The World We Make

After a conversation with her mother in which Aislyn can sense that it’s not really her mother speaking to her, Aislyn becomes increasingly concerned about R’lyeh’s influence over Staten Island. She notes changes such as a new fungal smell around the island and her father’s uncanny apathy and glazed-over expression. She goes to Denino’s to indulge in her favorite clam pizza, but the server informs her that they’ve changed the recipes for all the items, as well as most of the menu itself. The updated pizza tastes terrible to Aislyn. With growing frustration, she demands to speak to R’lyeh, and the server morphs into her. Aislyn complains to R’lyeh that she’s making everyone homogenous and that she’s changing the things about Staten Island that Aislyn loves. R’lyeh tells her that she must do this because variation creates more multiversal branches. She’s trying to keep this one contained since she intends to destroy it. Sensing Aislyn’s unhappiness, R’lyeh offers to let her live in drugged oblivion so that she can be happy again, but Aislyn chooses to stay aware: “[S]he feels like she should face the consequences head-on, with eyes open” (211). Even though she is uncomfortable with the erasure of what she loves, Aislyn still feels that what she’s doing is for the greater good and considers R’lyeh her friend.