The metal doors greeted him as they parted before his eyes.  Movements soft, John entered the elevator and pressed the button for the sixth floor.  It was past quitting time when he arrived, but he was going to meet some friends from work for a small celebration.  Smiling softly he recalled his latest project and reveling in its completion, he anxiously awaited good company with which to share his success.

    He was an architect who had a natural eye for dimensions and forms.  Even when he was a child, he recalled putting sticks together to form buildings and mastered the most complicated lego sets with ease.  His talents were not wasted and a series of schools gave him the training to design buildings for successful corporations.  His latest creation was a new recreation center.  A charity organization found the money to buy the design for a large sum and John’s boss was more than pleased.

    Recalling the praise delivered earlier that day, he felt he should receive a raise or a good commission for future projects.  Such thoughts passed through his mind but were halted as the elevator stopped for the sixth floor.  Slowly the door opened and he looked ahead.  For a change, he did not see the art desks and cubicles often displayed outside the elevator.  In fact nothing was visible at all except for complete darkness.

    “Hello?”  he called out as he stepped away from the elevator.  The doors closed behind him leaving nothing visible.  He then called out in the distance, remembering the friends he was supposed to meet, “Ok you guys.  Quit joking around I know you’re out there turn on the lights.”

    “There are no lights.”  Came an unfamiliar voice.  John turned around to try to hear where it was coming from but couldn’t find the source.  Yet one thing was for sure, the sound was definitely feminine and spoke with a low, soothing tone that for some reason sought to ease his mind.

    “What’s going on?”  he asked, still not able to find who was speaking.  “I came up here to meet some friends, they’ve got to be here.”

    “They’re not.”  Replied the same voice.  In response, he trembled then yelled loudly, “Who are you?!”  he exclaimed, hoping to find someone to explain his situation before he became more afraid.

    At that moment a cloud of light quickly appeared ten feet away from him.  He focused on the brilliance of it as it shifted into a yellow shade.  After a little time passed, it began to take on a humanoid form and finally it bent to create the shape of a woman.  She was so bright at first it was hard to discern her features.  Then in a matter of minutes, the light began to dim and John was entranced by what he saw.

    Her hair was long and spilled in waves of brilliance along her shoulders.  It shimmered like gold and framed her perfect face that could easily be mistaken for a goddess.  Her eyes were curved into sharp corners and accentuated the gaze she gave him.  With orbs the shade of jade, he found himself staring into them as if he wanted to be the focus of her full attention.

    She was clad in a white gown that covered her supple body, leaving a lot to his imagination.  Beneath it he could see her shift as she walked closer, the only tightness to it was a small black belt that gathered the dress at her slender waist.  He imagined his hands atop her hips then gazed into her eyes as she spoke again.

    Her lips were deep red and pursed sensually as she spoke, “Who I am is not important but I will tell you if you wish.  I am part of a race called The Time Keepers.  We’re alien to you and I have chosen this form to please you.  You may call me Keran.”

    “Keran.”  The words rolled from his lips as he pronounced it carefully.  “I want to know more about you.”

    She smiled slightly and approached him, “I am not going to tell you everything you wish to know but I will tell you what you need to know.  As an architect you know about the three dimensions.”

    His eyes narrowed for a moment and he questioned her, “How did you know I was an architect?”

    She smiled in response, “I know everything about you John.  You have achieved a good reputation at work, but all of your experience can not prepare you for what I am about to show you.”

    Confusion began to replace his awe for the woman.  Being firm in his request he asked, “And what are you about to show me?”

    She smiled again, “Since we are a benevolent race we pick some of you from your world to see if they can handle seeing the fourth dimension.  As I’ve noticed you calculate and shape objects to fit into height, width and depth, but you have overlooked one facet and that is duration.”

    “Duration?”  he said and stepped closer, “What do you mean by that?”

    “When I mean duration I mean time.  Everything has height, width and depth that affects the state of an object or even a person, but have you noticed that things have duration too?  With time objects change, rocks are weathered away and people grow old and die, that is the fourth dimension.”

    John stood there and contemplated what she said.  Surely time did change things but never did he think of it being as a ‘fourth dimension.’  Out of confusion he asked, “What are you talking about exactly?  Time travel?”

    She shook her head, “No.  There is no way to travel into the past or future but there is a way to see the fourth dimension and see how it shapes things.”

    “I’m not sure I understand.”

    Her tone sought to reveal compassion to his confusion, “You can’t at this time for it’s a very complex notion.  But imagine being able to see into the future and being able to stop terrible events from happening.  That is the gift we long to bestow on you.  So far we have not met a human who is able to handle this gift, do you wish it?”

    He pursed his lips in thought then asked, “What do you mean by saying no one is able to handle this gift?”

