Chapter 1

The familiar ringing of the college bell was heard throughout the entire building. It signified that class had begun.

Professor Steeleman was a famous astronomer, known for his ability to prove theories and ideas in astronomy with substantial evidence, consistently. He was still in his mid 40’s, yet he looked unusually similar to a rag doll that had been pummeled to the ground, approximately a few hundred times.

“Mr. Whitman, would you please explain the general concept of a wormhole to the class?” Mr. Steeleman asked, fatigued.

Carl Whitman was a jock, but not just any jock; he was widely known throughout the entire college football team for being an unstoppable runningback. His only drawback was that he was not very bright, which was why he did not respond to the question he had just been asked.

Alex dignifiedly raised his hand.

“Yes, Mr. Alexander Smith?” asked the unhappy professor as he pointed in his direction.

This, Alexander Smith, was not a man of much popularity, but what he lacked, he gained through his intelligence and curiousity.

“Mr. Steeleman, I believe I can explain the concept of the wormhole to the class,” Alex replied with much confidence, “Everyone close your eyes and imagine a sheet of paper, flat on the ground. This is our universe. Estimate how long it would take for one of our fastest space shuttles to travel from one end of the sheet to the other. Only about a few years… to the power of googleplex. Now think, is there another way, a shorter, faster way? Picture the same sheet of paper rolling up in half, not completely folded, yet in the shape of a half cylinder. This is still our universe, but in a different form. Now, what if there was a passageway, not around the universe but directly through it? And there is one indeed. Ladies and gentlemen, this is what we call a wormhole.”

The professor glanced at Carl Whitman and the other jocks and decided that some people needed extra clarification.

“Basically, what Mr. Smith is saying through his analogy is that a wormhole is a shortcut from one point in space to another,” said Mr. Steeleman, “But he forgot one important fact: Wormholes travel in only one direction, therefore, theoretically, one can only enter a wormhole through the entrance; it is impossible for anything to exit a wormhole through the entrance.