THE MOMENT
"It's not a bad place,' Alice shrugged as she looked out over her property. "Land's a little pricey, but it's all mine. Yeah, I'm happy enough I suppose," she answered. Alice and her house guest, London, sat on the front porch watching the sunset. It'd been another hard day of work on the ranch and Alice was grateful for the strange man that had fallen into her life. She found him unconscious in her field one morning months ago and he'd been a big help ever since. Part of her knew what he was asking; he'd been hinting for a few weeks now that he had to leave soon. But, if she ignored the question long enough maybe she didn't have to answer it.
"You know, I appreciate you letting me keep my privacy these last few months...," he said. She'd only asked him once where he came from. He said 'another planet' and his tone encouraged her to leave it at that. It only took a short amount of time for her to start believing him. He was much stronger than any normal human that much she could say for sure. She also thought she'd seen him fly once or twice; but, both times she took a double-take, he was back on the ground again. Despite all that, he made himself useful in exchange for sleeping in the barn. "...but, it's time for me to go back to my planet," he said. "I'm sorry, I intentionally misled you by saying it like that. It's technically true; but, I'm from an alternate Earth," he said.
"A different Earth?" Alice asked. The concept was familiar to her from TV and movies; but, she hadn't once considered them more than imaginary entertainment. "There's another planet out there that looks just like Earth?" she asked. London chuckled.
"It's more involved than that; but, sure," he nodded. "That's essentially it."
"What's your Earth like?" Alice asked.
"I don't know...," London shrugged. "When I say 'go back' I just mean back to work. My own original Earth is no longer part of the multiverse."
"You have a job?" Alice was surprised. "Doing what?"
"As little as I can," London chuckled. Alice laughed too; but, she saw it as an ironic joke. He'd worked hard every day he was there to help her. "It's a corporate position that feels more like a 'family obligation' if you catch my drift," he smirked. "Technically, I was working the whole time I was here too. But now, I need to make sure I'm 'seen in the office' so to speak."
"Oh," Alice nodded. "So, why the question about my happiness?" she asked. She was hopeful; but, she also didn't want to show it. The last few months with London had been pretty amazing and it was sad that it had to change. She'd found someone that she liked as a person but felt no intimacy toward. The best part was that he seemed to feel the same. There was never any romantic tension between them, just a comfortable, friendly stranger. Asking him to stay or even come back would change that dynamic.
"Well, there are an infinite number of alternate Earths out there," he said. "If this one wasn't doing it for you, there are other ones we could check. Or even just visit," he said. "I'll leave you with something that will let you explore the multiverse on your own."
"Explore on my own...?" Alice asked. She was slightly terrified at the thought. But, beyond that, she was more concerned with how simple it sounded. "..is it that easy to do?"
"Yeah," London shrugged. He lifted his hand and wiggled his fingers at the air in front of him. A saucer-sized black portal opened for a moment, then he dismissed it again. "... that's what is for me, your version won't be much harder," he said.
"Oh, wow," Alice replied. That was all she could think of to say. The more she believed he was from another planet, the more she thought he was stranded there. But, in his three-second demonstration, she learned he could have left any time.
"So, you've been to a lot of Earths, right?" Alice asked. "Have you met any nice aliens?" It was an abrupt change; but, she had the feeling he was going to be leaving soon. To the barn for the night, if not outright leaving the farm. And, she still felt a little cheated that she hadn't met an alien like she thought she did.
"Oh no, aliens don't exist," London shook his head. "Not in any universe."
"What? No way," Alice sat up straighter and shook her head to deny his statement. "Humans can't be the only species out there."
"Oh, they're not," London chuckled with a grin. "Other humanoid species exist, on Earth. Take me for example," he said. He met her eyes; but, she was distracted by the jagged, blood-red scales that appeared on his face. "I'm actually a dragon."