Shadowed Glass

Vincent was pulled into consciousness by the shrill ring of his cell phone. Moaning, he rolled over to the side of his bed and, without opening his eyes, rummaged through the top drawer of his night table until his hand located the offending instrument. With an expert flick of his finger he shut it off.

Not ten seconds later it started ringing again.

Still keeping his eyes shut he reached for the phone and, after a moment of fiddling, removed its batteries.

Another ten seconds and it rang again.

Vincent was vaguely aware now that he was dreaming. With a hoarse swear he reached over, grabbed the phone and brought it to his ear. "This had better be important," he said.

"Vincent! Thank God. It’s Caroline. It’s very important. I’m lost. No, that’s not true. I know where I am—I just don’t know how to get home from here."

Vincent sighed. His cousin had a knack for ending up in unlikely places. He tried to remember all the times he’d been coaxed into retrieving her but lost count.

"Find a gas station."

"It’s not that simple. I’m in Ephesus."

"Ephesus?" It took his mind a moment to adjust to that information. He and Caroline had toured the Turkish city once, the summer after they graduated college. Visions of ruined temples and crumbling walls filled his head.

He must be dreaming. Why would Caro be in Turkey?

"I’m sure it’s Ephesus," she continued. "I recognized the harbor at once. You know how it looks like a green swamp? But Vincent, do you remember the temple of Artemis?"

"I remember the site it was located on. The temple doesn’t exist anymore."

"It’s standing."

Vincent sat up and stiffened with attention. "What do you mean?"

"I mean that this is not a dead city. The ruins aren’t ruins. I’m on the outskirts of the agora and it’s teeming with people who look like they belong on the set of Gladiator. And the language they’re speaking sounds an awful lot like Greek. Vincent, it’s been a long time since people have spoken Greek here."

"I’m aware of that." His mind raced ahead with possibilities ranging from time travel to alternate realities.

Then he imagined how Ephesus appeared to Caroline: the lively agoras, the great temple still in tact and the massive theater still in use. In short, it was a bustling metropolis—at least by ancient standards.

"Caro how—"

"I’ve got to go. Whatever you do, when you wake up, please don’t think this was only a dream."

"Wait! What do you—"

But the phone was already dead.