Happenstance

There's a theory that it's possible for space and time to be folded like a piece of paper, allowing two widely-separated points to touch. You can go anywhere and anytime, past or future. Faster than the speed of light. Like magic.

In science fiction, it's form of space travel called space folding.

In reality, this occurs too, called happenstance: a chance encounter between two people.

As friends.

As partners.

As chosen family.

As lovers.

Instead of going somewhere, sometime else, you get to explore the lives, histories, and ideas of someone possibly widely different than you. Meeting at the exact same space and time when neither people had any business of being there at that exact same space and time.

Maybe someone who moved across oceans to live an authentic life without judgement.

Or someone who wanted to inject their life with new adventures in a new city.

Unlike space travel, which is calculated and scientific (at least until it's not fiction anyways), serendipity is unplanned, random. It's also not anywhere near as fast as the speed of light and it can feel like an eternity for two points to touch each other's lives.

But when these two strangers meet, it can feel the same as space travel: like magic.

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BTS: I came across the concept of space folding when I was watching Dune (2021) and this concept of how space travel occurs fascinated me. Time and space travel have been one of my favourite imaginary super powers, and in this time in my life I wish I could see my friends, family, and loved ones far away easily and instantly. While I wait for science to catch up to science fiction, I reflect on how magical it is that in this huge, wide world that I've met some wonderful people, and how serendipitous it all is.

Icon created by Gregor Cresnar - Flaticon