More than thirty years ago, almost thirty-five, The Endings universe was created in my mind. It was not just a world, it was an entire dimension where anything was possible. Over the years I was inspired by other creations (Star Wars, the Hitch Hiker's Guide, various television shows, novels and comic books) and The Endings has become more of a collection plate of characters, worlds and themes.

The main theme at The End is in fact, anything goes. Rules? Well, yes there are some rules. It's just that the people who write the legal books also wrote the physics and quantum laws too. And quite literally, as well, for the people responsible for legal issues as well as physcial and spiritual ones are characters in their own rights. The place is full of puns and gags, along side furries and superheroes. It is a universe where time and space are playgrounds for the powerful (or the curious). Where magical and fantastic beings walk along side scientists and mundane folks, in fact a lot of them attend the same schools.

The End itself is a location. It can best be described as the space between Heaven and Hell, which intersects and interacts with the physical world. It only does so in a tiny plot of land, but that land exists on an infinity of different planets and dimensions at one time. The End consists of a dirt plot, around three acres or so in area. It is bordered on the east by a forest - one which blends into whatever foliage is appropriate to the dimension. To the north, simple hills. To the south, a bit of scrub canyon. To the west however The End has its Gate and the beach.

Normally, The End can be visited by anyone once in their life as a child. Often they discover it on a road trip with the folks - though their parents may or may not be aware that this is their destination at all, and in fact might have entirely different memories of the place. While traveling north or south along a 2-lane beach- or cliff-side road, one might spot a wide, metal and wood gate. This gate is not normally open, it must be moved by hand. However once it's open the whole place comes alive.

To the left, along the road, is a ridge of rock that blocks most of the view of the road or beach beyond. It quickly flattens out, and the packed sandy dirt of the place stretches pretty much the whole way out. Immediately several things come into view. A huge, wide desk of monumental proportion is the first, and beside it a large stone (carved?) pilon that seems unassuming. But to anyone with magical sight or psionic ability it simply bleeds power. Toward the right of this desk is a large playground with a big sand pit, swings and other equipment (some of which is big enough for adults to enjoy as well). Directly to the right of the open gate is another ridge, beyond that another pilon. There are two more such Pilons in The End, neither of them immediately visible. Beyond the playground and wide dirt lot, there are some low, one-story buildings and a baseball field, sometimes a carnival. Depending on the time of year, these buildings vary, also by need - if someone really needs the offices of Inc Blotch Insurance, it's there.

The End, along with many of the attending dimensions directly above or below it (Heaven- or Hell-ward) vary by need as well. This is where the Pilons come into play. Each of the four Pilons can be used as a dimension gate to another world. Pilons one, three and four work essentially year round and have a rather set pattern to their transport function. Pilon Two on the other hand, which is the one located near the Desk, works sporadically at best, and usually only for certain beings. It also has a highly variable dimension gate, so it is remarkably important to count the number of times one walks around it, and in which direction, in order to figure out where you are. And no - going backwards the way you came does not guarantee you will arrive at your starting point. In fact none of the Pilons will do that.

Many little rules should be noted - not necessarily heeded, that's personal taste - about The End and its attendant dimensions. Capitalized words are commonly used as names or titles. The Desk for instance, refers to not just some old desk, but the desk which rests near the entrance to The End. It contains many wonderful things - including stuff you've lost over time. Keys, rubber bands, pens, old pictures, and weirder things all sit in its many drawers. It has drawers big enough to hold small lawn chairs and polearms, as well as ones which contain a single slightly pitted pearl. Which drawers appear when you're standing near it, is entirely up to your needs. It's a very responsive Desk.

This is by design. As the person who owns it, and usually sits behind it, is also very responsive. Perhaps too much so at times. kath is a pleasantly young-seeming woman in her immortal early-twenties (though she's been known to look much older, but never 'aged' in any way). And no, don't bother trying to pronounce her name Kath - it's kath with a small k, legally and magically. (There is a whole story behind that of course. Everything here has a story.) kath is ageless, immortal, and a time-traveler. She was not born any of those things, however became such when she acquired The End's administrative duties. Though sometimes she seems a bit spacey or distracted, understand that she's one of the most intelligent people you're likely to meet (and certainly one who doesn't flaunt that fact overmuch) and has a grasp of the reality of this unreal place that no one else has had before or since.

