I was adventuring through a castle, a knight in shining armor. The castle was chaotic, with people going this way and that, everyone focused on their quest, their "world". But it wasn't the true world, everyone knew that. We were just there for a little old fashioned escapism. At least, everyone NORMAL knew that.

 I made my way out of the castle, having had my fill of adventures for the day, and bumped into my friend, Jasmine, not having had a chance to get out of my armor costume yet. She told me about this party happening just down the street, which I would want to be at. I wondered what it was a a party for, but it was to be a surprise, it seemed.

 We made our way down the block to a building I didn't recognize, made of grey brick, much in the same style as a castle. Up four flights of stairs we went, coming out onto the top floor. We walked down the hallway the stairway led to, past some rooms, to the door at the end of the hall, shifting by party goers as we went. Behind the door was a brick arch, leading to the roof, and the main party. Tables spread across the small roof, enough seating for maybe thirty, despite there being nearly sixty there, all told.

 As I wove through the tables, a bit overwhelmed and trying to figure out what's going on, I greeted family and friends as I saw them. I gather from the smattering of conversation I hear all around that the old man  who is the center of attention is some big shot, who also happens to be a long lost great uncle or something. I go up and say my hellos and welcomes, though I feel a bit lost amongst all the others there. I go back to my wandering, and-

 it all goes black.

 I wake up in my normal clothes, laying in one of the rooms in the very same building where the party was. I can tell because a window shows me the roof where I just was. Um, what's happening? This is kind of random. I notice offhandedly I'm hooked up to some medical equipment, and I start to get worried. Getting up, I go outside to the roof, feeling more comfortable there than in the room where I woke. I see my sister, Rebbeca, wearing a green dress matching her green eyes. When she sees me, she rushes up to me and gives me a long hug. She always gave the best hugs. She leans back, keeping her hands on my shoulders, and looks into my eyes. "Hi", she says, "long time no see". Dread washes through me, my gut churning, and I'm already starting to feel denial, though for what, I'm not quite sure yet. "What happened?" I ask, afraid to say more, bracing myself.

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 She gives me a hesitant look, and then starts. "Well, do you remember The Party?". Of course I do, I was just there. I tell her as much, and with pain in her eyes, she continues. "Well," uh oh, another 'well', she's stalling, "at The Party, a brick fell and hit you on the head, putting you in a coma". What? But I was just there a moment ago, I couldn't have been in a coma, at least, not for a significant amount of time. "How long was I out?" I ask, fearing the worst. Another second pause... "Thirty years''. Sympathy is in her eyes, but I don't see it. Apparently, my 'worst' isn't THE worst. "But you're awake now! It's a miracle!" She says, but again I don't hear her. I'm in the past, the one I missed, and am mourning the person I was. Because everything will be different now. How could I have not noticed the wrinkles, the grey hair, on Rebecca's head? She was young last I saw her, but she was old now. "She's sixty" I muse to myself, "and I'm-" I run inside to the bathroom, to look at myself in the mirror. My hair, what's left of it, is grey also. I look just like my father. I look weak to myself in the mirror, atrophied. "I'm fifty... At least I've lost weight" I think, chuckling for a moment, then a tear comes, then more, as I realize what else I've lost.

My youth.

 I'll never get those years back to enjoy my body, I know this as I feel the ache in my bones. I'll never get to make up for those years I could've used to build a career, hell, to START a career. I'm still an immature twenty year old, I haven't grown or THOUGHT in thirty years!

 Then I started to get overwhelmed. 

 My siblings are all elderly. They are all probably grandparents already. My nieces and nephews are adults, most likely with kids of their own. I have nieces and nephews I've never even met. How many? I'll never get to start a big family of my own, like I've always dreamed. Never marry a woman who is my age, at least the age I am mentally.

 What about my cousins? They all have families I've never met, spouses and children and GRANDchildren. Are my parents still alive? My great grandparents? My parents should still be alive, they were young enough. Not anymore...

 Where is the world's technology at? How will I ever learn to catch up? With how far technology came just in my twenty years, and it only advancing faster, how far behind am I? How will I function? What are politics like? Who are the celebrities? What songs have I missed? What major events?

Is it worth it to even try?

And that's where it ended.

And that was The Dreamers Adventure.