Laura sighed as her alarm clock rang and stumbled into the bathroom. In the mirror stood the woman she was forced to accept. Her curly, brunette hair had developed some platinum streaks. To her, her skin was like watching a paper ball form in slow motion. She counted dozens of features of her age that she regretted. Others did not see these minor flaws. The glow of her eyes, the brightness of her lips and the youthfulness of her spirit were treasured by many.
Laura could accept the loss of her youth if she had something to show for it - some piece of immortality. Her marriage failed as she focused on her research. While it developed the trajector - a device to cross into other dimensions - the project was nearly broke without clear results. Her mind turned to her son, Samuel. That young boy was her heart and she had to focus on him to avoid spiraling.
She finished preparing herself for the day and woke Samuel. After a quick breakfast they shuffled out the door. As she stepped down from the stoop, her pants became wet with dew from knee high grass. She sighed again, as the state of her yard was another reminder of she was not in control.
In a stroke of luck, Joe was out for his morning jog. Freshman year, Joe had Laura for physics and the two became fast friends. After learning of the struggles she had in her personal life, he tried to help her whenever he could.
Laura flagged him down, “Hey Joe, how is it going?”
Joe slowed and caught his breath. “It’s going well, Dr. Laura. Just trying to get back in shape. Time to get rid of my freshman fifteen and sophomore thirty!”
Laura laughed, “Well, I guess I won’t invite you over for beer later then! Say, if you don’t mind, could I ask a favor.”
“You know I’m always happy to help, what’s up?”
“Well…” Laura’s face contorted with a bit of embarrassment, “My yard has become a jungle. Could you help me cut it?”
Joe smiled, “Certainly, I have a few classes this morning, but I will get to it around lunch.”
Laura hugged Joe. “Thank you. You are a lifesaver!”
Joe looked over at Samuel, who was playing with a wheeled robot. “That looks cool, Samuel. Where did you get it?”
“I just found it in the yard yesterday. It had some flashing lights when I found it, but it stopped.”
Laura looked down at the toy. It seemed familiar but she could not place it. She did not think too much of it though, since Samuel tended to “find” his friend’s toys from time to time.
“Samuel, we have to get going. Thanks again, Joe.” Laura ushered her son into the car.
After dropping Samuel off at school, she made her way to her lab. Around the room were displays showing charts visualizing hyperspace. Through a panel of bulletproof glass was the trajector. Now it appeared like an empty door frame, but when active, it looked like a vertical pool of water.
Rebecca ran up excitedly. “Dr. Laura, come over here!” Rebecca with her mousey brown hair, looked like a typical research assistant. She wore jeans and used an old flannel shirt as a jacket. She was not normally excitable, so this was curious.
Playing in a loop was the recorded feed from a robot. It was in what appeared to be a thick bamboo forest. After about a minute there was a pink flash, then static, before the video repeated.
“Is that what it looked like?” Laura asked, sharing in excitement.
“Yes, it is,” beamed Rebecca. “We reviewed the rest of the sensors this morning - atmosphere, gravity, radiation level. Dr. Laura, we did it!”
“Say Rebecca, is the environmental suit ready to go?”
“Yes, I’m ready to go, Dr. Laura!”
Dr. Laura shook her head, “I’m sorry, sweetie, but no. We only have a few seconds of data from that planet. Who knows what we’ll find. I’m going to go. Plus I need the best trajector operator we got on this end.”
Rebecca smiled and nodded. She quickly helped Laura into the suit and briefed her on the controls. “Remember, as part of our contingency plans, purge mode is armed. If you press this combination of buttons, it will not only deactivate your return trajector and suit memory, but it will purge the lab’s trajector of the destination address as well.”
Laura paused for a moment and thought through the consequence of not coming home. It was a risk she needed to take. Resolute in mind, she nodded. After the trajector pool formed, Laura sighed to clear her nerves and took a step. It felt like nothing she could have expected. She was warm and cold, saturated but parched, full of joy with an equal share of dread. While on the monitors it appeared the trajector trip took seconds, to Laura it felt like hours.
She was caught off guard upon exit. Gone was the bamboo forest from the video. In its place was a clearing of roughly hewn plants. It appeared like some gargantuan animal had bit the tops off all the trees. She radioed back to Rebecca that she was safe. Both heard a hearty hum drawing closer. As Laura turned to look at the source of the noise, she screamed and collapsed to the ground.
* * *
After class Joe rushed home to cut Laura’s yard. She was always sweet to him. At times she was a bit flirty, but he enjoyed it. Although she was greying, her curly hair, blue eyes and bright red lips were a treat. So he threw himself at whatever opportunity he had to see her smile.
