I Just Read About That…

SOUNDTRACK:

[READ: December 22, 2024] “The One with the Multiverse”

This year my wife ordered me The Short Story Advent Calendar.  This is my seventh time reading the Calendar–it’s a holiday tradition!  Here’s what H&O says about the calendar this year.

Ten years of stories! Yikes, where does the time go?
When the first Short Story Advent Calendar launched, in 2015, we frankly had no clue we’d still be sitting here today, continuing to offer up batches of tasty stories fresh from the oven. To celebrate this milestone, we’ve packed the 10th SSAC with a mix of new and familiar names—ideal company for those chilly winter nights ahead.

The author of this story was Josh Riedel.  Each day has an online component with the author with a brief interview. And this opening blurb sets the tone

It’s December 22. Josh Riedel, author of Please Report Your Bug Here, also once splashed in a fountain for title-credits purposes.

This story has a lot of elements that I like–pop culture, multiverses, identity confusion.  And although I never really liked Friends, I do enjoy stories that involve the sitcom.

So this story was pretty fun for me.

Mark is returning to his small town outside o St. Louise.  He doesn’t like going back there but he is going to interview someone.  The person is a former classmate who claims that he can jump from one universe to another.

The jumper, Kipper, lives next to Dimension Skip, a technology company that went bankrupt.  Kipper claims that living next to it has leached the tech into his body and he now skips dimensions with no control over it.

Mark doesn’t really believe him, but is willing to check it out.  While they are talking in a bar, Kipper’s arm starts to tremble and when Mark tries to help him, by grabbing it, Kipper tells him not to touch him!  When Mark bends over to pick up his knocked over beer, Kipper s gone.   But apparently only to the bathroom.

And yet, when a man who looks just like Kipper sits in Kipper’s seat, Mark’s not sure what is going on.  Especially when the new person claims to be Kipper’s son (Kipper doesn’t have any children).

Friends doesn’t really exactly come into play except that everyone seems to be watching it.  And the line that memories are reruns we play in our heads.