Shirley Golden, 19 Jul '12

When Freddie said he'd found a portal to another dimension, I laughed.

        When he appeared a week later with Parallel Me, it wasn't so funny. Freddie warned us not to touch. Right away I knew I wasn't going to get along with my counterpart. He was taller and stronger and brighter than me.

        He lived on Second Earth, working on the Dimension Project. He'd been invited to contribute to time travel experiments. The only invitation I'd had of late was to a furniture shop sale.

        'First Earth is going to experience its final day very soon,' he said with an annoying shrug.
        
        'Can we stop it?'

        'No. It's inevitable.'

        He hadn't learned my economy with the truth.

        'So, we're going to die?'

        He gave me my wilting look.

        I glanced at Freddie, who was busy zipping up his jacket.

        'I mean, we're going to die soon?'

        'Well, me and Freddie are going back through the portal,' Parallel Me explained.

        'Can't I come with you?' A pleading note crept into my voice.

        'Impossible.' He turned away, his hand wave signalling the end of our discussion in a way I'd always imagined was cool. I felt sick.

        And I understood our fate; I tapped lightly on his shoulder.

        The explosion of matter meeting anti-matter was global: the final day for First Earth.