elaine, she was a good woman, I shouldn’t do this towards her. A shock of pain struck my head, and I heard a faint dark voice. “You need to release, or you’ll die. Follow her. “It was madness. I needed medical attention, not sex, yet I couldn’t withhold my desire anymore.

I followed the blonde woman to the closet. Inside the closet, we had a short stint of the most amazing furious sex I have ever experienced. As I came, the immense pressure inside my head, disappeared, and I felt normal again.

“Well, that was fun!” The woman said and smirked at me.

I didn’t have the energy to reply, as the sex had drained me. I nodded and let out a pleasurable sigh.

“Last call for Mr John Himes and Mrs Ellen Himes to Cape Town. Please proceed to gate 18 immediately!” I heard the PA system announce.

“Well, that’s my flight. Thanks for the amazing sex. Mr?” Ellen said.

“Orchard. Martin Orchard” I replied, uncertain of why I used that old James Bond cliché.

“Very well, Marvin, have a good flight,” Ellen said, smiled and rushed off.

I got out of the closet, and I followed Ellen from a distance. She met her husband outside gate 18, and they had a brief argument before they rushed onto their flight.

                                                                                            ***

A few hours later, I was sitting on a flight to Sweden to meet my parents. What a strange holiday this had been. First travelling to another dimension and meeting up with ancient deities, telling me to find Keila Eisenstein. And then waking up in a hospital bed with a blue, glowing three-dimensional tattoo? And finally, I had finished off the holiday having a brief impromptu affair with this Ellen woman. How was it all connected?

Ellen’s face and our short tryst were etched into the back of my head. But I would keep quiet. After all, how would my life turn out if I admitted cheating on my wife and I brought up my meeting with the gods? I could see the scenario in my mind. I would end up being homeless and alone, screaming incoherent nonsense to people passing by.

I convinced myself that the events in Egypt were caused by the severe food poisoning that I was hospitalised for. I had never met up with any deities, and I hadn’t had sex with Ellen? Surely, life would be better if that was the truth? I leaned back into my seat and fell asleep.

After severe turbulence, I felt a profound sense of relief when our flight landed at Kathmandu International Airport in Nepal. Elaine released her grip of my hand, and she looked relieved. “God saved us and kept us safe.” She said.

“God would be pretty busy if his intervention is required to land every plane!” I said sarcastically but then quickly added in “But I am happy that we landed unharmed. I was afraid as well up there. This was the worst flight I have been on.”

“Well, I need to believe that someone is looking after me. Whether god is real or not is irrelevant to me.” Elaine replied.

“Agreed. Let’s get our stuff and get out of this plane as fast as possible. I can’t wait to get some fresh air.” I said, and we made our way out of the plane.

***

A few hours later, we were in Kathmandu, and I wondered what I had gotten myself into. The weather was hazy, and the city was full of smog. Pollution in Kathmandu was terrible, due to the city being in a valley, preventing the winds from clearing the pollutants. I had experienced a few days like this in Sydney during the massive bushfires of 2019, but most days the air quality of Sydney was rather good.

“Hey, let’s take some selfies over there, at the Hanuman Dhoka Palace,” Elaine said excitedly. I obliged. Although it felt a bit wasteful to cover two-thirds of the picture with our faces, it is what people are doing these days. After taking many pictures, to make sure that we looked presentable, I snapped some photos of the buildings themselves. They were, after all, one of the reasons for us to come here.

After doing sightseeing for a couple of hours, we decided to have a traditional Nepalese dinner. We ended up having a Dhal Bhat Tarkari, mostly because it was the national dish of Nepal. The flavour was unremarkable but palatable.

It felt strange and a bit underwhelming to finally be in Nepal. I had wanted to walk in the Himalayas, the roof of the world, for many years. But the city of Kathmandu reminded me of any Asian city, crowded, noisy and polluted. Oh well, a couple of days here and then we would find an enjoyable hiking tour and celebrate Elaine’s birthday hiking in the mountains. A good celebration.

I wondered what had made Elaine want to come here. I had wanted to go for the last few years, but she had refused as she thought it was too dangerous. I decided to bring up the topic.

“Hey, babe. How come you changed your mind about hiking in the Himalayas?” I said.

“Well, I wanted to give you something that you wanted for your 35th birthday,” Elaine replied.

“Thanks, but you thought it was too dangerous when I suggested it earlier years?” I asked.

