Gary Brandt kicks off his captivating series from The Dimension Of Mind Dot Com with the most wonderfully deceptive beginning—three thirteen-year-old best friends having what seems like an ordinary sleepover in Ella's bedroom.
We've got all the classic teenage sleepover elements: dozing off during movies (Ella's frustrated she missed her favorite film's ending again), late-night journaling (Eileen scribbling secrets she'll never share), and Roxana clutching her rosary beads even in sl ...
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There are three dimensions that define where we are - the dimensions of space. There is one extra dimension that defines when we are where we are - the dimension of time. For most of us that's the only reality we will ever experience, as we move around in space and time doing whatever it is that we do during this short visit to planet Earth. Ella, a young middle school girl and her friends are about to discover that there are many more extra dimensions to explore, and that there are things in those dimensions that are alive. Sometimes, if you are lucky, or very unlucky, you will meet one of them.
Prepare yourself for a journey into a very mysterious yet a very familiar set of dimensions, a different domain of reality, the Dimension Of Mind. Ella and her friends are there and you can meet them, but be careful not to let them know you are watching. That would be rude and they would be offended.
The TV hums softly, looping that familiar, tinny tune—the one that plays when a DVD reaches its end, circling back to the menu screen. It’s a sound that’s both comforting and faintly annoying, like a song stuck in your head. Ella rubs her eyes, frustration flickering as she realizes she dozed off before the movie’s climax. It’s her favorite, one she’s watched at least a dozen times, but sleep always seems to win at these sleepovers.
Now officially thirteen, she’s basking in the newfound privilege of hosting her best friends, Eileen and Roxana, in her bedroom rather than the living room, where parental supervision looms like an uninvited guest. It’s just past 3 a.m.
The room glows faintly, lit by a combination of the TV’s flickering light, a small nightlight plugged into the wall, and the silvery glow of a full moon seeping through the curtains. Eileen’s book light casts a narrow beam across her journal, where she’s scribbling furiously, her pen scratching out thoughts she’ll never share aloud. Roxana, curled up on an air mattress, is fast asleep, her fingers still loosely clutching her rosary beads.
Even in sleep, she clings to them, as if guilt lingers for not finishing her prayers before drifting off. Ella, Eileen, and Roxana have been inseparable since they were toddlers, their lives entwined like the roots of trees growing on the same block. Their houses are as familiar to each other as their own, and their parents treat all three girls as daughters, a shared family woven from years of playdates, scraped knees, and late-night giggles. Love and nurturing have never been in short supply.
Each girl is distinct, their passions shaping their dreams. Ella’s mind buzzes with scientific curiosity, always chasing the why and how of the universe. Roxana’s faith anchors her, her devotion to her religion as steadfast as the beads she holds. Eileen, meanwhile, dreams of a law degree but spends most of her time daydreaming about boys, her heart a tangle of ambition and infatuation.
They’re generous to a fault—each would give the shirt off her back for the others—but they’re not above swiping half a tube of lip gloss or bickering like sisters. Their squabbles flare fast and fade faster, bound by a love so fierce it’s almost tangible. They’re quintessential teenagers, teetering between maturity and childishness. One moment, they’re holding their own in conversations with adults, their wit sharp and their insights surprising. The next, they’re dissolving into giggles over something silly, like kids playing pretend. They’re giving yet demanding, selfless yet occasionally selfish, and utterly lovable—except when they push their parents to the brink of tears.
“What the heck is that?” Eileen’s voice cuts through the quiet, sharp and startled, pointing toward Ella’s makeup table. “Watch your mouth, Eileen! Mom’ll hear you,” Ella hisses, squinting in the direction of her friend’s frantic gesture.
“What? What are you pointing at?” “That—that smoky thing in front of your makeup mirror!” Eileen’s voice rises, teetering on a shriek. A faint, shimmering orb hovers above the table, barely visible, like heat rising from pavement. Then, as if sensing their gaze, it vanishes, dissolving into the air.
Roxana stirs, now wide awake, her knuckles white around her rosary beads. “Ella, did you see it?” Eileen demands, her eyes wide. “Yeah, for a second,” Ella replies, her voice steady but curious. She follows Eileen’s gaze to the vintage Avon Aladdin’s lamp perfume bottle on her table, its ornate curves catching the moonlight.
“It came out of that lamp thing!” Eileen exclaims, her excitement bubbling over. “It’s a freaking genie, Ella! You’ve got a freaking genie!” “Or a demon,” Roxana mutters, her voice tight with unease. “I don’t think it came out of the lamp,” Ella says, her scientific mind already dissecting the moment. “It was just floating there.”
“Let’s ask it for three wishes—one for each of us!” Eileen grins, undeterred. “No way,” Roxana snaps, her beads clicking as she grips them tighter. “Don’t bring it back. It’s probably evil. Ella, you didn’t mess with a Ouija board or something stupid, did you?”
Ella shakes her head. “No Ouija boards. Mom would ground me for life. But just in case it’s something bad, let’s do a protection prayer.”
