The Paradox Hallway

I dreaded walking down that hallway it was wide enough for four abreast and well lit but it was just eerie, like something out of a bad "B" movie.  I always thought that dramatic music would be playing in the overhead speakers.  I had met myself in the hallway several times now from my future and from my near present and near past.  In fact those events of meeting the me from now have been occurring more frequently.  Just the other day I told myself not to go to the casino boat with Steve, then on the way back down the hallway I met myself again and I told me to bet on the Tigers and The San Fran Giants to go to the World Series next year and to take the Giants in 5 games or less or take the long shot Giants in 4 and in game 1 bet that they will cover the spread.  Its June and both the Tigers and Giants are hot but I didnt I tell myself who would win the world series this year.  Did I just meet myself before October?  If that were true how come I know about October 2012?  Maybe another me told me... I mean him... The future me - Whatever, In order to get it straight I just need to loiter for a little bit and wait for another me to show up, hopefully together I can clear up this World Series thing. 

I lingered in the hallway just waiting for something to happen; I could hear footsteps approaching the corner where the paradox always began.  I could tell from the footfalls that something was different and I wasnt wearing dress shoes I must have been wearing sneakers.  I straightened up to meet myself, this was the first time that I had loitered to meet me on purpose, all of the other times it had occurred as a coincidence.  I found myself quoting Yuko Ichihara: " There are no coincidences in this world only the inevitable... If you are going to do something or not do something, that is a promise to yourself. And the one who keeps the promise, or breaks the promise, is you. No one else can be burdened with holding you to a promise that’s made to yourself." --- Good stuff to remember.    

I turned the corner to meet me.  I met the me that was about 9 years old, I dont remember this happening to me, this is going to give me a raging headache later.  "Mister, where is this place, where am I?"  I was stunned I was almost unable to answer myself, in every instance where I had met my youngest selves I had not recalled the meeting until after it had occurred, my memory centers would grow exponentially causing severe headaches as the new old memories bombarded the temporal lobes.  The short term stuff was easy to handle as the hippocampus unfolded much easier in these meetings and it was more instant recall than long term.  This time I could feel that it was different my cerebral cortex started recalling the old memories immediately.  I remember this meeting the man made me feel creepy and a little scared.  In my young mind I called him Stranger Crow and I imagined that he would come to my home at night and just sit in my room throwing stones at me.  Funny I guess this stranger in the short black jacket has been with me all of my life.  A smirk slid across my lips and I remembered thinking originally that he was an incarnation of Ga-Gorib and I was an incarnation of Heitsi-eibib.  I remember thinking something else about this Ga-Gorib.   

I took steps to alleviate the fear of a child in myself by trying to be nice.  "Whatcha doin here kid?" 

"Mister, I am lost and I dont know how I got here, is this where you go when you go to wait to get to heaven?" 

"Why would you think this is heaven kid?  Why do you think you're dead kid?  Cause I am sure as heck not an angel? 

"Mister the last thing I remember I was standing at 2nd base waiting for Yusef to hit me in with an RBI.  I saw the pitch and the last thing I saw was Yusef swing so I started for 3rd then I felt something hot on the back of my neck, next thing I know I am getting off of the elevator." 

I wanted to tell the younger version of me that I remembered that day; Yusef was in tears when I came to cause he thought that the police were going to put him in jail like they had his cousin Kalif cause of an accident.  I knew that I could not give my younger self these details but I could make a few things easier for the kid me to deal with what was happening.  "Kid, I tell you what while we are here together I will answer a question or two for you, ask me anything."  Although I remember this meeting in general a lot of the particulars were lost on the adult me today. 

Being the eternal master of the non sequitur I asked myself the 64 thousand dollar question: "Why do some girls hit you and run but when you catch them they cry?" 

Kid I am older than you and I still dont have a solid answer to that question but that Gail is going to eventually let you catch her and not cry. 

I looked up at myself with amazement and wonder; I had a very suspicious look on my little face sort of like how did I know he had a crush on Gail with the pretty light brown eyes.  I said nothing back to me about the Gail comment. 

"Okay Kid that was one question what else you got?" 

I hesitated for a moment then the kid logic went into overdrive: "Mister, if I am not dead then is this a dream?" 

"Sort of kid sort of, good news it can end when you want it to end."

"How Mister?" 

"All you have to do kid is get back on the elevator."

"Thanks, Mister but not yet I got two more questions." 

I was always an honest sort and I can see it started early because the kid version of me could have easily said I had only asked two real questions and been close to right.  I had to force myself to remember that I was talking to a younger version of myself, but I also had to admit that I liked this kid, even if it was me or not. 

"Mister do you know what will happen to me when I grow up?" 

I looked down at me and realized that I was quite the forward thinker at a tender age too.  I almost did not want to answer myself to enthusiastically, it was hard to resist. "Yes, I know what happens to you in the future; at least part of your future." 

"Mister how long will I live?  Will I be rich?"

"Kid that is a compound question and that puts you one over but I will answer it for you this once.  You will live for quite awhile and you will live a rich life filled with friends and love.  You will have a special relationship and understanding of yourself like no one else you know will ever have.  You will become special and that could lead to you becoming financially rich."  We arrived at the elevator, I let my kid self press the button to summon the elevator. 

The kid version of me entered the metal box as the door was closing he leaned to the side and asked... "Are you a super hero?"

I remember asking the Stranger that question and he did not answer he just smiled as the door shut and I woke up on the baseball field with Yusef looking down at me with tears in his eyes and the coaches crowded around me.  Coach Tarver had his cell phone out whoever he was talking to on the phone he was telling them that I was coming around but he still needed an ambulance.  I went back to sleep on the baseball field. 

I woke up in a hospital room with the TV going and my mom was there, it felt like I had been here before.  Just then the door opened and the Stranger walked in dressed like a doctor, he spoke with my mom and then walked over to me and told me that I would be alright.  "Kid you're one lucky kid, a knock on the head like that could have been worse but you will be okay in a few days."  He headed for the room door as he stood there with it open he looked back over his shoulder and said to me "You know that the same thing happened to me when I was your age exactly."  The Stranger walked out of the room and now today I understand I finally met me the first time I walked into the hallway after being hit running from second to third by a baseball in the back of the head by my friend Yusef. 

Loitering in the hallway had done me I mean us some good, now I know how it started perhaps one of me will find out why it keeps happening to us in the future.