The pop up ad read, ‘You Wanna Take a Ride?’

I automatically clicked it off and went on with my search. I was searching for maps.com; a friend had told me what a wonderful site it was. She said it had very detailed, topographical maps for anyplace you were interested in. I was researching ancient Egypt for a piece I wanted to do on pyramids. I needed factual information, and decided to go directly to the source for it.

I found the site, but as I was about to click on the area I wanted, the pop-up came up again.

“You Wanna Take a Ride?’ But this time it said something more; ‘Interested in far away places? In distance or time? Click OK for the ride of your life.’

I never click on pop-ups, all they do is invite spam to my mailbox, I needed no more of that. This did sound interesting though. I looked for the address of the site, but it wasn’t there.  Then, the message changed; ‘We guarantee it will be more interesting than the dusty, dry pyramids.’

My heart jumped as I read the new message. How did it know I was going to the pyramids? I haven’t clicked on anything yet.

I thought about it a few seconds only, when the message changed again, ‘Come on, your ride is waiting. You’ll love it!’

Weird isn’t a strong enough word, scary doesn’t do it either, but it was close. Whoever wrote this ad is sharp. I thought. It’s perfect for the map site. I reasoned it out in my mind; this isn’t paranormal stuff, it’s just good ad writing.

If the ad is this good, the site must be fantastic. So I clicked on OK, and sat back in my chair, waiting to see where I would go.

The home page opened immediately, fully, as if it had been open all the time, waiting for me.
Well, that’s good, at least it isn’t loaded with all the junk that takes minutes to load.

I began reading, ‘Welcome to my Reality World and Beyond.’ Where, in place and time, would you like to go today? You may type in the name of your desired destination, or go to the menu listing and click on ‘Surprise Me.’ You will not be disappointed. Sit back and enjoy your first ride, it's free!

Umm, where do I want to go today? I think I'ill let you surprise me.

The screen went dark for a moment, then slowly opened onto a dark sky, filled with millions of stars.

Umm, ok, I get to see the stars. This is not so surprising, it seems to be a bust. I had no sooner finished the thought, when the stars began moving forward on the screen. 3-D action, this is kind of cool.

The picture moved slowly in to show the stars passing by into infinity. I watched, thinking, This is it? I have this on a screen saver, big deal, Deciding to turn it off, I reach for the keyboard, Well, this was a wasted trip.

In the seconds before my fingers touched the keyboard, I looked up to see a clear circle coming straight forward in the middle of the screen. Curious, I waited to see what it would do. It gets closer, and quickly takes up the entire screen, and as it continues on, I am inside, going along with it. I am traveling through the thing; which is shaped like a tube, curving this way and that, like, I know, a wormhole! I am in a wormhole. Oh, my Gosh, what an experience.

I knew I was traveling through time and space. It was like going down a mile high water slide, twisting and turning. The colors are beautiful, similar to a kaleidoscope, but without the sharp edges. No--more like silk scarfs, ruffling in the breeze. Are the colors passing me, or am I passing through them? My head is full of wonder as everything slows nearly to a stop.

I see other worlds clearly as I pass each port hole like opening that appears at each turning of the tube. There are many worlds like Earth, populated with humans and animals, but in different times. I see huge, strange animals, then I pass on to the next world where there are many people, going and coming in a frenzy. I pass a world from the future, it seems so peaceful, I want to stay awhile and visit.

I wonder if we could actually visit these other worlds if we chose? I wondered as I move along the tube.

Suddenly I was again sitting, staring at the computer, watching the starscape move on past out of sight. The screen became dark for a moment, then the home page came back into view. I was stunned to be back in my house. Sorry too, for I would have liked to explore further. What Galaxy was that? I tried to find out, but since I had clicked on Surprise Me, there was no way I could.

Thank you for taking a ride with us. I certainly hope you decide to add my site to your favorites, and visit again. Your first ride is free, if you decide to take another, you must register. All that is needed is your username and e-mail address. We are a secure site and use Pay Pal for your convenience. Tell a friend by clicking here. Good-by.

924 words


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