‘Even if I believed or understood this fantastic project of yours Ben, I can’t see how you can finance and build it.’

My old school friend was a scientist, a poet, a mystic, a polymath… I had never understood his research or his poetry and he could not understand why I had chosen finance as a career.  Cycling, chess and long suffering wives were the only things we had in common as we slipped into our forties.

‘Art installation Stuart, the council are delighted to have Portal as the centrepiece for their arts festival… your move.’

I had lost concentration on our game of chess.

‘Let me get this right, the council erects a fifteen metre high door frame on the beach with lights and strange sounds to make it an ‘experience’, blissfully unaware that your portal is tuned in to try and make contact across the universe.’

‘To re-establish a broken link, they will respond.’

I felt a shiver down my spine, I thought of all the sci fi films we used to watch when we were teenagers, surely he did not believe all that rubbish, he a respected scientist.

Ben laughed. ‘I can’t guarantee it will work, but if it doesn’t no one will be any the wiser, I don’t want to lose my credibility at work.’

‘Unless something goes wrong.’

Any sci fi fan should know something always goes wrong.

‘That’s why I had to tell somebody, only you know anything about this. The council have been working with an ‘arts company’ that has no connection to my name or my work. I can trust you to keep it secret.’

‘You can be sure of that Ben, I also have my credibility to preserve, but what is it we are expecting to happen? Do we have to wait for midnight or sunrise?’

He paused, holding his knight aloft.

‘No, no our time keeping is irrelevant, it could happen at any moment. Imagine when you switch on your radio, the radio waves were there all along, just waiting for you to turn the connection back on.’

‘And then what?’

‘Built in receivers will transmit all communications to my lab where they will be safe. ‘

‘How will you understand aliens from the other side of the vast universe?’

‘No, no that would be impossible. Did I not explain, we will be linking in with a parallel universe, with a planet identical to Earth, another real Earth. It is going to be so exciting proving we live in a multiverse.’

‘Ha ha, so another version of yourself is suddenly going to appear on the beach, how will you account for two of you?’

‘Presumably I would be transported in exchange and nobody would notice the difference.’

I stood on the cliff top looking down at the portal, it was certainly impressive and I was almost afraid to go down on the beach near it. Thankfully my wife was taking the children to their Saturday morning clubs and thought I was out cycling with Ben. They were looking forward to us all going to the many festival activities on Sunday. Hopefully by that time I would be reassured the portal was safe and just a ridiculous fantasy.

Members of the public were loving the creation, walking through it, looking at their reflections, taking selfies. The beach was getting crowded and perhaps no one would even notice visitors from a parallel universe. I locked my bike up and jogged down the zig zag path. As I plodded across the sand I felt as much as heard the strange thrumming. I was drawn to the huge rectangular arch gleaming in the sun, its weird surface reflecting and bending the sea, the beach and the people. Some reached out to touch the surface while others stood back, gazing up as if waiting for someone or something.

I moved forward to touch the vibrating surface and jumped when I felt a touch on my shoulder, it was Ben behind me.

‘What do you think Stewart?’

‘Okay, I admit I’m impressed, as an art work, as a popular attraction, but nothing has happened yet.’

‘How can you be so sure? You would not believe what I have seen…’

‘Hey Ben, Stuart, didn’t think this was your sort of thing.’

I groaned, it was Mike from the cycling club who loved to talk. Ben made his excuses and slipped away, said he was just off to take a few photos for Instagram, leaving me to hear in great detail about Mike’s new gears. I never saw Ben again.

The police interviewed Mike and myself as the last people to see Ben. I had to go and see Ben’s wife. I told her and the police the truth. Yes Ben was in a good mood and we had stopped off on our regular bike ride as we were both fascinated by the portal.

It wasn’t till Monday that the police had bothered to get in touch, a missing man who was not vulnerable was not of great importance, husbands walk out on their wives all the time. Then others began to be reported missing. University students who hadn’t called their parents and didn’t answer their phones. Adults living alone who did not turn up for work…

I had promised to keep Ben’s secret. Would anyone believe me if I told them the truth?