I woke up with a start. Gripping the ground beneath me, I was met with wet grass from the morning dew. A shiver slid down my spine, my clothes equally damp. I jumped to my feet, adrenaline coursing through my veins. Where on earth was I? My teeth were chattering, and I looked around to try and understand what was happening. I began to run frantically, not knowing what else to do.
As I ran, I tried to make sense of where I was. I was barefoot, feeling the forest floor beneath me. I looked up at the trees that extended up far into the sky. The only thing that guided me was the light of the moon. I ran for what felt like hours, though in reality it might have only been a few minutes. Eventually the exhaustion got to me, and I couldn’t move anymore. I sank to the ground, breathing heavily.
I looked around again and confusion fell over my face. There were three paths in front of me, each going to a different place, all of them completely contrasting from the dark, foggy forest I’d woken up in.
The first path led to the sea: a sandy trail presented itself to me, wafts of salty water filling my senses. The air felt slightly warm, but also dizzying and uncontrollable.
The second path I laid my eyes on was a cobblestone street with sounds of music and chatter coming from it. It was evening there, unlike the beach scene prior to it, and it was more intriguing.
Lastly, what resembled a Japanese garden with stepping stones leading up to it, came into view. Trees filled the place and deers galloped in the background of this mysterious garden.
Three completely unique choices and three completely strange possibilities. I needed to pick one of them. That I knew, for my puzzling arrival in this dark and lonely forest needed to be short lived. I had to leave this place somehow.
The decision was bearing me down, and the weight of everything sent me to my knees in a scream.
The ground beneath me gave out and my eyes widened in fear, before I fell through the recently-created hole, the three possibilities flashing before my eyes. The salty sea water, the music and chatter of the cobblestone street, and the uncertain tranquility of the garden.
As I fell, memories came to my mind of what had happened before the peculiar awakening. A fight with my mother. Storming off, and then a blur of fear and running —
“Make it stop!” I shouted.
All of a sudden, the falling and flashbacks stopped with an abrupt crash. I groaned in pain, trying to figure out what hurt the most. I rubbed my head, and looked around at where I had ended up.
My heart was beating rapidly, and my hands were cold. My thoughts ran through my mind like a busy intersection with a broken stop light. It was a white room, nothing within it but a note made of pristine white paper and a long mirror opposite me. It was starkly different from the multiple paths that I was struggling to decide between and the cold forest, which sent shivers down my spine.
I stood, and was met with my reflection: my face covered in dirt, my shirt and pants torn, and my hair a curly mess.
I bent over to pick up the note. Glancing over the words, my eyes widened.
We’ve been waiting for you. I hope you’ve picked a path.
As I ran, I tried to make sense of where I was. I was barefoot, feeling the forest floor beneath me. I looked up at the trees that extended up far into the sky. The only thing that guided me was the light of the moon. I ran for what felt like hours, though in reality it might have only been a few minutes. Eventually the exhaustion got to me, and I couldn’t move anymore. I sank to the ground, breathing heavily.
I looked around again and confusion fell over my face. There were three paths in front of me, each going to a different place, all of them completely contrasting from the dark, foggy forest I’d woken up in.
The first path led to the sea: a sandy trail presented itself to me, wafts of salty water filling my senses. The air felt slightly warm, but also dizzying and uncontrollable.
The second path I laid my eyes on was a cobblestone street with sounds of music and chatter coming from it. It was evening there, unlike the beach scene prior to it, and it was more intriguing.
Lastly, what resembled a Japanese garden with stepping stones leading up to it, came into view. Trees filled the place and deers galloped in the background of this mysterious garden.
Three completely unique choices and three completely strange possibilities. I needed to pick one of them. That I knew, for my puzzling arrival in this dark and lonely forest needed to be short lived. I had to leave this place somehow.
The decision was bearing me down, and the weight of everything sent me to my knees in a scream.
The ground beneath me gave out and my eyes widened in fear, before I fell through the recently-created hole, the three possibilities flashing before my eyes. The salty sea water, the music and chatter of the cobblestone street, and the uncertain tranquility of the garden.
As I fell, memories came to my mind of what had happened before the peculiar awakening. A fight with my mother. Storming off, and then a blur of fear and running —
“Make it stop!” I shouted.
All of a sudden, the falling and flashbacks stopped with an abrupt crash. I groaned in pain, trying to figure out what hurt the most. I rubbed my head, and looked around at where I had ended up.
My heart was beating rapidly, and my hands were cold. My thoughts ran through my mind like a busy intersection with a broken stop light. It was a white room, nothing within it but a note made of pristine white paper and a long mirror opposite me. It was starkly different from the multiple paths that I was struggling to decide between and the cold forest, which sent shivers down my spine.
I stood, and was met with my reflection: my face covered in dirt, my shirt and pants torn, and my hair a curly mess.
I bent over to pick up the note. Glancing over the words, my eyes widened.
We’ve been waiting for you. I hope you’ve picked a path.