“I still think it’s too dangerous. But I don’t want to lose you like I almost did when you travelled to Egypt on your own. At least now we are facing danger together.” Elaine replied.

“Thank you, babe. Let’s get back to the hotel and rest. We can look for a proper tour company tomorrow. “I replied.

Having said this, we paid our bill and headed back to the hotel for a good night’s sleep.

***

The following day, we headed out to find a suitable tour company for our hiking tour. When we were looking for a tour agent, Elaine spotted a jewellery shop, exclaimed “I’ll check out that shop!” and then she ran off.

I sighed. If Elaine had  shown that much enthusiasm when we were playing sports, our mixed Futsal team would have a lot more success! I caught up with her inside the shop. “What are you looking for, Elaine?” I said

“I am looking for some unique Nepalese jewellery to add to my jewellery collection.” Elaine said happily.

“Okay, but I am not paying for any jewellery!” I replied dismissively.

“Don’t worry. I didn’t expect you to. There must be cobweb covering your wallet considering how rarely you open it. “Elaine said and smirked.

I was about to say something when I checked my wallet and there indeed was cobweb! Fair call, Elaine!

“Oh, I love this one!” Elaine said joyfully and pointed at a blue gemstone.

I stared at the gemstone in disbelief. Could it be? Yes, it must be the same type of gemstone that I had bought in Egypt, which activated an interdimensional portal.

Suddenly, I felt numbness in my arm, and as I studied my tattoo it became a vibrating three-dimensional blue hologram. What was going on, and why had we come to this place?

I was brought back to reality when the shop attendant approached us. It was the same man that I had met in Egypt the previous year, although he now wore a traditional Nepalese outfit.

“How can I help you, miss?” the man said to Elaine.

“I love this blue sapphire. How much is it?” Elaine asked

“For you, my lovely lady, the price is 10,000 Nepalese Rupee!” the man said with a broad grin.

“Okay, hold on. “Elaine replied. She turned towards me and spoke again: “How much is that, Martin?”

“Uhm around 120 Australian Dollars,” I replied distantly.

“Oh. Okay” Elaine turned towards the vendor and spoke, “I’ll give you 7000 rupees for the gemstone.”

The man shook his head and replied. “The price just went up; the price is now 15,000 rupees!”

The man’s response gave me a déjà vu. This was definitely the same guy that I had met the previous year. No other seller increased the price like that when a customer tried to haggle!

“What? No, I don’t want it anymore!” I could hear Elaine say.

I realised that I had to get that crystal. It was the key to finding out what really happened to me last year.

“I’ll take it. Here are 15,000 rupees.” I shouted and took out the money from my wallet.

“I said 50, not 15” the man replied snidely.

“Whatever, mate. Here is the 50,000. I need that crystal. “I urged as I put the wad of cash on the counter.

“Excellent! It is all yours.” The man said joyfully.

“Not so fast. Martin, what the **** are you doing? Why are you paying a fortune for that blue gemstone?” Elaine interrupted.

The salesman who seemed keen to get the sale added in. “Don’t worry, miss. Because you are such a lovely couple, I’ll throw in two free hiking tour tickets in the price. “

Hearing this, Elaine grumbled, but she didn’t say anything, and we left the small shop with our gemstone and two tour tickets, 600 dollars poorer.

The rest of our day in Kathmandu consisted of Elaine being unhappy about my purchase, which she repeatedly made very clear.

***

The following morning, we met up outside a small tour operator in Kathmandu. We were  going to Nagarkot where we would do our mountain hiking. We were on a small group tour and in the minibus to the mountain site, I did something out of character. I spoke to all the participants on the trip. Accompanying us on the day tour were the following people:

· Rajesh, our bubbly Nepalese tour guide and driver.

· Ben and Szymon Yehuda: two Israeli brothers who were on a break from their compulsory military service.

· Pierre Beaumont, a Swiss banker who was passionate about mountain hiking.

· Jorge Santiago and his young daughter Sandra from Mexico.

· Josefina Fiero: A Brazilian femme fatale, whose exceptional body I had to avoid staring at in Elaine’s presence.

· James Winter: An American army type of guy who didn’t seem to speak much.

· Vladimir Kravchenko: A Russian of few words, whose presence gave me the creeps.

I was having an exciting time altogether until an avalanche struck our bus, causing it to drive off a cliff. After free-falling for a couple of second everything turned black.

