THE MOMENT
Jerry froze as soon as he heard the friendly, familiar voice. He'd traveled to the other side of the country for work and on his first night there he was out exploring the nightlife. He walked into Mundo's Bar because it looked interesting and the name sounded vaguely familiar. But, two steps in, the lean, middle-aged bartender with green and red hair smiled at him and used his name.
"You're real..?" Jerry recovered quickly and finished the trek to the bar. A few other patrons dotted the tables around the bar but it was overall pretty empty. Though, it was still early in the evening.
"I'm standing here, ain't I?" the bartender replied.
"You know who I am??" her response made him realize that maybe he was making assumptions. Maybe it was just a coincidence that she used the same voice that had been in his head for months. It could have been pure chance that she noticed his ID badge hanging around his neck. And he was convinced that her saying, 'I was wondering when you'd come in person' was just a blind marketing tactic that she probably used on everyone. By the time he reached the bar to ask, he had already decided it was all a coincidence. All she needed to do was confirm that.
"Sure, you're Jerry," Mundo smirked at him. "How ya been? Flight go okay?" she asked as she placed a filled glass on the counter in front of him. "On the house," she said. "It's good to finally meet you."
"Wait, so you ARE the voice in my head!!?" Mundo stared at him for a full moment, then blinked.
"Yeah, duh," she answered him without moving her mouth. Her green eyes sparkled as she remained silent; but, her voice sounded crystal clear in his mind, just like always.
"Who,... WHAT are you??" Jerry raised his voice; but, no one else seemed to care. "How are you in my head?"
"I'm not in your head, dummy," Mundo giggled. "It's like I'm broadcasting my thoughts, and I can broadcast them to everyone...," she said the words aloud.
"..or just you," her voice whispered in his mind.
"And, I can hear everyone's thoughts just as easily," she added. "You were lonely and I was bored, so we started chatting," she said.
"Everyone?" Jerry asked. "You mean like everyone... in the world??" He'd been on the other side of the country when they met, so she didn't seem to be limited by distance. She nodded to confirm his assumption.
"That's.. that's amazing...," Jerry was floored. It was the first day of the new year and he already learned more than all his previous years combined. Here was a person that could easily read people's minds and project their own thoughts. It made him wonder what else was out there that he didn't know about.
"Why are you a bartender?" he asked. If he had her powers he'd be ruling the world. Or, at least, have some companionship. "Why aren't you taking over the world?"
"This is what I enjoy," Mundo shrugged. "And, taking over the world would be a bad idea, Sharp Development wouldn't approve."
"Taking over the world is the kind of thing that only happens without approval...," Jerry chuckled. Despite the sudden details he learned recently, he'd still had a lot of talk time with Mundo. He felt comfortable talking to her.
"Nooo," Mundo shook her head with a grin. "This Earth is one of billions of alternate Earths," she said. "Every single one is already owned by a company named Sharp Development; they wouldn't like me trying to take one over."
"Alternate Earths??" Jerry asked. Mundo nodded. "They're really real??" Again, Mundo nodded. He believed her. He didn't know why exactly; but, he knew that he wanted to believe her and he was willing to be wrong. He knew Mundo could communicate telepathically; he knew that before they even met. And, she seemed to know a lot about things he never imagined.
"Will you tell me more?" he asked. "I don't want to bother you about it, but I'd like to know. Will you tell me what's out there in the universe, please?"
"Will I?" Mundo grinned. "It's the best part of my job!" she said. She stood up straighter and placed a small, clear, glass card on the counter in front of Jerry.
"I hope you didn't have any other plans tonight," Mundo grinned and gave him a wink. "Over the next few hours, I'm going to shatter your reality."