Having no idea where I had been
in my first foray into the unlabeled world of wherever, I was intrigued beyond
measure. Where in the world was this? It was certainly no yesterday or any time
before in the past. It could be the future, but the differences of everything
argued with this. It didn’t quite have roots in or earmarks of what I knew to
be “now” to qualify as something in which “now” had grown into in the future
Was it a lost continent like
Atlantis? Hardly! This world we live in has been just too explored and mapped.
Nonetheless its peculiarity had
me captured. I wanted to know what it was and where it was. Fortunately I had
marked all the settings on the unlabeled buttons and dials that had taken me
there so I was positioned to repeat that effort. If I wanted to know where I had
been it was better I go back to the same place if the dial settings would take
me there. I would go there for a longer time and investigate a little more.
I was also puzzled by the
directory that gave but one entry relating to AD or Dementia, “Clubs for folks
affected by Dementia” was all there was. Nothing else pertaining to the disease
with which I was afflicted. It seemed odd, no Alzheimer’s Association, no
Dementia therapy entries, no nursing home or other services for folks with
Dementia or AD was listed. It was absent but for the one “clubs” entry.
This was another factor urging to
go back, look around and answer the question I had concerning Dementia and AD.
Impulsive as I tend to be I set
the dials again the same way. I did this for all but the one I assumed to be
for time of stay. I put that one at a setting not too high but high enough for
more than a day. I hoped for three days so set it similarly to that setting on
a labeled dial. I packed a nap sack with food, a change of clothes, some money,
a compass and a digital camera. I included a note book and a number of pens to
boot. I also had the foresight to throw in some AD literature.
With everything set I switched
the on button and Wham. I was off and there in an instant. I knew it was the
same place because I was again outside, no home of mine to be seen, and
everything looked the same. I had a plan this time. I was going to find out
where this was, why it was the same and why it was different all at the same
time.
First on my list of plans was to
strike up some conversations with some people. This seemed the simplest
solution to identifying the place. It also seemed possible because of the many
pleasant expressions I saw on people’s faces.
I was dressed in jeans and a
summer sweater. This fit the climate I left and the climate and temperature in
that place I happened on the last time. I found conditions to be the same on
this excursion making me adequately attired.
This did not match the apparel of
the people I encountered. There were variations in attire all of them
different. The men seemed to wear some arrangement of leggings hugging their
legs and a tunic like top. Longer and fuller than a shirt, they seemed to be made
of a light material like a silk or rayon. Their dress tended to be colorful in bright
patterns and solid colors.
The colors were different,
nothing quite the same. Reds were absent, but something close to it was
present. The same was true of blues, yellow, browns and greens. There were of
course many more variations and styles.
The women dressed altogether
differently. You could tell they were women and the men were men, because the
women had a far more alluring look to them, a look that accented them
definitely as women, bodiced bust and other body proportions demonstrated in
the clothing styles making it impossible to mistake a woman for a man.
The attire and appearance of
children mimicked the adults; however their dress lacked the allure of women
and the showiness of men.
Again everyone walked about; I
could see no style of conveyance in the area where I wandered. I did see
evidence of roadways lying out further from the built up areas but could not
determine for what kind of transportation they were used for.
There were buildings all about
with a hard surface walkway akin to a cement or tarvia surface, but not
actually either one. It was hard but like everything else it was a little
different. It had a soft feel to it. It was almost as if there was safety built
into it to avoid injury should one fall or be dragged on it. I didn’t test this
aspect; it just seemed to have that quality to it.
The buildings I saw were made of
a singular substance almost as if it had been poured plastic. They were not the
same, colored differently, different architectural styles, different adornment
and different appurtenances as well as different utility. Some were obviously
homes, more multiple dwelling than single family dwelling, some were evidently
stores and others gave the appearance of offices, factory, service space and
warehouses. As I walked about I could see they were zoned somewhat to use and
the greater crowds of people were in the commercial and office areas.
After looking about I centered my
attention on a woman sitting on a bench. She had been conversing with a number
of people passing by. I figured I had a better shot if I followed the manner of
others walking by and offered her a similar greeting.
I was concerned because of my
different appearance, not wanting to scare her or in any way appear to be
accosting her. At the same time my clothing was similar enough to her garb so I
did not see this as an impediment.
As I neared her I waved and
smiled and said “Hi.” She looked up, gave me a very puzzled look probably
having to do with both my dress and my word use. I actually had heard no other
“Hi’s.” She returned a greeting, what it was I have no idea being very shook at
the time by my forwardness. I knew her greeting to be friendly by the big smile
she gave me and the conversation she immediately started with me.
She first invited me to join her
on the bench which I did graciously. I was floored that she was so open with me
not quite fitting in with everyone else. It didn’t seem she had any fear that I
was a mugger, a pan handler or some other nefarious type, she was open and
friendly. Wow!
