Beyond The Bridge

Where will the Bridge take us today?

I’ve been thinking a lot about how thin the boundary is between what we see and what lies just beyond perception. This week we cross again and go deeper into this concept.

Writing this second issue, I’ve also been digging into the alternate self concept – the question: if you saw you from another reality, would you trust them?

Imagine seeing yourself, an exact copy, staring back at you. What if you walked around a street corner and bumped into someone that looked exactly like you. Would you brush it off and keep going or would you engage? It could be a doppelganger from the same dimension. It could also be someone that travels interdimensionally. Maybe you could join them on epic adventures.

The possibility that there are other dimensions is just too strong to not believe there are. It’s only a matter of time before we figure out how to cross the Bridge. I’m looking forward to it! Are you…?

As I prepared to write Knocked: Into Another Dimension, I did some research on parallel worlds, and found some very interesting science out there. For example, Sean Carroll has a book called Something Deeply Hidden that walks you through the science behind the many-worlds theory. A theory that posits – “As you read these words, copies of you are being created.“

Key concepts include:

Quantum mechanics without collapse/Many-Worlds (Everettian view)
- Carroll argues that the “weirdness” of quantum mechanics doesn’t force us to invent special rules for measurement or collapse; instead, he leans on the Many-Worlds interpretation, in which the wavefunction always evolves unitarily, branching into many non-interacting “worlds.”
Decoherence and the emergence of classicality
- To explain why we don’t see superpositions in daily life, Carroll emphasizes decoherence (interaction with environment) as the mechanism that makes branches effectively non-interfering. That is, in practice, interference is suppressed.
Speculative bridge to quantum gravity
- Carroll hints that a unified theory – one that fully integrates quantum mechanics with general relativity – might reveal how spacetime geometry truly emerges from this web of entanglement. If that’s right, “worlds” could be reinterpreted as distinct yet coexisting configurations within one seamless quantum structure.

That last part is what gives us a slight sliver of hope to travel between these dimensions, and that’s all we need, all I needed. 😉

The belief is: “if spacetime itself is emergent from entanglement, and entanglement defines connections, then maybe “travel” between branches isn’t about motion through space but changing relationships in the underlying wave function.”

Only time will tell I suppose…

A snippet that relates to this issue:

From Chapter 3 – Seeing Myself for the First Time

The portal was there.

I could see it clear as a reflection in a mirror. I got to my feet and rushed to it. The winds seemed to slow. I knelt down to look inside. I reached my hand in and out as fast as I could. Nothing happened to it; there was no damage to my hand.

“Denny! Look at this! We did it!” I shouted out over the still thunderous storm. He didn’t respond and I looked back to find him slumped against the fence. I panicked internally, gut rolling around, but couldn’t pull myself away just yet to go to him.

I had to look.

I dipped my head into the hole as if dipping my head into a barrel to bob-for-apples. I kept my hands firmly outside the hole and braced myself. I could fully see the other side, a vision of the same place, same storm, same tower, but no sign of Michael. Looking around I then saw my own eyes, on a mirror image of my face.

I was looking at myself and we were both as confused as intrigued.

New stuff

Recently, I launched a Substack site, and I’m sharing my content with you on there as well. It’s a place I can publish stories and poems, as well as articles. I hope to publish there on a regular cadence. I already posted a few things, you’ll see, and I am working on some new short works (like the one I posted called Whimper) that you can read without much time commitment, since I recognize your time is valuable, and TikToc is a trend for a reason :p

I hope you check it out!

Derek C Chance’s Substack

Your Turn To Cross

Bridgers, If you saw yourself in another world, what would you say to your counterpart? Hit reply. I’m selecting one reply to riff off in the next issue.

Beyond The Bridge – Issue #2