The world was all fuzzy white.

Did I fall asleep?

Not unexpected as it had been a rather long week, well, a long year or so. Although fun, trying to lead the development of Avalon's new update made for a lot less sleep. Insomnia brought on by thoughts of what could go wrong or the million or other issues kept me up most nights.

Memories of night terrors that plagued my childhood came to mind. Unsettling, at least it felt peaceful, except that as much as I tried, I could not move. It also wasn't precisely unconscious, like drifting between sleep and being awake.

A soothing voice broke through my troubling thoughts. The speaker and words were unknown but comforting. For a moment, I thought it sounded a little like my grandmother; however, as much as I loved her dearly, a warm woman, she was not. Plus, she had been dead some ten years, which made me think I might have had some sort of accident. The strange thought of being entombed inside an Immersion pod began to fill me with terror. Did I die?

Thankfully, moments later, I could move. It took effort, and something cracked and crumbled with each muscle twitch. The sound was somewhat muffled, but the unmistakable sound of glass breaking came with a twist of an arm or a leg.

Eyes opening, I found himself on my back with a crystal blue sky above: no immersion pod, no hospital, and not even a familiar bedroom ceiling. Instead, I found myself in some woodland clearing, lying on what appeared to be a large slab of circular black stone. The forest seemed much like home, but the situation made no sense.

Well at least I wasn't in a sarcophagus.

"Julie? Sam? Anyone?"

No one replied. I tried to bring up a menu, but nothing happened.

"Am I dreaming?"

Sitting up only brought more confusion. My usual outfit changed from jeans and a t-shirt to a loose long green short-sleeved dress. A dark green velvet bodice covered my chest with beautiful golden embroidery running along the hem of the dress, its length passing below the knee.

"I don't remember this outfit."

I tested quite a few avatars as of late, both male and female, but this was not one of them. However, I was pretty sure that I was not in a VR space. I felt air enter my lungs, and I could feel the breeze on my face. In VR, even with the new hardware, it still felt muted, much like a dream.

This felt all too real.

And the mystery of my new appearance didn't stop there, along with a voice sounding like sweet honey and a thinner and fairer body. My feet were covered by green ballet shoes and, from what I could tell, considerably smaller. Dainty hands with long delicate fingers but neatly kept nails without polish. More oddities included long hair, which had always been kept short, now draped across my shoulders to prominent full breasts.

Considering that I didn't have them yesterday, it was all becoming a little alarming. I lifted my hands and gently squeezed, but the alien feedback made my head spin. I decided not to explore further.

Turning away while twisting the ends of my hair around my finger, I noticed that the coloring had changed too. It was now raven black.

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

Too many changes.

I pondered the clearing instead.

The seven smooth black standing stones seemed familiar, like something built back in the Bronze age. However, no writing or anything else in the clearing helped determine what was going on.

Slipping off the black slab, I decided that some exploration was in order. A small dirt path led through the forest from the stone circle towards what looked like a little wooden bridge. It was nicely kept, along with the clearing, which might be a clue that the site hadn't been abandoned. If I was lucky, there would be a parking lot or perhaps a street where he could find a place to call for help.

"God, I almost hope this is a dream because I have no clue how I am going to explain this to work."

Nothing interrupted my journey as I crossed the little bridge that spanned a small creek. Beyond, all I could see were bright green fields but no parking lot.

I pondered if this was the afterlife, which, according to my grandmother, mainly consisted of hellfire and brimstone, an endless field of flowers seemed nice.

Taking a step forward, I almost stumbled when a blue screen appeared.

New Area ~ [Kingdom of Mercia] ~ Unknown location {Level 1}

With that, any thought of this being a state park quickly fled.

"All right, guys, very funny. Can someone unhide the menu and retrieve me?"

Again no one replied.

Well, shit.

At least the weather made the stroll through what I had dubbed the Elysium Fields pleasant. Except for a light breeze, which brought tiny goosebumps to my delicate arms. A jacket would have been nice, and a pair of pants too. My little feet, however, had no trouble with the brisk marching pace.

Crappy starting gear, though, a green dress and shoes. I half expected this to be a starting area filled with low-level monsters. It was rather dumb of me even to wish that, as I had neither weapon nor armor. Even if hardcore, at least Avalon Online gave you some decent starting equipment.

The trip so far had been uneventful—nothing but fields of grass and little blue and white flowers. Eventually, I slowed down mainly because it seemed I was traveling too nowhere. I knew that I needed to find a place to spend the night. Also, food and water would soon become a top priority. Part of me wanted to return to the little creek running underneath the bridge, but it was some distance behind me.

Of course, if I wasn't drinking, I also didn't need to use the bathroom.

As a girl.

Problem solved or at least postponed.

After reaching the top of a large hill, I took a good look around. The path before me continued downwards. Off in the distance, I could see something. So, it looked promising. Behind me, the trail meandered its way back to the forest, which now, from this height, seemed to be rather large. Lots of rolling hills surrounded it, and I could even see the peaks of what might have been mountains. But no farms, villages, skyscrapers, or even a wizard's tower.

The sun had cleared past the halfway mark across the sky when I came across a half dozen buildings—made of white stone with red tile roofs that circled a central courtyard. The trail stopped at the side of one of the structures but continued beyond, looking more like a road. The fields surrounding the buildings might have been plowed, but I couldn't say for sure.

I stood on my tippy toes, like that would be much help, but from what I could tell, there were no carts, much less a car, in the courtyard. But I also didn't see any people: no one working the fields or drawing water.

Nobody.

So, what to do?

I had not made this trip totally alone. A few birds, bees, and a small lizard that had blocked my path for a moment had been my traveling companions. But it would be nice to talk to someone. Ask a few questions, use a phone, and perhaps get a glass of water or a snack.

Because even though I was amazed at my stamina so far, by now, I was tired, thirsty, and hungry. And with no way to log out, I had to continue forward. But from what I could see, there wasn't any sign of someone living in the buildings.

But at least it was civilization; there must be a village somewhere ahead, right?