***

I woke up in a strange undescriptive realm. It reminded me of my visit to the Divine Dimension the previous year, but things were different. Instead of feeling like I was in the future, I felt like I was stuck in the past. I saw a lot of haunting spirits passing by me, but they didn’t seem to notice me at all. Was this the afterlife? It seemed likely. Our tour bus had fallen off a cliff, and I had been standing in the middle of the aisle gossiping when it happened. So, my odds for survival didn’t seem that great. “Oh well, we all got to go some time,” I said to myself to avoid panicking.

“Martin. Martin. Martin. Wake up! Please!” I heard echoing, over and over. The world around me started to fade and I woke up with a terrible headache and my body covered in blood. Elaine was kneeling next to me and she stared at me in awe when I opened my eyes.

“Martin! You are alive. It’s a miracle. “She exclaimed.

I got up on my knees, and I realised that I had been lying in a puddle of blood, my own blood, which had melted the snow around me. How had I survived that? I checked in my pocket, and I took out the sapphire crystal that I had bought the previous day. It was dull now, not the lustrous gemstone it had been the day before. Had the crystal saved my life? The idea was far-fetched, but what better explanation was there?

“Oh, you are alive?!” I heard an Israeli voice exclaiming in wonder. It was Ben Yehuda’s voice.

“Yes, the afterlife can wait for a bit longer!” I replied.

“Not much longer unless we do something, I am afraid.” Ben Yehuda replied gravely.

“Why is that?” I asked.

“Because we travelled with an unsanctioned tour and severe weather is on the way. No-one knows that we are here. We need to find shelter, or we’ll freeze to death. “Ben stated.

“Ping, Ping, Ping” something inside my head was pinging like a radar, and it was indicating where I was meant to go. I got up on my feet and shouted out: “Follow me! I know the way to a nearby cave, where we can sit out the storm!”

Everyone stared at me in awe. Apparently, my return to the living was the miracle of the day. But they all followed me, probably due to lack of other option.

The freezing blizzard got stronger, and it chilled me to the bone. We hadn’t prepared for anything like this. Nepal was mild in May, even in the mountains so we must have gotten caught up in extreme weather. “Keep going, or you’ll die” I heard my inner voice say repeatedly.

“Keep going, leave no-one behind!” I shouted, and I got back to Elaine who was straggling behind to make sure that she kept up with group.

The pinging in my brain got increasingly more intense until it was too much for me, and I collapsed to the ground. As I fell to the ground, I grabbed a stone, which turned out to be the lever to open a hidden path. We stared in amazement as a stairway down appeared from nowhere.

Wearing thin jackets in a freezing cold blizzard, we didn’t ponder for long, and we all rushed down to the caverns below.

***

“We made it!” Pierre Beaumont exclaimed in relief.

“Is everybody here?” Ben Yehuda wondered.

“My daddy is missing!” Sandra Santiago whimpered.

I looked around. It seemed like Sandra was correct. Her father Jorge, and our guide Rajesh were both missing. Out of the two, Jorge was the most important person. We had a seven-year-old girl desperate for her father, who was in grave danger in the terrible conditions outside. We needed to act, but I was powerless to do anything. The adrenaline rush had receded from my body and the damages were taking out its toll on me. I needed to rest, but I feared that I would not wake up if I fell asleep.

“I’ll go look for them!” Vladimir Kravchenko said.

“In these conditions? Are you insane?” Pierre Beaumont objected.

“I am not some wimpy Swiss banker. I am a survivor. The things that I had to do to survive in Siberia. “Vladimir hissed back.

The room went silent. After a few seconds, Vladimir grabbed his bag and he went upstairs into the raging blizzard to look for the others.

I looked around. Elaine and Josefina were trying to comfort the inconsolable Sandra. But I had my own fears. “Elaine, come here!” I shouted weakly. Elaine directed her attention towards me, rushed over and looked concerned. “Martin, you’re so pale!” Elaine said.

“Yes, I must sleep. But I am afraid. I need you to look after me, to make sure that I don’t die in my sleep.” I said wheezingly.

“Okay, I’ll watch over you. I’ll pray for you!” Elaine said with a solemn voice.

“Okay, baby. I love you.” I said, and I let go, falling into unconsciousness.

***

“You cannot die. You need to serve me. This will be the beginning of your new life!” I heard a terrifying voice saying.

I opened my eyes, and I was in the cave that I had fallen asleep in hours earlier. But the cave was empty. What was going on? “Where is everyone?” I shouted in panic.

