Beyond Dimensions

By Cam Adajar

"It's the first day of university, and Mara is running late.

Despite this, she gets distracted and accidentally comes across

patches of bushes that bring her to a different place. There,

she meets Miguel, a boy who claims to also be from Calamba

- but a different version of Calamba, a town in a version of

the Philip

• Language: English
• Publisher: Ukiyoto Publishing
• Release date: May 9, 2023
• ISBN: 9789361722691

Book preview

The Rift

(Mara)

I

t was a typical Monday morning, and the small, quaint town of Calamba buzzed with the usual traffic and the rush of people starting their workweek. Although less crowded than the metro, students and workers alike can be seen walking hurriedly toward their schools or work. I smiled as I thought that it might be a typical day for them, but not for me – it was my first day of school as an official college student.

I continued looking around and enjoying the rush when the sound of my alarm clock interrupted my train of thought. I jolted awake, and then I realized that the crowd I was observing a while ago was just a part of my dream. I looked at my phone and saw that it was only 20 minutes before the start of my class, and I had snoozed my alarm clock already a couple of times.

I tried to sleep early that night to prepare myself mentally for what will come ahead, but my nerves and anticipation kept me awake for most of the night. In a panic, I rushed to get ready and head out the door. I didn’t even think of taking a bath and just put on perfume and brushed my teeth as fast as I could. I got pandesal from our table and proceeded to head outside, running.

I know that I barely had time to fix myself before rushing out of the house. But then, I caught sight of myself in the glass doors of a shop, and I couldn't resist taking a quick look. I looked at my reflection and couldn't help but notice my typical Filipino features despite being of mixed heritage, my dad being a Filipino and my mom being Spanish, from my slightly tan skin to my petite figure.

My hair, which is long and black and flows down through my back, is a mess. My eyes are almond-shaped, with deep flaps of double eyelids and long lashes that curl naturally. My nose is small, neither pointed nor flat, and my pink lips are pouty.

I quickly adjusted my blue, freshly pressed blouse and tucked my hair behind my ears, feeling slightly better.

I passed the Rizal Shrine, the replica of the house of Jose Rizal, a typical bahay na bato of upper-class families in the Spanish era, characterized by adobe walls, red brick roofs, and tisa windows. I Googled my way toward the university and saw that it was a good shortcut, but I got distracted as I made my way toward the place.

My eyes caught sight of something peculiar – a patch of bushes with an unusual appearance. The color of the leaves of these bushes is a shade of green I have never seen before, and their arrangements were too perfect to be natural. I tried to resist the urge to get near it because I was getting late, but my curiosity got the better of me, so I walked toward it.

Just a quick look, and I’ll go, I promised myself.

I walked closer to inspect the leaves, and I saw the veins of the leaves drawn with perfection and some leaves curled beautifully as if they were performers showing off their flexibility.

As I approached, I felt the pull of an unseen force. The air around me felt heavy, and the ground began to tremble beneath my feet. I then succumbed to a vortex-like sensation, where my surroundings suddenly spun out of control, and I felt like I was being lifted off my feet. I felt as if I was being hurled through the universe at a breakneck speed that it was a miracle that I even got to stay awake throughout the entire process of being whirled like clothes in a washing machine.

I fell headfirst to the ground, but thankfully, I fell in a pile of leaves that softened the fall. As I took in my surroundings, I couldn't help but feel a sense of disorientation. Everything felt both familiar and unfamiliar at the same time, with me both recognizing and not recognizing the surroundings. The trees were the same kind that I had grown accustomed to, and the ground was soft and damp, just like in Calamba. Yet there’s something eerily strange about the place, which sent shivers down my spine.

A nervous chuckle escaped my lips as I pondered my situation. The events of the past few minutes had been so surreal that I could hardly believe they had happened. Was I still in Calamba? But where else could I go if I wasn’t?

Despite my growing unease, I pushed forward, my curiosity propelling me forward despite the twinge of fear that crept into my chest. As I walked, I took in my surroundings with a growing sense of unease. Everything was so empty, so still – where were the people? Why was there no sign of life in this place? The eerie silence that hung in the air was almost palpable,