It would be many years before they would figure out how they ended up there. That tiny universe bordering our own. A desolate place, a shell, but also one of great potential.

All eight had been strangers before, though they’d lived or worked in the same small city. They were four women and four men, all twenty-four years old.

It happened on a Tuesday in early July. It was a beautiful day, sunny and hot without being oppressive. Welcomed weather after what had been a wash-out of a June. Two called out sick in order to enjoy it while the other six begrudgingly went off to work.

At exactly seven seconds past eight-twelve that morning, they all disappeared. One from his bed and one from her couch. Two from their seats on separate trains and three from their seats behind the wheels of their cars (action was taken on our part to ensure their abandoned vehicles injured no one). The last disappeared from her cubical at work.

In an instant, they found themselves standing within the cold and darkness of a void, on top of the great rock that has always been there. Unable to breathe or see, they panicked.

Amongst the mayhem, a man named Joel felt calm. He wasn’t cold and he didn’t need to breathe. While he didn’t know where he was, he knew that everything was going to be alright. Better than alright. He could feel that warm comfort, though he didn’t know why. Even more, he felt power and control within him, something he’d rarely felt in his life up to that point. He felt in his element.

Staring into the darkness, he didn’t see a void. Instead, he saw a universe waiting to be born. Without knowing what he was doing, he raised his hands above his head and that universe flowed out from him.

Days, weeks and then months past. Slowly they settled into their new situation, their new lives. In their own time, with the exception of Joel, they all went through the typical stages before settling into acceptance. They may have desperately wanted to return to their old lives, but what could they do? They were stranded, even worse than being stranded on a deserted island. At least then civilization still existed just out of reach and any day a ship or plane might arrive to bring them back to it. As it was, in that place, they were all alone.

Still, it wasn’t a bad place to be completely stranded. They lived on a miniature world that could be circled entirely within a day. An unspoiled world of forests and meadows; mountains and valleys; lakes and rivers; oceans, beaches and islands; scorching deserts and polar ice caps. There was so much beauty, so many adventures they could have with so little effort.

To sustain themselves, they had pure water to drink and more fruits and vegetables than they could ever forage. They fished and hunted, built fires and nomadic shelters. They had a diversity of skills between them, they’d been selected for them. They survived and thrived.

Joel lived among them and yet separately. He sat around their fires though he didn’t need their warmth. He ate their food though he didn’t hunger. He used their shelters though he didn’t sleep or need protection from the elements.

He remained in their company as they laughed and bonded. He wondered if he didn’t need that either. He wanted it to be true.

But, they needed him. From the moment Joel created his universe, it began to fade. Within days it had all started to turn gray. It became harder and harder for the rest to breathe and they could no longer keep the food down or drink the soured water.

The first time he’d done a reset, he’d been drawn to the rock. The one thing in his universe that even he couldn’t lift. The rock covered in carvings, the dead language or our distant ancestors. Joel’s universe was refreshed in the same way it had been created.

…

More and more Joel went off on his own. Exploring his universe, having his own adventures. Unshackled from physical limitations, he would launch himself off of that little world and into space. He flew into the core of the sun and later watched another star go supernova. He found dozens of planets, and even a few that supported life. He once spent an entire day marveling at the pinkish glow of a nebula.

He had created all of this, it had come from him. It was amazing, he was amazing. He wanted to see it all, see where it ended, see if it ended. But he could never venture too far from the home world.

More and more he resented them there. Resented having to rush back to reset on their schedule. Having to take care of those who wouldn’t have accepted him, just like everyone else. But that didn’t matter anymore. He was independent from them, he was independent from everything. He was a god.

He built pyramids, statues and other monuments to himself on those lonely, distant planets. Soon, he would build them on the home world as well.

He flew as far to the edge of his universe as he dared. Too far. Even as he sped back to the home world, his universe faded around him. The home world was entirely gray when he returned. When he landed, he saw the others laying unconscious by the great rock.

He ran towards it, with human speed. He soon found that he couldn’t breathe and he collapsed to his knees. His vision narrowing to darkness, he watched as a woman rose and walked to the rock.

Inside of her, Kelly felt a new universe waiting to be born. She held up her hands.