THE WATER BABY CHAPTER TEN

"I'm afraid I can't let you do that," the Water Baby said.
"Huh? Why?" I felt confused.
"You see. You've been through three different Universes already. You might let something slip."
"Like what?"
"You might end up doing a Universal Breeding. Letting people from different Universes into each other's Universes. And that is illegal."
"But you do it all the time. You said. And I've already been through three different Universes. You said."
"I'm allowed to. I am the Water Baby. I am the Guardian of the Anomalies. Making sure there is no Universal Breeding. And in your case, the punishment for Universal Breeding is death. But you are already dead, so we can't do that to you."
"What?"
"Kill you."
"Okay, what was the three Universes I went through?"
"The one you originally came from. The one where you died because your Animation tube ran out of oxygen, and this one, where you died when you got pushed into a pool. Actually, tell a lie. That was the previous Universe. This one is the fourth one you've entered."
"What?"
"Yes. In this Universe, you do not exist."
"I beg your pardon?"
"You will exist in this Universe. But not for another two years."
I was getting really confused. Did this mean I'd never get home?
"So how do I get home?" I asked.
"You don't. There is no home. No true home for you."
"What do you mean?"
"There is no true home for anyone. Once you go through an anomaly to a Parallel Universe, you have no home, you belong to any one of the Universes."
"But I want to get back to the Universe I originally came from! I need to!" I put an emphasis on the word 'need'.
"Oh? Why?"
"Because... Because..." Was he totally stupid?
"Because my home is there! Because I came from there originally!"
I ran towards the attic door. I opened it, and ran down the stairs. I heard the Water Baby shouting after me, but I didn't care. I raced down to the living-room. But I got a shock, there was an elderly man sitting in Mum's seat.
He turned. "Hello, Sara." He beamed.
"Who are you? How'd you know my name?"
"Eh? Oh, I see. Your little joke. Come here and give your grandpa a jolly kiss on the cheek."
"I don't want to give you a jolly kiss! I don't even know you!"
"Now, Sara, stop trying to make your grandpa think he's going mad."
I whipped around.
Coming into the room was a small, fat man with blonde shoulder-length hair, that the Brad Pitt from "Troy" would have been proud of.
"What would you like for dinner, Sara?"
"How do you know my name?" I asked.
"Don't be silly, of course I know your name. I am your father after all."
"My father?"
"Now, Sara, stop being so childish. Now go up to your room and think about the little stunt you've just pulled.
I gladly went back upstairs. Instead of going to my room. I headed back up to the attic. The Water Baby was still there. "You've just entered your sixth Universe, Sara."
"I don't care. I will keep going through them, til I get home."
"Which will take forever."
"Isn't there an easy way out?"
"No. Have you ever seen the movie "The Cube?"
"What?"
"The Cube."
"Yes, I've seen it."
"Well, in that movie, the rooms all kept moving around. It's like that with the Universes. They all keep moving around. The anomaly in the attic stairs would be the gateway to three million different Universes in one day."
"So, you mean, I'll never get home."
"You might. It'll take you a hundred years but you might make it. I strongly advise against it. You might start a Universal Breeding, which is illegal."
"Yes, but I'm already dead. So if I did it, you wouldn't be able to kill me."
"We'll think of other ways to destroy you."
I'd heard enough. I ran towards the door, and tried to open it. But it was locked.
"You see, Sara. I can't let you go. It's not worth the risk. But you'll love this Universe."
"Why?"
"This is the Barren Universe. Nothing exists."
"What?"
"It has yet to exist. The world will not start for another thousand years. You will be the first person to exist in this Universe."
"But, if this is barren, what's my house still doing here?"
"Look around you."
I looked. I saw Nothing. Just a sheet of white stretched away before me. What had happened!?
"You'll love this. No rules, no responsibilities..."
"No company. No food to eat. No entertainment."
He looked at me. "Stop complaining. This is the sort of thing you wish for back home, isn't it?"
"Yeah. Only cos I'm an emo, and that's what we do."
"Well... Goodbye!"
He disappeared in a puff of smoke.
I stood there stupidly. What eas I going to do now?

Find out what happens next in Chapter Eleven...