After making several passes through the yard, he noticed one of Samuel’s toys, an astronaut standing about eight inches tall, in a row that he just cut. Coming back towards the toy, he saw it fall over into the grass. Carelessly picking it up in one hand, he was about to toss it when he looked through the visor. Lolling about was not the head of a plastic figure, but the head of a human. Moreover this human looked like his Dr. Laura!
Concerned that she would run out of air, Joe began pressing every button on the doll sized suit. He thought he had success when a series of button presses resulted in flashing lights and a slight acrid smell, but the helmet did not release.
Growing frustrated, Joe grabbed the helmet and twisted it like a soda bottle top, ripping it free from the suit. He stroked Laura’s hair. Bringing her close to his face, he was relieved to feel her breath.
He put away the mower and brought her inside. Carefully the rest of the environmental suit was removed. After wetting a napkin, he gently patted her forehead.
As she came to, he could see her eyes start to widen. He shushed her and stroked her arm and hair to reassure her.
After a few minutes and several attempts to speak, she finally stated in exacerbation, “This can’t be. The trajector can only travel to other dimensions. It’s not a shrink ray!”
“We will figure this out together. I’ll take care of you,” Joe said with a smile.
She sat up. “Where is my suit?”
Joe lowered Laura next to her suit. She crawled from his hand and began to look it over. Seeing the damage, she began to cry.
Joe pulled her close, “What’s wrong?”
“The purge mode was activated, the trajector will not work.”
Joe lifted her up so he was looking into her eyes. “Let me take you to the lab. I am certain Rebecca will have an idea.” Laura nodded weakly and Joe tucked her into his shirt pocket.
Racing to the lab, he knocked on the door. Rebecca answered and invited Joe in. “What’s up, Joe?” Rebecca asked with a bright smile.
“Uh, this might sound weird, but Dr. Laura needs your help.” Laura peek out of the pocket.
Around the corner came a familiar face. “I hear my name. Joe, what brings you here?” Addressing him was a full-size Laura. Joe realized that if revealed the Laura he was carrying, she would become a lab rat. Using a finger, he pushed her back down into the pocket.
“Oh Dr. Laura, I just wanted to say I completed the yard.”
She gave him a hug. “Thank you, Joe. As always, you are a lifesaver.”
His eyes saddened a little. “Always for you, Dr. Laura. I’ll see you later.”
“Sounds good, Joe. Ok Rebecca let’s go.” A pool appeared in the trajector. With a few steps, Laura was gone.
Joe stepped out of the lab. He felt sobbing in his shirt pocket causing his heart to break. He placed his hand over the pocket.
Once in his room, he took her out of his pocket. “I’m so sorry.” Joe felt the urge to apologize. “I’m sorry that I did not let you talk to them. I don’t want you harmed.”
Laura’s eyes were red from crying. “Please don’t apologize. You were right. What a fool I am, my poor Samuel.”
Stroking her hair, Joe empathized, “I have no doubt your Joe will take care of him like I would.”
She hugged his hand. “Joe... please call me Laura.” After a pregnant pause she began again, “I am feeling lonely. It has been a long time since I was touched like a woman. You are so wonderful to my son and I. So, I have wanted you for a long time. It has been too scary to just give myself to you. Somehow it is so much easier now that I fit in the palm of your hand.” Intensity filled her eyes.
Joe brought her to his lips and kissed her. Slipping off her shirt and shorts, he cherished every facet of her, particularly the parts she lamented.
* * *
From the void emerged Laura with a full pouch. “Rebecca, I have a present for you!” she beamed. She pulled from the bag a miniature trajector platform. Next to the trajector she placed its tiny operator. Aside from standing about eight inches tall, the girl was a perfect doppelgänger of Rebecca.
The larger Rebecca scooped up her tiny twin and started prodding her. “This is so cool!” The smaller Rebecca did not agree. She thought the purge mode would protect her world. This was the worst case she feared.
From the hand stripping her, the tiny Rebecca yelled, “You would have nothing had my Dr. Laura not died. Please, I plead to whatever goodness exists in you, delete my world’s address. Please do not enslave us!”
Laura smiled at the doll person. She stroked her cheek lovingly. She then lifted her chin with a finger so they were looking eye to eye, “Rebecca, I have no doubt your Dr. Laura faced the same challenges as I. This trajector is everything to us. She knew the risks even if she didn’t appreciate them fully.”
Laura pulled out a tray and sat it in front of her on the desk. She pulled very carefully from her pocket two treasures. The first was Samuel’s doppelgänger. She comforted the boy, loving him as a mother. Knowing that he was abandoned by his own mother saddened her. She knew that by a slight turn of fate that could have been her son in the tray. If she happened to find her doppelgänger, she would return him to her. Until then, she would ensure that he was well provided for.
The second treasure she brought to lips and kissed tenderly. She never let her Joe know of her feelings for him. For now, this surrogate would do. If nothing else, he could never leave her. However, even if given the opportunity, he never would have anyway.