“I saw one on YouTube.” She folds her hands, her voice steady as she recites, “The Light of God, surround us. The Love of God, enfold us. The Power of God, protect us. In the name of God, is there something I can do to help you? Show yourself—or leave us!” The girls scan the room, holding their breath, but the air remains still.
The TV’s glow feels too bright, too ordinary for the moment. “Turn off the TV,” Eileen suggests. “Maybe it’s scared of the light.” “That’s not a good sign,” Roxana mutters as Ella clicks the remote, plunging the room into a softer, moonlit dimness. Minutes pass in tense silence. Then, slowly, a smoky figure begins to coalesce, its edges indistinct but growing sharper.
An image forms, shimmering like a mirage. “Hello, Fairy Godmother,” Ella says, a playful smile breaking across her face. “That’s not Fairy Godmother,” Eileen counters, squinting. “That’s Glinda, the Good Witch of the South.” “Are you two nuts?” Roxana stares at them like they’ve lost their minds. “All I see is some glowy, smoky orb thing.”
“She’s definitely Fairy Godmother,” Ella insists. “I just watched Cinderella two days ago. It’s her. Hey, Godmother, I don’t have mice, geese, or pumpkins, and Mom would never let me go to a ball. So what are you doing here?”
A voice ripples through their minds, clear yet unspoken, like a thought not their own. “You can see me?” it asks, tinged with surprise. Ella and Eileen freeze, wide-eyed, while Roxana lets out a small squeak. “You weren’t supposed to see me. I guess I messed up.”
The voice continues, gentle but otherworldly. “I am neither Fairy nor Southern Witch. What you see reflects what you wish to see, shaped by the ‘vibe’ you feel from me. Ella, you resonate with Fairy Godmother. Eileen, you sense Glinda. Roxana, your fear and your artifact—those beads—block the illusion, but you still perceive my energy. I am a traveler, a visitor from what you’d call another dimension. I’m here only briefly, observing three remarkable entities whose futures are… legendary.”
“Legendary?” Ella’s eyes light up. “You mean us? We’re going to be legendary? Are you a time traveler from the future?”
The entity’s presence hums, its form flickering. “Time and space, past and future, are constructs of your dimension, necessary for your experience. In my realm, we move through three dimensions of time as you move through space. I’m never anywhere but here, never anywhen but now. From your perspective, I’m from the future. From mine, I’ve merely stepped into another room. It’s… difficult to explain.”
“Blah, blah, blah,” Eileen groans, rolling her eyes. “You sound like my physics teacher. I say you’re a genie, and I want my wish.”
“You’re not afraid?” the entity asks, its tone curious. “Do you often encounter inter-dimensional beings like me?”
Ella shrugs, unfazed. “We watch the CW. Spirits, demons, witches, superheroes—we’ve seen it all. Plus, we said a protection prayer. What’s to fear? By the way, what’s your name?”
“I don’t need a name,” the entity replies. “In my dimension, I’m known by my vibrational matrix—a song that identifies me. But if you need a label, call me Helana. I’m sorry, but I can’t manifest material things here. I only have energy to observe, barely enough to speak.”
“What do we look like to you?” Ella asks, leaning forward. “Is my vibrational matrix pretty?”
Helana’s presence seems to smile. “I see a striking dark-haired girl with stunning green eyes, just as you see yourself. All three of you are radiant. But I also see your essence—bright, shining matrices of life energy, rare and intense. Your dimension is known for this energy, which is why many entities visit to feed on it. I’m not here for that. I’m here to observe and learn.”
“I want my wish!” Eileen interrupts, undeterred. “If you can’t give me stuff, how about knowledge? What’s my future? Who do I marry? Is he cute? Will we have kids? Be rich?”
Helana’s form shimmers with amusement. “You’re wise for your age, Eileen. I can share knowledge, but it’s tricky. The future I see may not be the future that unfolds. Observing it changes it. There was a timeline where you didn’t see me, but now that you have, that timeline has shifted. Your future is in flux, guided by temporal inertia back toward its original path—or close to it.”
She continues, “I can offer probabilities. Your first date, at a school dance, is dull, no spark. You date five more boys before one takes your breath away, but you both change, and you divorce with one child. Your second husband stays for life, with three more children. But the more you dwell on this, the less likely it becomes. Choose wisely, and you can forge a better path.”
Eileen pouts, crossing her arms. “You sound like my dad, always yammering about timelines and paradoxes. He’s obsessed with UFOs and multiverse stuff. So, in my ‘not much different’ future, who’s the cute boy I marry?” Helana laughs, a sound like wind chimes in their minds. “You’re adorable at this stage. I’ve given you probabilities—maybes that might not be, depending on your choices.”
Roxana, her voice small and tearful, speaks up. “What about me? What do you see?”
Helana’s tone softens. “Are you sure you want me to share your secret love with your friends?” Roxana nods, wiping her eyes. “They’ll find out soon enough.”