    “You will stay in the present John, nothing can change that.  But you will ‘see’ the future.  This causes most people to be disoriented and then they become mad.  It’s a powerful way to see, and if not controlled there’s no telling how things may appear.  Imagine having your sight blurred and then cleared only to see objects moving in strange ways and changing on their own accord.  If you can not control your gift this may happen.”

    “And if I can control my gift?”

    She smiled upon hearing the question, “Then you will be able to see things no one else will.  You will be able to know when bad things will happen and how to prevent them. By using your gift wisely you can benefit the entire human race.”

    He stood there looking at her for a few moments after she spoke.  After listening to what she said, it all seemed too hard to believe and he just shook his head, “Time Keepers.”  He chuckled, “Fourth dimension yeah that’s a good one lady.  I admit you’re a damn good one to look at but I’m not sure I can buy what you’re telling me.”

    She sighed and a hint of anxiety laced her tone, “So you don’t believe me?”

    He tried not to roll his eyes upon hearing her sigh, but managed to say, “Well it’s not everyday a blond bombshell appears out of a completely dark area and tells me that I will be able to see into the future.”

    She narrowed her eyes at him in an attempt to influence him with her words, “Don’t doubt me John for what I’m telling you is true.  If this is all in your imagination, then you won’t be able to see anything, but if it isn’t then you will be missing out on a lot.”

    He chuckled softly, “Yeah missing out on being the new fortune teller on the block.”

    “Then prove me wrong.”  She said, “Close your eyes and let me kiss them.”

    He smirked, “So you’re only going to kiss my eyes?  I can let you kiss something else.”

    Ignoring his offer, she walked closer to him until they were only a few inches apart, “It’ll be an experience you won’t forget.  Trust me.”

    “Ok I’ll trust you this once.”

    “So close your eyes.”

    He smiled and complied to her request.  For a brief moment he felt her mouth beneath his brow and almost shivered as she stood close.  After pressing her lips over his right lid and then his left, he felt a warm sensation throughout his head.  As the sensation lessened he slowly opened his eyes to find himself standing on the sixth floor where the elevator should have left him.  The light overhead was bright and other fluorescent bulbs shined over various art tables and in other cubicles currently unoccupied.  He smiled and avoided the desks as he took note of his friends down the end of the hall.

    Two of them were nicely dressed women, though nowhere as attractive as Keran.  Their pressed business suits accentuated their professional appearance and the three men near them were suited in similar attire.  Though their ties were taken off their dress shirts were still worn underneath dark jackets and trousers perfect for any businessman.  John didn’t think of the fact he was casually dressed in blue jeans and a black shirt as he called out, “Hey!  Ready for that party?”

    “John!” one of the women said as she turned to focus on him, “We were wondering where you were.”

    “Yeah.”  A man next to her replied, “We’ve been waiting for a while.”

    He looked at them and nodded as they came closer into view.  Yet as he focused on them something began to change.  Their suits became wrinkled and gray and he blinked his eyes to try to focus on them again.  Then he noticed his vision became blurred and he reached out to try to balance himself only to find his sight temporarily blinded.

    Karen’s words came to mind. ‘Imagine having your sight blurred and then cleared only to see objects moving in strange ways and changing on their own accord.’  He tried to ignore what she said then heaved a sigh of relief as his vision began to clear.  Then he looked at his friends and screamed at what he saw.

    Their skin was wrinkled and began to change colors. From shades of  brown to even a deep blue hue, it began to sag and rot  from their bodies.  The suits they wore were no longer gray but barely there as the fibers unwove around them revealing their dark, dying flesh.  He screamed and backed away, but his screams only caused their dry mouths to ask, “What’s wrong John?”  Even as they moved their jaws, the flesh upon them fell off to reveal bone beneath.  He only screamed again and backed away but this time his cries were heard by someone else.

    “Control it John!” he heard Keran’s voice though she was nowhere to be found, “Return your sight back to the present.”

    “This can’t be them!” he yelled in response.  “What’s happening to them?” he screamed, “Where are you?  Can’t you help me?”

    “You can help yourself by controlling your vision.”  Keran said.  He still couldn’t see her, which did nothing to help John’s insecurity.

    “I don’t know how!”  he screamed, “I can’t do it!  Take this away from me!”

    From someplace he couldn’t see, he heard her sigh and she muttered, “Perhaps I was wrong.  You are not meant to see the fourth dimension, your request is granted.”

    John’s vision blurred again and in moments cleared to show his friends as they were before.  He heaved a sigh of relief and held onto the edge of a cubicle nearby to try to gain his balance.  Slowly his companions walked toward him and asked in concern,  “Are you all right?” he only nodded his head in response thankful Keran took her gift back.    At that moment he knew it was best to live in the present and reaching for a helping hand went off back to his apartment alone to call it a night.