THE MOMENT
Gwynn opened her eyes to a dim, grey morning and sighed. If it was going to be an outdoor day, the sun would have filled the room with warm light. But, the fog was out; she was trapped inside all day. At least she had access to the internet.
Four days ago she posted a question on a new forum she found. But, she guessed she was too new because not a single person replied and no one upboosted it. After lingering in bed for another hour, Gwynn felt the need to use the restroom. She moved quietly through her small house to avoid attracting unnecessary attention. She did not know if the giants wandering through the fog could hear anything as tiny as she was moving around, but she did not want to take any chances.
After the restroom she sat at her computer desk instead of returning to the bed. Although Gwynn did not get an answer, she did find the forum entertaining due to the variety of topics. She'd been visiting regularly since she found it; but, this time, she had a private message waiting.
"Oh please be useful..," Gwynn hoped to herself as she clicked on the message.
[You have Fog Stalkers there!?? I need one, is it cool if I pop in? Can you let me know when they're out again? P.S. - They always come out when it's clear! The 'fog' is their defense mechanism, it only comes when they're out. - Turbo]
Gwynn reread the message several times; but, she still got the impression that the stranger was playing with her. If what Turbo said about the fog stalkers were true, it'd kind of make sense. She had no idea what he needed one for, or how he expected to get to her through the fog and without knowing where she lived. But, she was going to be stuck inside all day and decided to have fun. She replied.
[Thank you for the answer! It's a pleasure to meet you, Turbo, my name is Gwynn. You're welcome to pop in anytime and as a matter of fact, the Fog Stalkers are out right now! I don't know how long they've been out, I just woke up. You might want to hurry.] Gwynn giggled to herself as she sent the reply. She received an answer surprisingly fast, before she could even switch to the next tab. She clicked on the message.
[Thanks! Just woke up? Need time to change? - Turbo] She couldn't help but smile at the short reply. He may have been crazy, but if nothing else, Turbo was polite. Gwynn wore a terry cloth robe, nothing she'd leave the house in. But, she was covered enough, and did not expect anyone to show up.
[I'm decent. Come on over.] She replied. Gwynn turned on her chair and gave a quick glance around the room. It was dark and grey and empty. She smiled to herself to mask her own disappointment as she opened a new topic. She began reading a confusing thread about nugget-sized trees when she felt cool air tickle the back of her neck. At the same moment she thought about turning around to check, a youthful voice spoke up. She was already in motion when the scare hit.
"Hey, Gwynn. Nice place," he said.
"WHATHAFUOWWW!" Gwynn jumped out of her seat and hit the keyboard with her knee on the upswing. Then, she toppled over the side of her computer chair while flailing her legs in the air. She knocked the monitor off the desk and sent her drink onto the well-ventilated tower. The monitor was the only light in the dim room and it became that much darker when the screen cracked.
"Oh damn, sorry," Turbo said. "I thought you were ready for company," he said as he stepped forward to offer her a hand up.
"Who are you!?? How'd you get in my house!??" Gwynn asked as she stood up without Turbo's help. Instead, he put his finger to his lips.
"Shhhh, you'll scare them off," he said. But, he did take a step back to try and make her more comfortable. And, he looked at her with a smirk.
"You didn't think I was real, did you?" he asked.
"Of course not," Gwynn replied. "HOW. ARE. YOU. IN. MY. HOUSE?" she asked. Turbo shrugged and reached forward to pluck something out of the air. Gwynn didn't see it happen; but, in an instant, he held a transparent glass card. Then, he slid his fingers over the front and pulled a black card out of it somehow.
"This is called a Traverse card. It opens portals to other Earths, I used one to get to yours from mine," he said.
"And you couldn't have landed outside?" Gwynn asked. Regardless of the magic happening in front of her, her only source of outside communication was ruined.
"I would've if you said I couldn't come over," Turbo chuckled. Anyway, sorry about your computer. I'll help you fix it, but first I need some Fog Stalkers. I'll be right back," he said. Gwynn watched him walk out of the house and considered locking the door behind him. But, if nothing else, he seemed to be true to his word, even if she didn't know what he was talking about. She looked down at her broken monitor and sighed.
Gwynn was dressed and the glass was swept up with the broken monitor back on the desk by the time there was a knock at the door.
"It's Turbo," he said from the other side.
"It's open," Gwynn replied. She realized sunlight was starting to fill the room.
"Well, the bad news is, it was only one. I still need a few more, but it's a start," Turbo said. He pulled out the glass card again and this time he held it between both his hands. It stretched as he pulled both ends, then it split into when it doubled in size. He stepped forward and handed one to Gwynn. "This is a node; it'll restore and upgrade your computer. And, it'll still keep the AlterNet connection open so you keep in touch if you have any questions. Or you can keep visiting forums from other Earths."
"Keep visiting?" Gwynn asked. Turbo nodded.
"You posted your question on another Earth's internet, that's why no one knew what you were talking about," Turbo said. Gwynn had some time to process the situation while Turbo was gone, but now she was confused again.
"Aren't you from another Earth too?" she asked. Turbo nodded as he pulled a Traverse card from his node. "Then, how did you know what Fog Stalkers are?" Turbo threw the card on the floor and it opened a black portal. He looked at her and shrugged as he stepped towards the hole.
"This isn't the only Earth where they're found," he said. Then, Turbo jumped into the hole giving one more answer that he didn't want to explain. "And my quest log told me."