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Calibration 74: Chapter Forty-One
Calibration 74 is a serial novel experiment, posted raw and unedited as it is written. It is recommended you start at the beginning.
Chapter Forty-One
Pathways bored by the teeth of giant earthworms, snaking through the depths of the earth. Each fork a branch to a new destination. Is one path right and the other wrong? Or does the path by which I travel merely guide me to the future inevitably laid before me?
Lifetimes above, the blaze destroys my history. There is no turning back — no way forward but the trail I leave behind, as each footstep precedes another.
Firefighters and rescue planes. Spotlights in a night sky. Neighbors gathered, not in mourning but in awe. Agape in terrible wonder, as the suburbs explode in life. Janet in her bathrobe, Phil in silk pajamas. A young girl at her bedroom window, teddy bear dangling in the firm grip of childlike anticipation and delight. Watching as it all comes tumbling down. Cinders and ash. Smoke-filled lungs.
The men in red helmets, waving hoses and swinging axes. Come to save the day.
Come to be heroes.
All stars in their own show. A show where audience participation is key. It’s all part of the act. Virtual reality blurs with reality, broadcast on livestreams and blog posts and vlogs.