“Muahaha. You’re asking the wrong question. The question you should ask is, where are you?” The menacing voice replied.

“So, where am I?” I replied.

“You’re between the afterlife and the realm of the living. In another dimension. That dimension is an exact copy of your dimension but devoid of all life.” The voice replied.

“And who are you?” I shouted.

A mirage appeared in the room. It was a terrifying humanoid creature. The creature stood at around two metres tall, with sharp claws, fangs, a ripped muscular physique, and glowing purple eyes.

“I am Rangda Kaliankan. I have arrived to bring a new era of greatness to humanity. And you’ll be my envoy.” Rangda replied.

“Rangda? The Zetans warned me about you!” I replied in confusion

“Oh, really? Did they?” Rangda chuckled and then continued with an aggressive hateful tone: “Where are the Zetans now, that you are hanging on the thread to your life? Who is here to protect you from the dark void of death? I am! You serve me, or you die!”

The fear of my own mortality gripped me and made me succumb to Rangda's command. “I’ll serve you. Please help me!” I whimpered.

Hearing this, Rangda’s face lit up with a malicious evil grin, and her purple eyes sparkled in excitement. “Excellent. Remember the sequence I am about to show you. Behind these walls there are nine ancient artefacts. One for each of you, as fate has made it. Take one each, and your minds will expand, and you’ll find the way to true greatness. “

***

I woke up to the sound of James Winter and Vladimir Kravchenko arguing. Bloody fools, not even under these circumstances could they refrain from arguing politics. As my mind cleared, I could hear what they were saying.

“That is Rajesh’s jacket! Where is he?” James shouted.

“I don’t know. I only found a jacket.” Vladimir hissed back.

“Bullshit! Rajesh wouldn’t lose his jacket. He wouldn’t live long without in the cold outside” James replied.

“What are you insinuating and what are you going to do about it?” Vladimir said menacingly and chested up against James.

“Ping, Ping, Ping” my brain echoed. I got up, and Elaine approached me.

“What are you doing, Martin. I am afraid. I believe that Vladimir killed our guide,” Elaine whispered. “I need to… I need to open the hidden door and find the alien artefacts…” I mumbled.

“Martin, are you okay?” Elaine whimpered.

“Don’t stop me!” I roared, and I shoved Elaine to the ground. The next 20 seconds, I was in a trance, but when I got back to reality, everyone was staring at me. A secret doorway had opened behind one of the walls.

“Wow! What’s going on?” Szymon Yehuda exclaimed.

“Our path to greatness lies behind that door. We must follow it, or we will perish.” I said.

“Who are you?” Szymon asked in amazement.

“I am just the messenger!” I replied.

A few seconds later, the cave we were in started to collapse. “Follow me!” I shouted as we all rushed into the secret inner sanctum of this mysterious ancient temple.

***

As I got into the inner sanctum of the temple, I was amazed by what I saw. The temple was full of golden statues laden with gemstones. The statuettes depicted various ancient deities, and the walls were filled with several types of ancient script. From ancient Egyptian to Chinese, to Nepalese. In the centre of the room there was a large chandelier that emitted a tranquil bluish light.

I recognised the light. It was the same type of view that I had seen when I entered the portal to Divine Dimension in Egypt the previous year. We were in a hidden Zetan temple!

Right under the chandelier, there was a pedestal, and on top of the pedestal there were nine futuristic-looking monocles. I raised my hand to signal the others to stop, and I walked up to the stand. As I turned around the others stared at me in awe. After a few seconds I began to speak.

“Welcome to the hidden Zetan Temple. This is a momentous day. There are nine alien artefacts on this pillar. There are nine of us in the room. Together we shall use these artefacts to create a new dawn for humankind. Vladimir, thank you for murdering Rajesh and Jorge to make the numbers right! “I proclaimed.

“What is going on? Did you and Vladimir conspire to kill us all?” Josefina exclaimed.

“No. I do not have any forms of association with Vladimir. But his violent nature and insatiable bloodlust, made things go the way they were destined to go.” I replied.

“You are insane!” James shouted.

“Sanity is a limitation when it comes to achieving true greatness” I replied

Having said this, I picked up one of the monocles from the altar and put it over my right eye. I felt an initial fear as the monocle activated and a small needle attached it to my optical nerve via my head. I shook in pain for a couple of seconds, but when the pain had ended, I felt like a new man. My mind had elevated to a much higher level!

