I’m trying to build a world for a short story where the protagonist increasingly finds truths in Fortean-type phenomena. He witnesses proof of mythical creatures, for example. He begins investigating these things after his wife mysteriously disappears. The issue that I have is, I need her to disappear in such a way where one minute he sees her, but then she’s gone. I was thinking about her getting on a plane, but then never getting off, but other passengers do. I’ve thought about incorporating some kind of parallel universe she may fall into, or something of the sort. Would it be possible for a single person on a plane full of people to fall into such a universe?

Since you're coming at this from the perspective of a particular SF world, I'll answer in like perspective.

The obvious answer here is:

YES

The MC's wife disappears, perhaps even whilst she's right in front of him. She just heads over the kitchen to get a glass of water and fffp she slips through something and is no longer visible or present anywhere in the house. She didn't go out through a door or window; she's not hiding in the cupboard, pantry or WC. She didn't go upstairs or downstairs. There is no apparent damage to any structural component or furniture in the house. The key here is that he sees her disappear.

If she gets on a plane, of course she'll "disappear" --- she goes into TSA screening and that's the last he'll see of her, because he can't go to the gate with her! He won't be looking for her and won't put two and two together unless he actually sees her disappear in front of his eyes. If she disappears where no one sees, the airline will just assume she's not on the plane or missed it for whatever reason. TSA will have a record of her passing through the Inspection / Interrogation Area, but once she's through there, she's off their hands! Eventually airport security will become involved and she just becomes a rather bizarre missing persons statistic. That won't work for your story, I think, even though you and I know she's off in some parallel universe.

That means one of two things have happened. One is that she has been removed from the ordinary world by supernatural means. (I.e., non-fortean phenomenon). Unlikely, but something to keep in mind. The other is that she has been removed from the ordinary world by ordinary but as of yet unknown means. (I.e., a fortean phenomenon). MC is already studying them, so is aware of implications when this happens, so perhaps he won't be entirely shocked.

Whether on a plane or in the house, yes, a person can slip into a parallel universe. It is not only possible for a person to enter a parallel universe, but in fact it has happened! (To your MC's wife!)

This is your story and your world, so you get to determine the rules! And from reading your query, I rather think you've already got the right answer in mind. Perhaps you just needed encouragement or validation of creative process? I hope that's the kind of answer you're looking for, because really, the only questions I see going forward from this point are those of mechanism and purpose. How it happens and why. Those might make for good future queries here.

She did not. He did.

This is a premise I have long entertained. The protagonist becomes unmoored in his dimension, and his reality changes as he moves through very similar parallel universes. There is no sensation of change when he shifts. Presumably his parallel self has become unmoored as well, and is slipping along in front of him. First it it little things - a noodle place near his house he has never noticed but his wife has been there several times. The neighbors have a dog, and he loves dogs, but has never noticed this dog. The dog is his friend immediately, as if it has known him a long time. His wife no longer has the silly fairy tattoo - he asks if she finally got it removed and she did. 19 years ago.

He worries he is becoming absent minded, or losing his mind. Then there are bigger differences. And as he tries to get his bearings he realizes there are others like him, unmoored. But some of them know how to steer. He begins to learn.

If your thinking science fantasy, take a look at Fringe, or any of a number of alternate reality stories.

• Juxtapose two alternate plane separated simply by the frequency that mater vibrates at. Change the frequency change the plane of reality.


• The multiple dimensions suggested by string theory, perhaps some of those could potentially by spatial+temporal. Simply rotate into them.


• Perhaps Brane Theory, but that is much more likely not to suite the situation. The energy requirement would be stupendous, and the consequences very scary.

To be honest the only science valid way i can see this is via Psychology, or Virtual Reality.

• She haunts his mind to the point he believes he sees her, probably as a manifestation of his own subconscious.


• Some neuroscientist has copied her persona into the protagonists head, using either a brain circuit, or some advanced form of nerve potentiation.


• He is plugged in the Matrix, Neo style.

Followers of the writings of H.P. Lovecraft have long been aware that the complexity of our multi-dimensional reality exceeds the capacity of any sane human mind. So when faced with facets of real existence which heavily violate our fundamental understandings, the mind has only two defenses. It can suppress the memory of what it believes to be an impossible event, or it can shatter entirely, greatly increasing its ability to understand reality by abandoning the preconceptions which we call sanity.

When your MC's wife slipped into a parallel universe, the stewardesses (and other passengers near by) may have experienced a dark miracle, something too real for their mind to safely hold. But the moment that she was gone, their minds started cleaning her out of their memory. Not only do none of them remember her vanishing before their eyes, they also don't remember that she ever got on the plane. Their eyes blur whenever they look at here place on the passenger manifest. Nobody questions why one seat was left empty on an otherwise sold out flight. She is gone and they are doing everything in their power from keeping her gone from both mind and memory.

Your MC is a different case. Maybe he didn't see her actually vanish. Maybe he blinked at just the right moment. Or maybe his love for her has overpowered his minds automatic defenses. In which case, the other option, total insanity, may soon be taking over his mind.