That was the first time he thought that he caught a glimpse of Elana, but not the last. There was a spectator matching her description on the other side of the football pitch while James attended a Cambridge vs. Coventry football match. There was a passenger on the tram that sped by one afternoon while James walked to his biology lecture. James became sure that he was just imagining things.

The trouble was, these experiences served to highlight and contrast James’s current state of affairs and how they compared to adventuring with a group of companions in the wildlands of Alternate Earth.

James’s friends in the quest to save the Gardens of Taubra were a special lot. They all exhibited personal dedication to a cause like James had never seen before in his life! Clearly, the talents of Sir Gilderwood, Elana, Celeste and Erik Blarneysson were exceptional, even in the fantastic lands of the Empire, but James had never met anybody like those people in his own world. Well, maybe Professor Benjamin and his dedication to mathematics and astronomy was the exception. Maybe….

Then there was the awkward issue of the young women of Cambridge. For the first time in his life James was on his own, surrounded by large numbers of young women his own age. That should lead to possibilities of a girlfriend, at least in theory. But compared to Elana and Celeste? Ouch! The Cambridge female population was wonderful and all, but the emotional reaction that James had experienced when he thought that he might have seen Elana was overwhelming. The idea of sharing a pint at the student union building pub, with a fellow female science student just didn’t compare to the memories he had acquired adventuring with the Sister of Theodor or the Emerald acolyte.

But did those things even really happen? It was all quite confusing.

Near the end of January, James received an email from Dr. Benjamin, requesting a meeting with him the following week. James confirmed the appointment, then wondered all week as to what Arnold Benjamin wished to discuss with James. He worried that the Lucasian professor might be experiencing second thoughts regarding the provision of James’s full scholarship. James had so far been falling short of achieving honorable grades in his courses, although he was definitely passing everything. Final exams should improve his marks, as James always preferred writing exams to putting in the hours required to complete homework assignments.

The appointment with Dr. Benjamin was scheduled for 30 minutes after his last class on Wednesday afternoon. It was February by now, and the weather outside the university was quite appalling. Low cloud, fog and a degree or two above freezing. It had been drizzling throughout the day. James made his way into the administration building and up to the fourth floor Mathematics department. Dr. Benjamin’s secretary encouraged James to walk right into his office.

“The Professor is expecting you, James,” explained the young woman.

“How is my favourite young mathematics student today, young James?” called out Dr. Benjamin, as James entered the room.

“Fine , sir,” answered James, relieved by the jovial tone of Dr. Benjamin’s greeting.

“I am glad to hear that James! I have been receiving very satisfactory reports about your progress in your studies here at Cambridge. That pleases me greatly, as I am keenly aware that the beginning of your school year was extremely stressful. I worried about you, young man, but your diligence has calmed all of my concerns. Congratulations!”

If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

“Thank you for your kind words Dr. Benjamin. I intend to further apply myself for the rest of the semester and I hope to improve my marks, especially in math,” replied James.

“Yes, yes, I am sure you will be successful with that, but your grades are not the reason that I requested your presence, James,” continued the professor. “ I wanted to allow you to regain some sense of normalcy before pursuing this discussion with you. I dare say that you can easily pass as a normal student at this point in your career at Cambridge. So if I may be so bold, I would like to ask you a few questions as to exactly what transpired during your missing time last summer in Scotland. Would you feel comfortable sharing some of your recollections, Mr. Blair?”

“To be honest, sir, my ‘recollections’ have often been met with unfavourable reactions, professor Benjamin,” answered James. “ I am not even sure what I believe to have happened.”

“Indeed!” replied professor Benjamin. “The media accounts often contradicted themselves, and the most accepted explanation of your absence, that you fell from the train and somehow escaped our notice for two months sounds a trifle,......, unbelievable. Did you wander aimlessly in the Scottish countryside for two months, James?”

“No sir,” replied James.

“I thought not,” continued the professor. “Well, if not two months in the wilds of Scotland then how do you occupy the time?”

“My memories seem incredible, even to myself,” Dr. Benjamin, replied James. “No one wants to hear them, and when I did tell a few people what I remembered they seemed to think that I was crazy.”

“Ah yes, I suppose they would think that, wouldn’t they?” advanced Dr. Benjamin. “You will receive no such reception from me James. I think that I should explain some points of interest to you. Students such as yourself often seem to imagine that my life is composed of endless solutions to mathematical formulae. Rational, conventional academics with a good dose of bureaucracy thrown into the mix. Nothing controversial or speculative in the world of mathematics eh!? Or so they all think.”

“This is not the case, young James,” continued Arnold Benjamin. “There is a distinct tradition with those who hold the Chair of the Lucasian Professorship to push the envelope of mathematics and engage in imaginative speculation. You may not be aware that former Lucasian Professors have studied alchemy and considered the reversal of the flow of time to be a real possibility? Others, like myself, produced mathematical models of parallel universes and alternate realities. I am seriously wondering if your disappearance might conceivably have been a result of some sort of interference in our world, with a parallel existence. Do you have any thoughts regarding this speculation, James?”

James broke down a bit, after hearing these ideas. He most definitely did not expect to hear speculations such as these coming from a math professor, but James did appreciate being able to relate some of his memories to someone that listened with patient respect. Dr. Benjamin was anything but judgemental during the conversation, only interjecting the occasional question to clarify a point or two. James told only the bare bones of the story, leaving out many lurid details which might prove to be completely unbelievable such as when James had provided quid coins to passengers on Charon’s ferry, but the bare bones were spectacular enough.

Finally after the recollections came to an end, Dr. Benjamin asked another question, “James, do you believe that all of those events actually happened?”

James replied, “I remember them as if I was there. It all seemed real at the time, but now looking back on it, I can’t be sure one way or the other. What do you think Dr. Benjamin?”

“I have yet to arrive at any conclusions at all James. Your story is compelling, and the details largely add up. Yet I am concerned about the coincidental nature of the world you visited, and the world of your newly acquired board game; I believe that it was called ‘Alternate Earth’. Experiencing a real life adventure in a world described in a game you just purchased suggests a hallucinatory explanation to the conundrum.”

Professor Benjamin continued, “With your permission, I would like to discuss some of the details of your account with a trusted associate of mine. She works within the Department of Physics and has a particular interest in the field of parallel dimensions and quantum field theory. I believe that she may be able to shed some light upon this matter. I will let you know how our discussions progress, and perhaps the three of us can discuss the matter sometime after the return to classes?”

“Of course sir!” replied James.

“Oh, and one more thing James. Perhaps it would be best if the three of us would keep these conversations to ourselves. At least until such time that more certainty can be determined. I hope that idea is acceptable to you,” finished Dr. Benjamin.

“Believe me, I have already learned my lesson about that aspect of this experience, professor. You are the first person that I have spoken to that didn’t think I needed psychiatric help!”

With that, James left the office and returned to his dorm room to start the three hours of homework waiting for him. ‘Somebody actually took me seriously!’ thought James.