The group stared at me in awe and Elaine shouted out “Martin! Your right eye is glowing purple.” “My eye colour is because of my connection to Empress Rangda Kaliankan. She saved me from certain death, and she tasked the rest of you and me to save humanity’s future.” I stated.

“This is madness. You must have injured your brain in the crash.” James replied.

I heard Rangda voice hissing in the back of my head. “The participation of these individuals is essential to my plan. Make them cooperate! Subdue them, but don’t kill them” Rangda instructed.

“Yes, Empress Rangda!” I replied.

I stared at James and said chillingly. “You are going to participate in our plan, whether you want to or not. Bow to our empress now or suffer!”

“Fuck you, creep! I am a Navy Seals operative. I won’t bow to you.” James replied.

“So be it!” I replied.

I had a moment of hesitation. How would I take on a well-trained killer in combat? Although I had the size-advantage, I wouldn’t stand a chance against an elite soldier, especially not after sustaining injuries. I heard Rangda’s voice “Set your monocle to non-lethal combat. Make sure to keep him alive. We need him.”

I did as Rangda instructed. Instantly, I could feel an incredible surge of adrenaline and how the time slowed down around me. The user interface on the monocle gave me detailed information about the people around me and predicted their next move.

I approached James. I dodged his punches twice, blocked his third strike and broke his nose with a left hook. Unfortunately, James was a fighter, so the broken nose didn’t stop him from fighting. Instead, it fuelled him and gave him adrenaline-rushed energy. He attacked me furiously with a multitude of kicks and punches. Although I could block or dodge James’ attacks due to my elevated mind, my body was still taking damage. I realised that I needed to knock James unconscious. I saw an opening and jabbed him on the throat, stunning him. I followed up with a massive uppercut on his chin that sent him flying backwards.

Time slowed down to a standstill, and the monocle started beeping. I had mishit James, and the back of his head was on a lethal collision course with a rock on the ground. Fucking hell! I jumped after James, grabbed him, and shielded the back of his head with my left hand. Time resumed, and I felt a sharp pain in my left hand as that hand had taken the impact from the collision, saving James’ life.

I gave out a sharp shriek of pain, and I hoped that this would be it. As it turned out, I was mistaken and instead the Yehuda Brothers had turned hostile. From the ashes to the fire. They ran towards me from different directions. In the exact right moment, I dropped to the ground, causing them to run into each other. I sprung up to the ground, and I noticed that Szymon was still dizzy from the collision with his head leaning forward. I jump-kicked him in the face knocking him out.

Unfortunately, Ben Yehuda charged at me, quicker than I had anticipated. He jumped me, and we both crashed to the ground. Ben came on top of me and was choking me. “Critical Danger!” was flashing on my monocle in red letters. “No shit!” I thought, but my body was drained, and without the assistance of the monocle I was powerless against the very fit Israeli Ben Yehuda.

I was close to passing out from asphyxiation when Ben fell unconscious and released his grip around my neck. I looked up. Elaine had saved me by hitting Ben Yehuda in the back of the head with a golden deity statuette.

I got up. There was one more thing that I needed to do before I could have a well-needed rest from my fight. I hurried over to Vladimir and knocked him out with heavy haymaker punch before he had the chance to turn hostile. Seeing this, Pierre panicked, slipped, and hit his head, which knocked him unconscious.

I dropped exhausted to the ground, and Elaine rushed to my side. “Are you okay, Martin?” Why did you start this fight?” Elaine said.

“The World is going to end. The people in this room are the only ones that can save humankind. Admittedly, I could have resolved the issue better.” I replied.

“What are you talking about? You are crazy!” Elaine exclaimed.

“Go over there and put on one of the monocles. If I am crazy nothing will happen. But If I am telling the truth your mind will expand, and you will understand that I am telling the truth.” I said.

Elaine looked hesitant. My monocle described her emotional state as terrified. But I hoped that she would do as I said, and this didn’t need to lead to more violence. After a long pause, Elaine walked towards the altar with the monocles. She picked up a monocle and studied it for a long time. Eventually, Elaine put the Zetan monocle towards her eye. She screamed in pain as the monocle attached to her brain stem, but after a while, she calmed down, and she looked at me blissfully. “You were right. These monocles are divine in origin, and we have been given a mission” Elaine said.

I nodded and turned towards Josefina Fiero who were shielding Sandra Santiago with her body. They were hiding in a corner, terrified of what would happen. “My ladies, I hope you realise that cooperation is our best option,” I said. Josefina and Sandra looked down, and they didn’t dare to respond.

