THE MOMENT
"Huh?" Ingrid stopped walking and spun around. She glanced at the familiar-looking block behind her, then the street signs. "I'm on the right block...," she mumbled to herself as she looked forward again. It was evening and she was on her way home from work. She walked the same path daily, twice a day. She almost never took in her surroundings anymore; Ingrid often had a book she was listening to as she traveled to and from the bank where she worked.
This time, something called her attention. She saw a bright red neon sign in the corner of her eye. After she made certain she was where she meant to be, she focused on the red brick, two-story building that wasn't there in the morning. The bricks looked old and the red color was faded. The glass windows were blocked by red curtains and a neon sign above the twin doors read: 'Donna Chang's'.
The space was an empty lot when she passed by during the morning. She approached the door and found a menu stuck to the inside of the glass. Dinner was on her mind as she headed home and the mystery was too appealing to pass up. Ingrid took a quick breath for courage, then she grabbed the knob and walked in.
The interior was filled with red and gold decor but all the tables were empty. A young woman with short, straight hair walked out of the back and smiled at Ingrid.
"Hi, welcome to Donna Chang's," she gestured at the restaurant. "Feel free to sit anywhere."
"Thank you," Ingrid walked to the nearest, smallest table.
"My name's Dora," the waitress pointed at the golden nametag on her red blouse. Then, she handed Ingrid a menu. "Just gimme a holler when you're ready," she said. She turned, but Ingrid interrupted her.
"Actually, I'm ready now," she said. She had enough time to decide as she pushed past the menu on the door. "And, I have a question," she added.
"Great!" Dora replied. "What'll it be?"
"The lunch special with hot & sour soup and fried rice."
"That'll be out quick," Dora nodded. "What's your question?"
"Am I crazy or was this restaurant not here this morning?" she asked.
"Huh," Dora tilted her head at Ingrid for a moment. "What's your favorite number?" she asked.
"Is that relevant or are you dodging the question?" Ingrid answered. Dora giggled and shook her head.
"Sometimes it's relevant," she answered. "You're not crazy. This restaurant moves around; but, most people don't notice it."
"It moves around? How? Why?"
"The owner moves it," Dora replied. "To answer your 'why' it's, 'just because'. She likes to meet new people so we move to different Earths every now and then."
"Wait...," Ingrid was enjoying the fact that her questions were getting direct answers. But, more than that, she was thrilled at the new questions those answers gave her. "...different Earths? You mean like a parallel universe?"
"Pretty much," Dora nodded.
"The owner just moves it to a different universe... whenever?" Ingrid asked. Dora nodded. "The whole building??" Dora nodded again.
"That's... amazing," Ingrid was trying to wrap her mind around the thought, but it was something she could barely imagine. "Can I meet Donna Chang??" she asked.
"No.., I'm sorry," Dora shook her head. "No one knows where she is."
"But wait, this is her restaurant, right?" Ingrid asked. "You said the owner moved it today." Dora nodded, then shook her head.
"The current owner, Britt, took over the restaurant until Donna Chang returns."
"Ohhhh, I see," Ingrid nodded. "Then, may I meet Britt?" It didn't matter who it was; she just wanted to meet anyone that could somehow move a building between universes.
"Sure," Dora nodded. "I'll get her," she walked away to the back through a swinging door. Then, another young woman walked out a minute later.
"Hi," she approached Ingrid with an outstretched hand. "Name's Britt, I heard you wanted to meet me?" she asked.
"Ingrid," Ingrid nodded and introduced herself. "I'm sorry to bother you, I'm sure you get asked this all the time. How do you move this building between universes?" she asked. Britt smiled but shook her head.
"Actually, that question doesn't come up all that often. Most people don't notice a building appearing out of nowhere. The ones that do usually know how it's done," Britt lifted her hand and pointed at a saucer-sized black hole in the air. "With portals," she said. "Portals help the move and magic keeps it under people's attention."
"You know magic too!?" Ingrid asked. Magic was the reason she was as studious and curious as she was. The one thing all powerful wizards had in common was how much they valued knowledge. She made a point to develop good study habits to make sure she knew how to learn.
"No," Britt shook her head. "The enchantment was created by Donna Chang."
"Oh," Ingrid felt a twinge of disappointment. For a brief second, she thought she was on the verge of learning magic. But, if Britt didn't know it, then there was no one to teach her. At least, not on that Earth.
"Is it possible for me to learn how to move between universes too?" Ingrid asked.
"Oh, that's simple," Britt replied. She reached into the front pocket of her apron and pulled out a glass card. Ingrid watched Britt place the card between her hands and pull it from both ends. It stretched like taffy, then broke in half once it doubled in size. She gave one of the glass halves to Ingrid.
"That's a node. There's a tutorial that will teach you how to use it, and how to Traverse between universes."
"Thank you!" Ingrid grinned as she marveled at the device. It was perfectly transparent except for the time in red digits on the face. And, it was as thin as a playing card. "You're just giving this to me?" she asked. Britt nodded.
"Dora would have if I didn't meet you," she said.
"What? Why?" Ingrid asked. For the first time ever she felt like she could ask questions without being judged. Britt smiled.
"I told you, most people don't realize it when this building appears," she said.
"Yeah...," Ingrid nodded.
"But, you did," Britt added.
"And that means something?" Ingrid asked.
"Yep," Britt said. Then, she nodded at the node in Ingrid's hands. "It means you're ready to see what's out there."