THE MOMENT
"Oh my," Kelly gasped slightly. Motion in her peripheral vision caught her attention; she began her practiced welcome immediately. Kelly's customer service smile disappeared when she saw the ragged, filthy, exhausted man stumbling in. She dashed around the desk to help support him.
"Water..," he said with a dry, hoarse whisper.
As Nick became aware of his senses, the first thing he noticed was that he was comfortable. His back was supported by a soft, stable surface. It was a nice change from the hard, uneven jungle floor. He opened his eyes and found himself in an elegant room. He was covered by a thick golden blanket resting in the center of a large four-post bed.
"Good morning," Kelly said. Nick turned to see a young woman sitting in a chair nearby. Nick vaguely remembered being surprised at finding a building in the middle of the rainforest. He stumbled toward the lights, saw the beautiful woman that was now sitting next to his bed, then passed out.
"Is this Heaven?" Nick asked. It was the only explanation for how he got to into such a comfortable bed. After two weeks of being lost in the jungle, he finally died.
"It's better, because you're still alive," Kelly replied. "This resort is owned by Sharp Development and known as Club neXus. You're welcome to stay, free of charge, as long as you like. When you're ready, you can return home at any time."
"The middle of a jungle is kind of an out of the way location for a resort," Nick said. Kelly smiled.
"Club neXus is a unique resort designed by Dana Sharp herself," Kelly said. "Alternate Earths exist and this hotel is one of them. I don't mean this business operates on an alternate Earth, I mean, Club neXus itself is an entire Earth."
"Huh?" Nick tilted his head at her. Kelly nodded.
"Dana Sharp designed this Earth to have weak universal boundaries. Anyone that needs help has a chance of slipping through the cracks in the universe to find their way here. It's one of her philanthropic projects to make the universe a better place."
"So... I'm in a different universe right now?" Nick asked.
"Yes, but we have staff to get you back to your Earth."
"Do you have to?" Nick asked. Kelly shrugged and shook her head.
"I suppose not. You are welcome to stay as long as you like; although, if you stay longer than a year you'll be added to the staff."
"No, I mean.. do I have to go back to my Earth? There are other ones out there, right?" It could be argued that Nick's desire to see the world is what got him lost in the jungle to begin with. However, he couldn't deny the opportunity that landed in his lap. He wanted to see the world; but, getting lost in the jungle gave him access to the universe.
"Oh, of course there are, and of course you don't." Kelly stood from her seat. She gestured at the nightstand next to Nick's bed while moving toward the door.
"There's a complementary node there from Sharp Development. You can learn all about the multiverse and make some decisions about where you want to go."