David's Digital Portfolio

I’ve been ashore for what would feel to most like several lifetimes. However, when you make your home in the space between the flow of time, the concept of it really goes out the window. I’ve made my home here along the shore of the flowing river that is linear time. Here I can observe the ebbs and flows while constructing passages to various destinations in both time and space. My age does not change here. Over the years I have used various relics to change my appearance, my age, my gender. When you exist for as long—or as little depending on how you look at it—as I have, you get curious about what its like to be in different skins.  I’ve tried on different genders, species, even changed to an ethereal form for a while during one of my more introspective phases.

Unfortunately, I found that I missed the taste of buttered toast too much. It took me so long to find a way to change back into this carbon-based body that I’ve just decided to stick with the one I have now. These days, I look mostly human in my appearance—much like the apes you would see on earth one million through one million nine-hundred ninety nine thousand ninety nine. The largest difference between me and those bipedal mammals is that I have a much larger canine on the left side of my face and my skin is a bit more of a greyish tone. Not exactly the most attractive form I’ve taken. Humans often see me and think I am ill or lack sufficient exposure to the sun. In reality, I am in great health! However, they may be right about the lack of vitamin d. There really isn’t much sunlight to be had in the gap between time. My fingers are also quite a bit longer than the standard human which can be a bit off-putting for some. Though my appearance may not be as aesthetically pleasing as some of the other forms I’ve taken, it functions well and allows me to take part in my earthly pleasures that I so naively thought I thought were beneath me.

You may be asking yourself why I remain in the spaces between time. Why not return home? Well, simply, I am home. I remain here not because I desire to be immortal but because I feel an obligation to those who travel beyond the linear progression of time. As a former traveler myself, I hope to impart some wisdom on these weary beings and give back after years of hedonistic pursuits. Here, at what I’ve affectionately labeled The River Cottage, we take in lost travelers, heal their wounds both mental and physical, listen to their stories (if they are willing to share) and send them on their way.

As you might imagine, Traveling through time and space can be quite exhausting. So, I try to make these travelers feel at home and comfortable. That’s why I’ve taken in the most comforting aspects of interior design, cuisine, bedding, linen, and of course entertainment from my travels and put them here, in The River Cottage, for my guests. Our menu changes depending on my whim. I try to keep a strict schedule but honestly its hard to keep track of how long I’ve kept up the same menu. Guests are often too polite to complain but after having the same four meal choices for what feels like a year–or more–they will occasionally speak up. Currently our menu is based on nouvelle cuisine of 20^th century from France on Earth 1,454,456,463. I spent several years studying under Paul Bocuse and I picked up a few things between the hot stove and the verbal abuse I received. I make a lovely pomme de ris de veau. The simplicity and elegance of the style inspires me at this particular moment and the emphasis on fresh and accessible ingredients is really ideal for the landlocked time traveler. Like I said, the menu does not stick to a particular schedule and will often change depending on the guests I have at the time—we do occasionally get some picky eaters. Breakfast is laid out at first chime and is continental. I used to do a table service for breakfast but found few guests decide to show up or have already left on their respective journeys. Those who choose to stay for lunch and dinner get them served at fourth and fifth chime respectively. It was not easy to acquire some of these creature comforts but you can’t put a price on good therapy—though many do anyway.