The Universe on the Other Side of the Window

 Once upon a time there was a window into another universe. It was buried deep beneath a moss-covered stone that sat wedged under a tree trunk. One had to bend down very low to see the window, and since very few knew of its existence, it had not been often looked through.

    But one day a rabbit fell against the moss-covered stone, and in the process of righting herself, she looked deep into the window and vanished.

    The next day, a chipmunk dropped an acorn by the stone, and when he went to pick it up he found himself gazing into the universe on the other side. He vanished, too.

    The day after that a little girl walked by the stone, and thinking it looked friendly, bent closer to have a chat. That was when she looked through the window.

    Suddenly she felt herself disappearing, a pulling that came from the universe on the other side of the window. In one desperate effort, she waved frantically. 'Hello self!' she cried out.

    And then, just as suddenly, she didn't vanish.

    The universe on the other side was fooled, you see. It thought that the little girl saw herself in the other universe; there was no need to pull her through because she was already there.

    Universes are tricked that way.

    The little girl ran home as fast as she could and wrote a note. She came back to the moss-covered stone and stuck the note in the lichen. 

    'Wave at yourself to fool the universe on the other side of the window,' read the note.

    It was the kind of note that people with the right sort of mind tended to obey. And as to the others... well, there was another universe for them—and they were relatively happy there.

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