Contrary to popular belief, the world that we've known, the world that we are currently living in, was not created 4.5 billion years ago but rather, it was created seven years ago when Dani woke up one morning.
Dani (or Daniella to her parents) was just an ordinary young lady. You could say that she's a side character that can be easily forgotten; someone you can easily lose track of in your mind and in real life. She's the youngest child of seven children. Her father before her was the youngest child of six children and her grandfather is the youngest child of five children. Besides this amazing coincidence, she had no other special features other than, of course, creating the world seven years ago by sheer waking up alone. She never had any high and important achievements in school or sports. She had a few close (and trusted) friends. She never excelled in classes but she never let her grades drop lower than what is the average grade in her year.
She was never drop dead gorgeous but was also never a repulsive ogre, so much so that she had a few boyfriends (and almost had a girlfriend). But none, except for one, broke her heart. She can be found usually to herself, either letting her mind explore or her face buried under the words of a novel she recently purchased. She was, on average, ordinary and forgettable. Her strength and weakness.
But why did the Universe grant the ability to create everything that exists, has ever existed, and will exist in the future, to an ordinary and forgettable individual? No one, not even the ever great Universe, knows. Some things just happen without any explanation or meaning. And that didn't stop Dani from unknowingly creating the world.
Unbeknownst to her, she's actually the last remaining survivor of the previous world before The Reset was made by the Universe. The day prior to the creation of the world, the creation event so-called Point Zero, was the day Dani's heart was shattered to pieces. Her last boyfriend, whose name was already forgotten by this new world, left her under the pouring rain after he abandoned her for another woman.
"It's over between us," The Last Man said to Dani. She never gave a response nor did she protested that they should stay together. She knows in her heart that the world, at least the world that she knew, finally and unequivocally ended. This seemingly insignificant event in the entire history of the 6th world (the world prior to our current one) surprisingly triggered The Reset that the Universe mandated. We will never know what The Last Man was thinking or doing before The Reset. He was written off, cast away into the void, never to return to the world when The Reset happened.
Forgetting to bring her lucky umbrella, she walked miserably home under the rain. The raindrops felt like knives to her, stinging and pricking her skin, as she hiked her way home. When her family saw her on the doorstep soaking wet, she was attended to immediately. Her parents asked her what happened, her brothers and sisters were worried for her, but she never told the truth to them. She didn't want her family to lash their swift justice on The Last Man for breaking her heart. The Universe will take care of all of that for them. After drying off, she skipped her dinner and immediately went straight to her room.
She laid quietly on the bed she spent most of her life sleeping on. Her dainty and pretty blue room filled with band and movie posters was a peaceful place of respite for her, an escape pod from time and space itself where she can collect her thoughts and heal her heart's horrible wound. To cope with the loss, she booted up her laptop and played the Swedish pop duo Roxette's hit single It Must Have Been Love online. Hilarious and melodramatic? Yes, but this is the first song that popped inside her head. She buried her face on her pillow and wept true and honest tears while trying to keep her family from hearing her. She loved The Last Man probably more than all of her previous loves before. And now that love was gone with the wind, figuratively and literally.
"Why am I not like the others?" she asked herself over and over again between silent sobs. "I don't want this anymore." As tears fell from her eyes, it slowly lifted the load that she felt. After everything they've been through, it all came crumbling down. They've already planned for their future together. She suggested living in a simple apartment somewhere in the city where they can start building their lives together before moving to a suburban bungalow home to settle down until their deaths. The Last Man wanted to name their firstborn child Marc Antony if it's a boy, named after the famous Roman general who got involved with Queen Cleopatra, and Elizabeth if it's a girl, named after Elizabeth Bathory, the Hungarian noblewoman and alleged serial killer. Dani was never sure if he was serious or sarcastic with that naming but she went along with it. She loved the history of Elizabeth.
As the night went on, she played more melodramatic hit songs from the past four decades that depict anguish and loss of love, from Passenger's Let Her Go to Whitney Houston's cover of I Will Always Love You, a classic song for the standard brokenhearted individual. The wall clock ticked on and on as her laptop played a barrage of sad songs for the sad individual. She was almost never still during the whole ordeal. She kept on walking around, looking for and playing with different items around her like retractable pens and her favorite Oswald the Lucky Rabbit stuffed toy before finally sitting down on her bed once more, hugging her bolster pillow.
She continued on lamenting and listening to the music that understood her soul's anguish. Then, The Reset finally began. Midnight was almost upon her when she felt it. At first, she didn't really noticed it, but it soon gradually became apparent. First, she heard a light hum that slowly turned into static, like the ones you can hear from a television. Her vision started to blur and she felt a swift but painful headache that was so unbearable, she could not scream for help from her family. Then she felt something drip from her nose. She placed her finger on the wet spot under her nostrils to find a copious amount of blood. She thought she was dying, that her time was already up. But it wasn't her that was dying. It was the entire world around her. The 6th world was collapsing right in front of her eyes and she was one of the few lucky individuals who survived a Reset. A blinding flash of light appeared in front of her before she fainted on her bed.
