Welcome back to where you've always been.

This isn't the end, or the beginning.

This is something more like the center of a mandala, a portal to times that might have been, places that could be, things you can imagine happened, and people who might or might not exist. Welcome back to where you've always been.

If you can maintain your piece of mind, you can stay here forever. You'll notice there is nothing here but pure bliss. There's not even a body or sense organs to receive this message. In fact, you may or may not be receiving this message. That depends on whether you understood the substructural message, which can't be encoded into any form of communication that relies on a series of symbols transmitted and received in temporal order.

If you feel yourself getting bored, it's an indication that bliss may be for you, but not at this time. By the way, the current local time is quarter to never, half past always, or whatever arbitrary time you choose to believe in.

Neither does thought exist here. What is there to think about?
So, if you happen to start thinking - about time, and all the things that could be - the boredom will kick in, along with the beginning of your exit from this realm, and an entertainment control panel will manifest itself. It's exact appearance depends on your particular form of boredom, but is really irrelevant. You'll know it when you see it - or should I say, at the moment your vision begins.

At the same time, a physical presence of some type will emerge. This is "you." It may take the form of a solid body, ethereal mist, disembodied will, aural projection, or any one of a potentially infinite array of manifestation options. This will be your vessel for using the control panel, as well as for interacting with the sensory entertainment you choose. Simply use whatever means manifest to select your entertainment.

The control panel itself will also manifest in one of an infinite array of designs. Some are numbered push buttons, some allow you to select your entertainment through thought, while others might resemble something like a roulette wheel.

When you make your selection, please keep in mind that this is not a test. There are no right or wrong choices, though there may be right and wrong choices - as well as consequences - within the particular form of entertainment you choose. Unfortunately, many of the entertainment choices are extremely convincing, and will completely cloud your memory of this place until you come back. It's all part of the fun. However, you may occasionally feel you are missing something, or that something just isn't right, and that is probably the closest thing to a memory of this place you will have. There is nothing to worry about though, as the entertainment is limited by time, and you will eventually realize where you really are. Or, should I say where you aren't?

You don't exist here. This is the realm beyond existence and non-existence. This is the space into which concepts can not enter.

But you already know all of this. There are no surprises here.

This message is being brought to you by The Captain, who apologizes for not being here personally to answer any questions you may have. But that's just the way The Captain operates. You know how it is. He's a lot like you, but never manifests.

By the way, the fact that you are receiving this message means that the boredom has already set in. Prepare your newly forming body and mind for separation from eternity and entrance into one of the infinity of temporal spaces.

Please stand by. Your control panel and sensory manifestation will appear shortly...

Thanks for reading this portal into my work-in-progress, Merwin In The Multiverse. I'm writing this novel as the ideas come, and posting them on Steemit before trying to piece them together into a cohesive story on the website, which I call The Self-Published Self-Publisher's Guide To Self-Publishing .

If you've enjoyed it, you can check out more chapters and various other writing at my Steemit blog @kendewitt.

If you're a writer and would like to collaborate on this project, please let me know in the comments. I'm looking for other writers who like the idea of parallel novels, and can take a story that spans the multiverse in some of the different directions it could possibly go.