THE MOMENT
The earth shook, and Isaiah lost his balance. He'd been hiking the trail from his home down to the mailbox, and he'd never lost his footing on the steep incline, but the world had never conspired against him like that before either.
It was a sunny, clear day as he reached the mailbox, then the planet trembled under his feet. Isaiah staggered further down the hill, trying to keep his legs under him. The panic was sudden and distracting, but then things changed.
As he stumbled, the sunshine disappeared, and the distinct odor of brimstone filled his nostrils. He looked up, and the sky was filled with plumes of black smoke rising. But the scent and the smoke weren't the big difference. The huge difference from a moment ago was the restless, 50-story goose wriggling against the mountains. It was bound with red metallic strips wrapped around its feet, body, and beak. It wasn't there when he reached his mailbox, but maybe it was the cause of the trembling somehow.
“Hey! What are you doing here!?” A blonde girl in an elaborate red and white costume landed from the air beside him.
“I dunno?” Isaiah shrugged. He gestured back at where his mailbox should've been. “Was trying to check my mail. There was an earthquake, and now I'm here. That's a big goose…,” he nodded at the humongous fowl still trying to break free. He didn't know what was happening exactly, but he felt comfortable that the goose was an unusual size.
“Oh great,” the blonde teen sighed. She put her hand to her ear and started speaking. Isaiah had seen enough TV to know she wasn't talking to him. “The multiverse boundary has weakened. I found a stray Traverser; let's be careful, there might be others,” she spoke with authority, then nodded at Isaiah.
“We're trying to take down that monster,” she said as she grabbed Isaiah's arm. “I can't help you right now, but I'll put you out of the way and take care of you after,” she said. In an instant, Isaiah felt himself lifted off the ground and up into the air. In seconds, he was decidedly somewhere else. The mountains and enormous goose were gone, and he was on a beach under a clear sky again. The salty air was very welcome after the oppressive brimstone. “Be back when it's safe!” She rose in the air again, and this time, Isaiah was able to see a red metal beam supporting her as she balanced on it effortlessly. Was that how she'd flown them here? She flew up higher with the rail guiding her, and the end disappeared after a certain distance. Except she dropped down again; the rail snaked beneath her as she stood before Isaiah again.
“Oh yeah, this is an alternate universe. You don't have to go back to your own; you have some time to think about it. Be back!” She flew up again and away, perpetually sliding on a single length of red rail.