As I blink my eyes open, things feel awry.

Looking around, my mouth suddenly dries in surprise.

Everything looks so… surreal.

Everything’s so… bright and colorful, buildings curling inwards and out.

Roads and trees stretch upwards into the sky, resembling those roller coasters that rise before abruptly dropping, with rail cars shaped like vegetables zooming on by on top of it.

I spend an eternity admiring the scenery. 

“Such an odd but beautiful sight…”

After what would be a few minutes, I realize something…

A minute was not a minute, or what I assumed were minutes. As the seconds go by, the hairs on my head slowly turn gray to white. Wrinkles forming on my brow and skin sagging.

I shake my head out of my stupor1, lifting up my hands to feel my face.

I feel as my skin continues sagging and some bits drop to the ‘floor’ and watch it fall into the reddish-pink abyss of this dimension.

I can feel my brain slipping out from underneath me, the painless sensation of the flesh rotting and nerves disappearing from my fingertips.

“Wait a second…” I think briefly as I glance down at my body. I could see my body slowly morphing into the wobbly surroundings.

The bone underneath the flaking skin forming into pieces of metal and wood, an odd combination. Feelings of something coming out of my ears and nose, making it hard to breathe.

“What is happening? Why is it happening?” I panic as I frantically rip out whatever was growing out of my skin.

Bark. A branch. And a bloody nose.

Nothing I do works. Nothing. Nothing. NOTHING WORKS!!!

A pile of bloody branches and flaking skin slowly forms beneath my feet.

The whispers in my ear that I didn’t know were there turn into screams as the pile continues to grow and my vision slowly fades.

In my dizzy state, I can see the rail cars and buildings move as if they were speaking without mouths. Whispering. Then shouting.

The pain is too much… too much blood lost…

“I just want to go home…” My last complete sentences before my breath is struck away and I fall into the abyss from before.

No… I don’t want this… I just want to go home…

No… No no no no no no no NO!

I REFUSE! I CAN’T- I WON’T NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO-

Stupor1 – Sense of senselessness; a daze