She immediately started asking me
questions. Who are you? You are surely not from here? Where are you from? Why
do you look so different and sound so different? You don’t have any accent I
have ever heard, but your intonation and language is very different. You are
dressed in a way I have never seen before.
Expecting to be repulsed as soon
as I tried to explain I talked around her questions. I first remarked on the
weather than on her. I complimented her dress and appearance noting how
different but the same as much I had seen before. I then complimented her looks
saying she was quite attractive. That one will either get you cracked over the
head or immediately liked so I took that chance on the first conversation I
started.
She smiled and said “Thank you”
making no similar assessment of me. We kept talking, she with a new set of
twenty questions about my difference, me with one change of subject and
conversation dodge after another. Finally with evident frustration she asked me
would I answer anything I was asked or was she talking to the breeze?
I decided it was time to quit
being fancy and get down to business. I told her she was right, I was not from
here. In fact I had come from a long way from here where everything was quite
different. I said because of the difference, the society I lived, different
from what I saw here, I came to study it. I was concerned to find out how it
could be the same and so different in so many ways.
She responded with “quit funning
me, I have been around many different places in the world where different
languages are spoken and people both dress and act differently. You break the
mold!”
I decided this was the time for
brutal honesty, tell the truth and have her throw me to the lions.
I said “I have no idea where I am.
It is almost like I am in a different world.” I told where I come from. I then
told her of my machine, its ability to take me forward and backward in time. I
told her I had other settings I put on it when I built it. I did it in a surge
of high intellect but didn't have time to identify the other switches and dial
settings because my episode of high intellect had passed. I was left to the
waning cognition of a disease with which I was afflicted.
With all that I told her the
machine delivered me blind to here where I found myself.
She did not call for the “white
coats” the police or just run from me. Her brow furrowed as she asked just what
kind of a disease is it that I suffer. I explained my Dementia to her, told her
I had been diagnosed with an atypical dementia of the Alzheimer’s kind. It was
a disease where there was no known hope of recovery and one for which there was
very little treatment or help. “We are left to be while we are still functional
and when we can no longer function we are put in warehouse like homes where we
are drugged into somnolence and pretty much left to vegetate until we die.”
I went on to tell her that I
experienced an episode where my mind was really cooking with far more sentience
than I ever had which lasted for about a month and then passed. During this
time I had the very creative idea to build this time machine that could take me
back and to future times. I also had the knowledge of how to do it. When I was
nearly finished I lost my super sentience. I returned to my state of
diminishing cognition and found me and the machine with a number of execution
switches not labeled. I had no idea what they were for. I said this is
consistent with what dementia is for me.
She listened with rapt attention
and then said: “How interesting! How much more interesting it is that you
should happen on me to talk to. You see I am a Doctor, a Specialist of the Mind.
I treat people with functional difficulty of their thinking process.” Was I
overwhelmed or was I overwhelmed, which I will speak about later, just not now.
I have to tell you the entire story of our first meeting.
She said her name was Lorli. She
had been practicing her profession for some 30 years and was considered one of
the foremost authorities on thinking disease.
She didn’t stop here. She went on
to say at one time in their past they had a disease they treated similar to
mine that no longer afflicted people. They called it Dementia Decline or DD.
At first they tried to find a
medicine to cure it. When they found they were not really finding any cure they
reduced and re-direct their search and testing. There were too many kinds of
Dementia with too many dysfunctions causing them to develop. They realized they
were dealing with a generic classification leading from a variety of causes.
Most of the Dementias were caused by different conditions all having to do with
organic cerebral dysfunction.
Assigning the different kinds to
the one classification then concentrating on each one, they developed different
therapies to redirect the dysfunction into normal function. They were
successful on overcoming every one of these processes leaving each patient with
a mild residual of the many limitations the patient once had.
All that eradicated they were
left with but people mildly affected, very functional, able to care for
themselves and be productive. They do however maintain clubs to of peers with
similar Dementias to help cope them with their very mild differences.
There was no shutting up Lorli.
She went on to describe what was happening to me that produced the building of
the time machine. She quoted one of the articles that were delivered to me from
the kiosk, namely: Research Brief:
Hippocampal Hyperactivity Tied to Early MCI Atrophy. Click on
the title to go to my Archive to read it.
Rather than recite what she said
I will quote the article directly;
Functional
and structural imaging evidence continues to push back the start of Alzheimer’s
disease by years, even decades, before memory problems emerge.Just before the steady decline in hippocampal activation that
occurs as dementia sets in, this brain region shows a surprising frenzy of
activity. With functional magnetic
resonance imaging (fMRI), Sperling and others have seen hippocampal
hyperactivation in seniors with MCI) or mildly impaired memory, people
with familial or genetic AD risk, and even in young . Research presented
at the recent Society for Neuroscience meeting, also suggests that brain
changes revealed by functional imaging could signal future dementia
The machine was undoubtedly
produced by a surprising frenzy of
activity! I certainly digressed after my creative fugue.
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