What Happened?

“This has to be a dream, and everything will go back to normal once I wake up.” Of course, Aaron knew he was lying to himself, but what else did he have left. His former life felt more like a fairy tale than reality, so why couldn’t this lie be real. For the hundredth time, he would mentally revisit the events that placed him in this situation. Maybe, just maybe, an overlooked detail would emerge. Could it be that simple?

Day 1 started like all the other first days of his racing career. He woke early, prepared himself mentally and physically for the ordeal ahead, attended the mandatory drivers meeting where the rules were explained, then inspected his car. The only thing unusual about this cross-continent race was the route restrictions. Every other race Aaron participated in allowed the driver to set their own course, but not on this planet. The restriction was crystal clear; cross the 50th parallel and you would forfeit “everything.”

Ordinarily, he would stay well clear of any potential problem areas, but not this time. The shortest and fastest route was driving as close to the 50th parallel as physically possible. There were volcanoes and lava flows at the top of the continent and dense jungles to the south. He would just need to use his considerable skills to stay out of trouble. After all, he was the best in the galaxy, at least that’s what the news feeds said.

The first two days went the way Aaron had expected. He took an early lead and easily held off all challengers except for one—Athena. She was the best rookie he had ever seen and, in a few more years, would be real competition for him. Up to now, she was giving him a good race because it was her home planet, and she understood the terrain better than he did. Aaron decided that day 3 was when he would teach the rookie who was the boss.

It was a first-in, first-out start, which meant Aaron was first to leave with Athena 5 seconds behind. Whatever her team had done to her car had increased its horsepower and she was eating up the ground between them. Aaron set his course so close to the 50th parallel that one slight nudge would force him across. She followed his line and, before long, was kissing his rear bumper with the nose of her car. They stayed locked together for several miles, with neither driver yielding ground.

It happened so fast Aaron had no time to react. His car, with a little help from the front bumper of Athena’s vehicle, drifted across the 50th parallel. As much as he tried to correct the slide, his tires could not find purchase on the gravelly terrain. The last thing he saw before crossing the line was Athena smiling and waving goodbye.

Aaron let the memory fade to black for the last time. Not explained in the briefing was that crossing the 50th parallel placed the driver in an alternate dimension from which there was no known escape. Of course, Athena knew this because it was her home planet. She would go on to be the best racer in the galaxy. Aaron, isolated and stripped of his fame and, for all intents and purposes his identity, was condemned to spend the rest of his days… somewhere else.