“In one probable future,” Helana says, “you take a vow of celibacy, dedicating your life to your Church. But other paths exist, with no consequence for choosing differently. As always, choose with discernment to shape a future beyond what I see.”
“Ella, what about you?” Helana asks. “Do you wish for knowledge? My time here is nearly done.”
Ella’s eyes gleam with pragmatic cunning. “You messed up, didn’t you? You let us see you, messed with our timelines, and invaded our space without permission. You broke some rules, right? My dad says knowledge is power, and you’ve got a lot of it. I think you’d make a valuable friend. Your time here isn’t over until I say so. As a time traveler, you can return to your dimension in a millisecond, so my wish is for you to stay. A long time. Get ready for a journey with us, Helana—our new best friend, our genie in a bottle.”
“I need to go home,” Helana pleads, her voice tinged with urgency. “You have authority in this domain, and I can’t leave if you hold me here. I messed up by being seen. Please, let me go.”
“Ella, let her go,” Roxana begs. “She doesn’t belong here.”
“Nope,” Ella says, smirking. “This is the opportunity of a lifetime. She knows things I want to know. Helana, you’re staying in my genie bottle for now. We need sleep, so we’ll talk in the morning.”
Later, in the quiet of her room, Ella opens her diary, her pen hovering over the page as she processes the night’s events.
Dear Diary,
Where do I even start? Today was the strangest day of my life.
If Eileen and Roxana hadn’t seen it too, I’d think I was dreaming and just hit the dismiss button on this whole thing. I have a real-life genie in my bottle! Well, not exactly a genie—an inter-dimensional entity named Helana.
Roxana thinks it might be demonic, and I get why she’s freaked out.
Eileen just wants to make wishes, like it’s some fairy tale.
Me? I’m torn.
One second, I’m thrilled to meet this creature from another dimension.
The next, I’m nauseous and scared out of my mind. I could toss that perfume bottle in the trash and forget this ever happened, but my curiosity’s got the better of me.
I need to know what Helana’s all about.
What does she know? What can she teach me? It’s late.
I’ll write more tomorrow. Goodnight, Diary.
Gary Brandt’s first chapter of Ella’s Story starts with the *most nostalgic and deceptive set-up*: three thirteen-year-old best friends having a classic sleepover — snacks, late-night movies, and giggles — only to find themselves face-to-face with something *utterly impossible*. What begins as cozy teen fun quickly dips into cosmic mystery, emotional conflict, and unexpected moral complexity. :contentReference[oaicite:0]{index=0}
--- ## 📖 Story Arc SummaryIn “Sleep Over,” we meet Ella, Eileen, and Roxana — inseparable friends gathered in Ella’s bedroom well past midnight. It’s the kind of night we all remember: movies that loop, journals uncloaked with secrets, laughter under the glow of moonlight. Then, without warning, a faint shimmering orb appears above Ella’s makeup table.
What starts as speculation — “a genie!” or “a demon!” — turns into something far more mind-bending. An invisible interdimensional being reveals itself to them, not bound by time as they know it. Calling itself Helana, it explains that the girls each see it differently based on their own beliefs and emotional resonance.
By the end of the chapter, Ella makes a bold choice: instead of letting Helana leave, she insists the visitor stay with them, like a genie in a bottle. This decision sets up a story that’s not just supernatural, but emotionally complex and morally thought-provoking.
--- ## 💬 Favorite Quotes“We watch the CW. Spirits, demons, witches, superheroes — we’ve seen it all.”
This line is *so real*. The way Ella casually references pop-culture paranormal shows made me laugh — it’s exactly how my friends and I would react in that moment.
“This is the opportunity of a lifetime. She knows things I want to know.”
Ella’s ambition and curiosity shine here — she doesn’t panic, she *strategizes*. It’s bold, reckless, and completely in character.
“I messed up.”
Hearing an interdimensional being admit a mistake was unexpectedly touching — and somehow relatable.
--- ## 😲 Unsuspected Plot TwistsThis chapter *feels alive* because the friendships feel real. Ella’s scientific curiosity, Eileen’s whims and dreams, and Roxana’s faith-infused fear are all distinctive and emotionally resonant.
I found myself smiling at their banter, nodding at the way they leaned on each other, and *feeling that nervous flutter* when the shimmer first appeared. And when Helana begs to go home — *that* was unexpectedly poignant. Here’s a powerful being reduced to vulnerability because it’s in uncharted territory — and the girls have to decide what to do with that knowledge.
--- ## 🎯 Final ThoughtsSleep Over is a masterful blend of nostalgia and speculative wonder. It bridges classic teen-sleepover feelings with bold, philosophical, interdimensional concepts — and does it all while maintaining authentic characters you genuinely care about.
Gary Brandt doesn’t talk down to his readers. He trusts them to ride the wave between familiar social dynamics and mind-bending possibilities. I was smiling, puzzled, and emotionally invested *in the same chapter*. That’s rare — and wonderful.
Overall Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ — I already *need* Episode 2. Bring on the next dimension!
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