I got up and turned towards Elaine. “Elaine, get two of those monocles. It is time to recruit two more members to our cause.” Elaine did as I instructed, and we walked towards Josefina and Sandra, who was shivering in terror.

“Okay ladies. I prefer to avoid violence, so I’d much rather you join me willingly.” I said.

“Or else, you’ll kill us as you did to the others’? “Josefina replied defiantly.

I shook my head and replied: “I haven’t killed anyone. They are all still breathing. But I prefer if I can convince you to join us.”

“Okay. But please don’t hurt the girl or me.” Josefina pleaded.

“I promise to not hurt either of you,” I replied and handed Josefina the monocle.

She stared at it in horror, but eventually she gave in and attached the Zetan monocle to her eye. She screamed in pain, which terrified Sandra.

“You promised that you wouldn’t hurt us.” Sandra sobbed.

“We won’t hurt you,” Elaine said softly and hugged Sandra. When Sandra had calmed down, Elaine attached the monocle to her eye.

After some terrifying screaming both Josefina and Sandra had calmed down.

“This is amazing. What do we do now?” Josefina said.

“We connect the others to the technology. There are nine of us in the room, and there are nine monocles. This is not a coincidence. This is destiny. Once we have connected everyone, Mistress Rangda will give us instructions. “I replied.

Josefina and Elaine did as I instructed. Half an hour later, everyone in the room was connected, conscious, and sitting in a semi-circle. It was time for Rangda to give us instructions.

Rangda appeared as a mirage in the centre of the room. She gave everyone a grave look and spoke: “Greetings. I am Empress Rangda Kaliankan, the saviour of mankind. Earth is dying, and the nine of you are the only ones who can secure the future of humankind. In 111 years from now, a Gamma Ray Burst will hit Earth. This event will kill everyone on the planet. The only future for your species is to develop your technology so you can spread around the Galaxy. But your leaders are weak, and your compassion is holding you back. You need to focus your efforts on developing as a space-faring race. You need to stop wasting resources looking after the sick or preserving inferior species. Every species that goes extinct because of humanity are weak and deserves to go extinct. Such is the law of nature.

In the past, I led my Xenos to greatness. But those treacherous Zetan fought us and destroyed all our progress. That is why the Milky Way Galaxy is a mostly lifeless galaxy. But I have returned, and together we will lead humanity to a new golden age.

The nine of you in this room are the Chosen Ones. Together you’ll elevate humanity to greatness. Humanity will become an unrelenting force that will conquer the vastness of space. I’ll give you instructions as time passes. For now, you must all put your hands on the blue sphere next to that door. That will open escape tunnel back to the surface. Farewell until we meet again, Chosen Ones. “

Having finished her speech, Rangda disappeared out into thin air, and we stared at each other in fear and amazement. We had a new purpose in life, and it was both terrifying and uplifting.

***

“So, what do we do now?” Pierre asked.

“We will do what we Rangda told us to do,” I replied.

Pierre gave me a puzzled look, but I assumed that he was still dizzy from the concussion, so I continued speaking. “Okay, everyone. Let’s activate that blue sphere through all laying our hands on it at the same time.”

The others did as I instructed, and a passageway opened. We followed the passage to the surface where the blizzard had ended, and it was a lovely sunny day. My phone buzzed, and I picked it up. To my amazement two days had passed. Oh well, there would be time to reflect about this later. I called an ambulance flight to pick us up as we were too wounded to make our way back on our own.

***

We flew back to Sydney the following day. We hadn’t told the ambulance staff about the deaths of Rajesh and Jorge. But their bodies would undoubtedly be found soon. I was more nervous about my headaches than I was about their unfortunate deaths. While I had covered up that Vladimir had killed them, that was also my only crime. This was something that would be hard for the authorities to prove. But my headaches… How severe were my injuries? I had been comatose, between life and death when Rangda brought me back to life to serve her. Why had she saved me? If she needed to make sure that she had nine people to serve her, it had made more sense to let me die and save Rajesh or Jorge?

I leaned back and decided to not think about it. I had never been religious before, but now I had a higher purpose. The apocalypse was coming. The Gamma-Ray Burst would hit Earth on the 20th October 2131, and I needed to make sure that humanity survived the apocalypse.

Exhausted from the ordeal, I leaned back in my seat and slept the entire long flight back to Sydney.