Stranger From a Strange Land (canceled)

Chapter I, part 2: A World I Don't Know

I wake up to a prickly sensation on my back, almost as if I were laying on grass. The air around me feels fresh and warm, and the sun beams down on my body like  a shower of warmth and light. I open my eyes to see the most beautiful blue sky I've ever seen in my life. This must be a dream, it has to be physically impossible for anything like that to exist in the world I know. The same goes for my surroundings. I'm surrounded by hilly grasslands bordered by a pretty dense forest. On the horizon sits a towering mountain that looks higher than Everest, the peak disappearing above the clouds. Yeah, this is definitely a dream, I don't remember anywhere on planet earth that looks anything like this, and if there was it'd be a treasure of the world. I sit up to gather my surroundings and try to figure out what is actually happening. I know I'm in a dream, that's for sure, but I would definitely like to make the most of it. It's a nice break, a world away from reality that I'd like to endulge in before it's over. I stand up, trying to find the outcrop of civilization on the horizon. The only thing I can see is a smaller mountain hidden between the trees. It's completely inferior compared to the other mountain in terms of size, but it should have a few lakes or pools of water. It's rather hot, and although this is a dream, I don't plan on going on without any refreshments. The mountain is relatively closer than I thought, and is even smaller than I originally assumed, more of a hill than a mountain, really. Thankfully, though, I was correct to assume that there were bodies of water, because there's a small waterfall here, almost like an oasis between the trees. I cup my hand and take a sip of the beautiful blue water. It's almost impossibility realistic how refreshing it is, almost like this weren't a dream at all. I take a few more sips until I'm satisfied. No longer parched, I sit back on my arms and stare into the canopy of the trees. I rather like this, it's pretty and a nice change of pace from the concrete jungle I live in. I wish this could go on forever. I stand up, dusting myself off. I should probably find a village or something, I think to myself. Determined to find civilization, I begin making my way through the woods. It's strange though, it's like I know where I'm going even though I've never even been here before, almost like something I guiding me along so that I dont get lost.

Eventually, I get to a small village-like town with buildings made of wood at the edge of the forest.on one side, there's the forest I just came from, and on the other you can see expansive flatlands with the outcrop of what appears to be a large city on the horizon. I enter the village, hoping to find somewhere to rest. I'd definitely like to take this dream and just relax, my mind needs to rest from all the corporate world issues. I find myself knocking at the door of a place called the Burning Phoenix Inn, with a sign engraved with a phoenix on fire. Pretty accurate representation of the name, I suppose. I enter the building, and to my surprise, it seems to be quite a cosy place. There's a bar-like area at the bottom that seems to serve both food and drink, and it has a few rooms upstairs. I go up to the vacant bartender, hoping I can get some place to relax. "Haven't seen you before. What's your name, kid?" He asks. "Oh, I'm Deisuke. I suppose you could say I'm not from around here" I reply. "Well, pleasure to meet you, kid. My name's Neyo, what can I do for ya?" He queries. "Yeah, I'm just looking for a place to stay" I say. "Ah, I see. We got a vacant room upstairs if you got the coin" he says. Crap! I don't think I have any sort of currency on me! I feel around in my pockets, and miraculously pull out a few coins. I don't recognise them at all, they're completely foreign to me. I hand them over, hoping that they're worth any amount. "Alrighty, that's enough for two nights. Here's the keys, don't go breakin' the place down, will ya" he says, and I grab the key. Two nights, eh? Two bad this dream will probably end before then. I go up the stairs and come to four doors. I check the number on my key, and go over to the corresponding door. It appears I ended up with room 3. I wonder what kinds of people are in the other rooms. The one I get has pretty much what you'd expect. A bed, a nightstand, a bathroom of sorts, and a window with a stunning view of the landscape. I flop onto the bed and take in its softness. It's unreal, way softer than I ever could've hoped my bed would be. I let out a huge sigh of relief. This I the stuff fantasies consist of. Beautiful landscapes, peaceful towns and soft beds. Even though this is a dream, I can't help but feel overwhelmingly tired, both physically and mentally. I can feel myself dozing off, and as this beautiful dream is about to end, I whisper one last childish wish. "I wish I could stay here. . ."

Your wish was granted a while ago already, my child...