Strange Landscape

The darkness was cold and harsh, but soon it gave way to something warm and bright and I looked around seeing things that were beyond extraordinary. The darkness before was full of pain, like my whole body had fallen asleep and the pins and needles enveloped my whole being. But here in this strange landscape there was nothing but peace as I stared at the barren tree in the middle of a dying field. The green grass was dying, I could almost imagine the lush field it had been once. The trees on the horizon were browning and nothing like the landscapes I’d seen during the fall. The sun was setting and the stars were shining brightly down upon me. They felt like I should know their story. 

Behind me a voice echoed, “Strange place.”

I turned to look at the voice and smiled, though I’d never actually met the man before, a TV actor from some show I didn’t recall ever having watched stood before me. Though his eyes were an ice blue that struck a cord deep down inside – just like the voice had cooled my soul. Brought me to a place that I should know but was just out of grasp.

“Yeah. Do you know where we are?”

The man looked at me and shook his head, “I’ve never been here before.”

“Me either.” I said calmly yet I felt as though it were a lie – it tasted like ash. I had been here before – “Maybe I’ve been here before.”

“Me too.” He said.

I went to offer the stranger my hand and offer my name, but it escaped me. Who was I? “Do you know who I am?” I asked.

The man smirked, “No. Never seen you before either.”

“Then why are you here?” I asked.

He shrugged, “I was called here, I figured someone needed my help or something.” He said the or something like he knew more than he was letting on, but I was already confused I didn’t need more of that right now.

“I know you aren’t him.” I gestured to the man standing before me, “He’s an actor with brown eyes and he plays some magician character.”

“I chose him because he was lingering in your head. You have a crush on him.” He smirked.

“You can read my mind?”

“Can’t everyone?” He joked.

“What am I thinking?” I asked and tried to cover the thought that the actor was someone who I could let have his way with me. The character he played certainly wouldn’t have objected to it. Maybe he would.

The smirk on his face turned into a smile, “You just want me to fuck you with this body.”

I laughed, “I wouldn’t be opposed to that.”

He shook his head, “No, I don’t think so.” He said and then was gone – disappeared like he’d never been there at all.

I turned a full circle twice and he was gone. I was alone again in this strange place. I took a step towards the tree. It was bare and the bark crumbled as I ran my fingers down the trunk. Something was wrong – it was dying. I didn’t know how I knew that, but it had always been barren but now it was crumbling beneath my fingers.

I pulled away from it, and stepped back taking in the whole of the scene. Something was wrong, and the darkness crept back in obscuring the tree, the pain returned and I wanted to scream but no sound escaped when I tried. It echoed in my head – the pain, the cold.

I was so alone.