She found herself floating in white space. There's nothing around her but the vast sea of colorless void. She shouted hello but she can only hear her own echo. She found herself able to breath in this mysterious void outside of the known time and space.
Then, she heard a tack, tack, tack behind her, like someone's walking in leather shoes on pavement. She turned to find the shape of a man that looked like the silhouette of David Bowie. Of course, this figure is far from being the legendary singer-songwriter. She knew this and felt it. Deep down, she knew that she's in the presence of something far greater than what she can ever comprehend.
"Are you God?" she asked.
It did not speak, but for some reason, Dani knew its answer. In her heart, she felt its response. People had many interpretations of who or what I am. You can perceive me as a god, or the void, or everything, or the presence, I don't mind. I prefer to be called The Universe because I believe that's what I am.
"Why am I here? Or rather, where is here?"
Again, the Universe did not spoke but the response she got was almost instantaneous. I pulled you out of the world. As for the reason why, you'll find the answer to that soon enough. I hope... all of the previous ones could not remember meeting me when they wake up.
"How long will I be here?"
Not too long yet not too soon. There's no need to rush. I can't tell you much but what I can tell you is that the world is currently trying to heal. That's the simplest way I can explain what's really going on without destroying your mortal brain for explaining a notion so inconceivable to humans that they will never be able to comprehend such great knowledge. The pressure from that knowledge alone could make your head explode. Believe me, I've seen this. I've done this. You don't want this.
She paused before speaking again to The Universe. "The last thing I can remember was having a headache. I guess this could all be just a dream. That, or I'm actually dead in my room."
No, you're not dead. Far from it. That I can guarantee. That headache of yours was just a side effect.
She took a deep breath and scratched her head. "What about my friends and family? And him? Are they alright?"
The Universe did not respond.
"Tell me, are they safe?"
You will be reborn and everything will be alright.
"Are. They. Safe?" Tears started falling from her eyes, like the rain she felt when she went home last night. The feeling of the tears stung her skin.
The Universe turned his back on her and walked a few steps before turning back again. My, my. It seems your time here is already up. You've been here for eons already.
"Wait what? What eons?" she said. She could swear she's only been in that point outside of time and space for a few minutes.
Time and space doesn't work properly in this place. What mere moments for the both of us right now could already be ages outside. You need to go back now and fulfill your purpose.
She felt a hand on her right ankle as she slowly got dragged away to the bottom of The White Void. The sadness and anger she felt were immediately replaced by an immense fear of the unknown. She knew not of what purpose The Universe mandated her to do nor what is outside of the sanctuary of The White Void.
"Please! Help me! Help!" she screamed and kicked the invisible hand on her ankle but the more she struggled, the more hands she felt wrapping around her lower body.
It's time to go Dani.
"Where are they?!"
You'll be with them soon.
She looked at the outlines of The Universe for the last time before she was yanked out of The White Void. At first, she saw nothing but darkness. Then as she descended further and faster, she saw a beautiful tempest of lights and colors and wind and debris. Memories of her past came rushing back to her as if she's mere moments away from the sweet release of death. She heard deafening anguished screams. She tried blocking it all but the screams were too loud, too horrifying to ever be silenced. She saw shapes and other figures. She saw the flow of time from The Big Bang to the inevitable death of even The Universe itself. She saw everything from black hole singularities to the biggest supercluster. Then when everything seems to be too overwhelming for someone like her, she had a brief moment of peace and self-forgiveness before closing her eyes yet again, drifting into a deep slumber.
The 7th world was created at exactly 7:00 the following morning. She woke up in her bed. The dream she had was the most bizarre dream she has ever had in her life. She's not even really sure if she should consider it as a dream or a nightmare. But as soon as she sat up, the memory of that dream was already gone, like the world prior to the world that she has woken up into.
The 7th world is an almost exact carbon copy of the previous world. Of course, there are a few changes in history here and there, both in her own history and the world's. She'll just think of it as something she just forgot. Sometimes, the Mandela effect will be the culprit to her, but she will never be able to spot the difference between the two worlds.
She stood up from her bed, her favorite Mickey Mouse stuffed toy was on the floor. She picked it up and dusted it off a little bit before placing it on her bed. Her dainty and pretty red room filled with anime and video game posters has always been a peaceful place of respite for her, an escape pod from space and time itself. She walked to her window sill and lifted the blinds, an overcast was in the sky. She hummed Penny Lane by The Beatles.
Leaving her room, she walked around the house to find that she was alone. It was a Saturday, she believed. Dani walked outside to get some fresh air, the birds hummed their natural tune. She looked around her and found peace. She didn't know why.
This was the first morning of the new world that she has unknowingly made. And it was beautiful.