Because of that fact, kath was ideal for the role of 'Admin One' - the primary manipulator of the world. kath actually has control over physical manifestation of The End, where it'll show up or if it closes down, the weather, its general cleanliness and many other sundry things. But don't tell her that - she isn't really aware of those things on a conscious level. Suffice to say that when she's angry, the place is a bit tense and might have a storm brewing overhead. When she's feeling mischievous a lot of static electricty might be found. But what kath does mostly, is greet people as they come to The End.

Other people are around of course, including the very helpful folks at Inc Blotch. (Which is a bit of a joke, itself, because when have lawyers been known to be anything but a pain in the arse?) Ink Blotch Insurance Company Incorporated is a multidimensional company dedicated to preserving reality laws and making sure that time stays put. This is a full time job. It has been known to employ mercenaries to keep vagrant time-travelers under control, and has a standing order with certain bounty hunting agencies to keep the peace. Their word, however much kath may dislike it, is inviolate. The fact is, though, that through the gruff or impenatrable exteriors of most of the law teams working for the company, they really do like and admire kath. After all, she saved a number of them from certain death at one point or another - but that too is another story.

The End usually keeps itself parked in a nexus of Earths - including regular every day Earth, Twoarth, Sperth, MiddleArth, Furth, and other connotations of the planet. It makes less frequent jaunts to other planets such as Mars, Venus, Pluto, Pern, Alskyr, Betelgeuse 5, and many others. It tries to avoid incompatable atmospheres like underwater or blistering solar heat, but sometimes there it is. Right on the surface of someone's sun.

That said, it is almost hopelessly difficult to use as a jumping point for anyone in a hurry to get anywhere else. It itself is the destination at hand. If all you want is a parking lot for your beach cruiser while you do some surfing, they have one of those too - down by the beach, where you won't interrupt anyone doing real business.

The beach and some of the sea is part of The End at times, sometimes not so much. It really depends on the allignment of the stars and who's on their way to visit it. One of the former Admin - one who was technically never in charge, at least after kath took over, but she still holds office on occasion - may visit via a huge stellar stairway. It often reminds people of an escalator into heaven, and it descends into the ocean where it's just shallow enough to get ankles and calves wet. Why Kirsa needs a staircase to get anywhere is a mystery - after all she can fly.

It's not always fun and games around The End. Not everyone appreciates kath or her friends, or the place itself. Some higher Admin would like to see it shut off and listed as a 'no fly' zone, one which 'heavenly' beings may not enter. No one is particularly happy about that, especially kath. She's fought hard to make sure that the place is accessable to everyone who needs it, whenever. If that means the split-moment after the creation of the local universe, so be it; if that means the civilization nearby is at the peak of a technological revolution, or in the throes of war, or in its dying breath - The End will be there to comfort the people who need it.

When entering the place, a sense of calm and comfort is the first thing that anyone feels. After some time, if there is something going on, those feelings may be replaced, but by and large, this place gives off the feeling of homecoming. Of discovering something new, or of rediscovering something long lost.

When I created The End, it was at the end of an evening, I was at a local drive-in theater (probably to see Pinoccio or another Disney flick, they were popular to show there and were the only films my mother would take me to). I'd say I was around five years of age, able to run around with the other kids and for the first time I discovered a small playground that sat below the huge screen. While it was still light out, we played on the swings, climbed on the bars, and slid down the wedge-shaped slide. When it turned night, I remained a while under the weak spotlights, and then found my mom again.

About three years later the theater closed, and a few more years after that the place was torn down entirely to be replaced by condos. I'd only ever gotten to see the little playground once, but it made such an impression on me even then, I never wanted to let it go.

So I never did.

Welcome back my friends, to the show that never ends. We're so glad you could attend, come inside, come inside.

-- Lethe Katherine Gray, July 4, 2006.