The Sunset Door

At 2 pm one day, the famous pianist and singer Vara Hosea walked into a Georgetown cafe in the District of Columbia. She was shown to a private dining room. Two people waited for her there. Vara recognized the superhuman agent Wyatt Ferguson. He introduced his companion as Kristi Halsted.

Wyatt said, "Kristi has a problem. She's not from around here. She'd like to leave, but her home isn't there any more." (See Related Story)

"Hello, Kristi. Joe told me how you come from the end of the world. I'd think you'd be glad to be away from there."

"I am. But I see this world going right back there. I just can't stay and watch it any more."

"If you knew what was going to happen, why didn't you tell someone before now so we could stop it?"

"Wyatt knew. He saw it. He told people. How many of you believed him?" (See Related Story)

Wyatt joined in. "Besides, Kristi has been keeping people informed. I just now debriefed her for Joe Corrigan. She joined the militia movement just to keep track of them. She just couldn't stop them when they blew up the freighter in Alaska."

"Okay, point taken. But if you don't want to stay here and you can't go home, what do you want to do?"

"I've got a place she can go to decide. There's a Council of Ordered Realities, kind of like an interdimensional tourist bureau. I've got friends there who can take her in." (See Related Story)

"Then why don't you just take her there? Don't you have your dimension-walking power any more?"

"My power's still there. But the Earths aren't. We're in a different orbit from all those other Earths, so now I get lost on the way."

"So you want me to help find the way?"

"If you could."

"Okay. Do you have anything from that world?"

"I thought you might ask." Wyatt pulled out a snow globe marked "Warsaw St. Lawrence". Vara put her hands on it.

"... There. Kristi, feel free to walk through that door."

"Huh?"

"I've set it up as a dimensional portal."

Kristi opened the door. A sunset was shining through it. She said, "Uh, could I just sit and enjoy the view from here for a minute?"

"Of course. I guess you've figured out by now, this is magic. And magic will work as long as people appreciate beauty."

Wyatt started moving suitcases to the door. Then he put on his own backpack - a big one.

"Wyatt! You're leaving too?"

"Yeah. Kristi needs me to show her around, and I've got some errands to run there."

"How will you make it back here? I won't be there to help you find the way."

"My friends there can probably help. Besides, nothing's ever stood between me and my world for long. I can understand why Kristi's leaving. But hey, this is my world."

"I know what you mean, Wyatt. See you soon."