Kori’s Multiverse
by Laurén J. Green
AUTHOR’S NOTE:
Dedicated to Korinah
“Somewhere beyond the cosmos, I am someone else.”
It’s said that the magic of déja vu is when all versions of you in every universe are in alignment. The feeling is a sign that you’re on the right path. These three stories are a snapshot of Kori - a girl who exists in three parallel universes all happening at the same time. If only she knew that one healed version of herself could heal them all.
Amsterdam, Holland May 2020
Damn- there’s that pain again. This time sharp and fast on her right side. Okay just focus on the sunlight. It feels so good to be bike riding again watching how the sun hits the waters. It had been two years now living in Amsterdam and Kori was wondering why she never made the move sooner. She didn’t have the right papers yet, but Donnie was working on that for her and honestly fuck the system anyways. She was gonna ride this one out. Getting trapped in the EU was the best thing that could’ve happened to her during the pandemic. She felt the sharpness crawl up past her right ribs, but kept peddling.
She rode down Singel Street and saw a man with a red-beanie smoking a cigarette by the shop. Did she know him? Maybe he was a client at the shop before and was back for a new tattoo. As she got closer she could see the braiding of his leather sleeves and the curl of his mustache. He definitely wasn’t Dutch. Too touristy. He was looking back now. She kept riding.
Sirius Star, 159 Before Independence
Being out in the garden was the only comfort Kori has had since being home. Since The Council had announced the attack on Tatsu they were telling everyone to grow their own food.
“This could be a good thing,” Kori thought.
She was in need of koiberries more than ever and now that she was growing them at home she could freeze and save them. Speaking of which it was past double moon - nearly time for her second dose of cough medicine. Every cough felt like a stab in the right lung.
“It could be worse,” she thought. Last time she talked to Riku he hadn’t slept in four days - a tortuous side effect that came with the lung shredding coughs. Since she started adding taimu leaves to the syrup she was able to sleep, but with body intensive dreams. She could almost feel her feet moving fast against the ground with the sun beating on her face. She never even knew she was asleep until the side pain jolted her up.
Since Tatsu announced their separation from the Union everyone was in panic. They wanted independence, but not like this. Why would they break from The Union now when there was still no cure? At least growing her own food meant no more rations. She tossed a koiberry up into the purple sky, caught it with her mouth, then went inside.
Brooklyn, New York 2032
Kori reached across her side and felt the stitches up and down. It was finally over. She told her boss that she would be back online in two weeks. Really, she could be back in one. The faster that she can get over everything that happened the better. All that mattered now was that she could go home and heal on her own.
Everything was almost normal now or at least everyone was back to work again. The car turned right and she was on Bedford Ave passing Ty’s old bar. They must’ve made out more than 100 times on that front patio. The summer they decided to hang string lights Ty made sure to buy the solar LED ones.
“They’re eco-friendly and lower the electricity bill”, he said. The meter hit $48. She had $45 in cash which most taxis didn’t even take anymore.
“Eco-friendly…” she thought.
They were way past the threshold of saving the Earth back then and didn’t even know it. Ty was a marathon runner and even his body gave up on him. 32 in ‘32. This would’ve been his Golden Year. The car continued down Bedford stopping at the light on Atlantic. A man with a Giants jersey stood at the four-way confused on which street to take. Definitely not a New Yorker.
Kori thought back to when they wheeled her out the hospital. Nina, her favorite nurse, told her on the way out, “Make peace with your broken pieces Kori. Heal this.” she pointed to the stitches. “Ty would want that.”
“Ty would want that,” she repeated to herself. Only problem was that Ty was dead so how could he want anything? If she was going to get right, it was for her - all of her.
Alternative Ending
San Antonio, Texas 1972
Kori opened her eyes and bright circular lights were shining over her. With every blink the blurriness of the metal beams became clearer.
“Okay, she’s awake. Slowly now.” She felt as they picked her up and laid her on what was a hard surface cushioned with a blanket. Then suddenly a pinch with fluid flowing down a tube.
“She’s just going to have to ride this one out, but she’ll be okay.” said the doctor. Kori was stoned out of her mind and had no clue how she had gotten there. Last she remembered her and Ty were cuddling in bed together with candles lit and lofi music humming them to sleep. Now she could feel every single cell in her body melt into the steel table with her tongue lose all sense of conduct. It had been hanging out the right side of her mouth for hours now and the unintentional IDGAF sensation was freeing.
“Apparently she found some edibles. Ha, these kids...thank goodness they brought her in. Just one chocolate could’ve killed her.”
They opened the glass doors and Kori felt the Texas sun lay down over her ears. She let out a big smile as Ty put her back in the truck.
“You’re gonna be okay bud. All healed now. You can sleep it off.” He unhooked the leash from her collar and buckled in her harness. Kori looked back at Ty, her owner for five years now. Did he know how much she loved him? He drove off the dirt road and headed back home.
Graphic Illustrations by Stephanie Tager
