Zara and the Mystery of Osmotic Seepage

"A zebra on a tightrope?" Kate scoffed. "How much LSD did it take to produce that vision?"

Seth leaned across her desk, making eye contact, hoping that some magical power would compel his science-steeped sister to believe the unbelievable. "It wasn't a vision and I wasn't on drugs. I saw it happen in an alternate universe. Zara the Zebra is a prime attraction there. One of the highest all-time earners. She has cash, investments, jewelry, real estate -- you name it, she has it. Her net worth is in the billions."

Kate raised a skeptical eyebrow. "You make it sound like Zara has her own financial empire. What about her owner?"

"Zara is an independent operator. She employs a huge staff of diverse species, but she keeps a careful eye on everything. She is smarter than all of them put together."

Kate Masterson, PhD piled upon PhD, widely regarded as the world's top scientist, sat back with a twinkle in her eye. "Does she keep humans for pets?"

"Zara opposes the enslavement of humans. She says it isn't our fault that we are born with only two legs and aren't much smarter than chickens."

"So she can talk?"

"Of course. She speaks fluent Quadruped Universal, Raptor, and Dolphin, and dabbles in about a dozen other languages. Not human speech, though. She says that if we want to talk to her, we will have to work for the privilege."

"Bit of a snob, isn't she?"

"Are we any better? If it's not human speech, we pretend it doesn't exist."

"And you lived in Zara's universe for how long?"

"Long enough to acquire some Quadruped Universal. Would you like to hear some standard greetings?"

Kate shook her head. "Let's wait until I get my recording equipment set up."

"You're never going to do that, are you? You've already decided that I'm crazy."

"Help me out here. What exactly do you expect from me?"

"I want you to use your influence to initiate research projects into the osmotic seepage between alternate universes. More and more people are traveling back and forth, some without even realizing it. Haven't you noticed how chaotic life is becoming? The line between sanity and insanity is becoming more and more blurred, and nobody knows what to believe."

"Suppose your story has some truth to it. You could be a visitor from an alternate universe. How do I know that you are really the Seth Masterson, I grew up with, who tormented me every day with your supercilious ways? And even if you are, why should I help you? It could ruin my career."

"And how am I supposed to know that you really are my sister Kate, the child prodigy genius who proved that a woman is smarter than any computer ever manufactured? Does it matter who we are? We have a cosmic crisis going here, and we need to figure out what to do before our world deconstructs completely!"

Kate stared at her brother for a long moment, her expression morphing from incredulity to wonder, annoyance, and, finally, compassion. "I can’t imagine where this delusion of yours is coming from. A professional might help you sort out the imagery, help you realize what it is that your subconscious trying to say to you. Failing that, there are anti-psychotic drugs.”

“Kate, please! This is not a game. I’ll do anything you ask. I’ll even apologize and take all the blame for the disaster of the 1996 science fair.”

Kate smiled and shook her head. “I’m over that. Second prize is not the end of the world, and the scholarship launched my career.”

“And I got the world tour of gaming facilities, and realized that I would never be skilled enough to be a first-string programmer. My career as a musician will never get me the fame and fortune you take for granted.”

“Oh, stop trying to butter me up. I should have known that you would never share your findings with me without doctoring them. We were rivals, after all.”

“If I had it to do over again, I would let you win.”

“That would never satisfy me. I want my achievements to be mine, and mine alone.”

“So I actually helped you by not letting you cheat. Now it’s your turn to help me. Our very existence is at stake.”

“I’m a scientist, Seth, not a theorist. Of course, I’ve dreamed of experiencing a timeline transfer for years. and I've fact-checked every alleged occurrence and come up empty. If you can find a way to take me a place where a zebra walks on a tightrope, I’m all yours.”

Seth was so upset when he exited from Kate’s office that he didn’t notice the donkey in the hallway until it was too late.

“A thousand pardons!” he exclaimed in Quadruped as he was picking himself up.

“Hum Seth!” the donkey exclaimed in English. “We must converse in your tongue to avoid being conspicuous.”

Seth did a double take. The donkey was none other than Thangor, Zara’s personal assistant.

“Thangor, unless you lose that suit you’re wearing and refrain from human speech, you will draw a crowd wherever you go. You will be noticed less if you are in human company. I can help you with that.”

“Mistress Zara has sent me to gather data concerning osmotic seepage. But first, I must locate a sentient entity to take my place in my universe for the duration of my visit. We have determined that the seepage rift increases exponentially when the entity balance is disturbed. You are a logical candidate, but it appears that I have need of your expertise.”

Seth grinned, his chest swelling with anticipation. “Follow me. I will guide you to the perfect volunteer.”

Kate would get her dream of visiting another timeline. He would get his dream of hearing her admit that she was wrong. It was a win-win, well worth the risk of cosmic deconstruction.