I vomit onto the ground and feel the sandwich I ate earlier make its second appearance.

[The feeling of being flung through the void of… whatever the HELL that was, definitely took a toll on me. I mean I’m literally shivering! Wait, is that snow?]

Looking down at the ground I see a small dusting of snow over the pile of nettles I seem to be standing in. Taking in my surroundings, I appear to be in a clearing with tall conifer trees on all sides. The sound of a gentle brook somewhere nearby meets my ears, as well as the quiet chirping of various birds.

[Ok so, from what I can tell I ate something a stranger at the gas station gave me, tripped balls, and then ended up in the middle of the woods. What the fuck was I thinking?! It’s like stranger danger rule number 1: Never trust the free candy.]

I quickly check my pockets to see if I still have everything… [aaaaaaand the fucker nabbed my stuff… awesome.]

Kicking the nettles at my feet in frustration I watch as the soda I had purchased previously sails across the clearing. It quickly knocks into a nearby tree and tumbles to the ground.

[The soda! Maybe my other things are under the nettles as well?] Furiously scrabbling at the ground I disperse the nettles at my feet in an attempt to find my lost items, no luck.

“Dammit it all to hell!” My voice quickly dissipating into the snowy wood.

[Wait… snow? It’s the middle of summer!]

In the panic of trying to find my things I had forgotten about the strange climate.

[How on God’s green earth is it snowy in the middle of summer?] Then it dawns on me.

[What if it wasn’t a trip? What if I was actually flung through some crazy void of colors and ended up here? Snap out of it! That’s crazy talk. Ok, let’s try this again. I’m in the middle of the woods on what seems to be the eve of winter and I have literally nothing but a can of cola… great.]

[What is it you’re supposed to do in these situations? Stay and wait for rescue?] I look at my surroundings again.

[Nope that won’t work, I’d freeze to death before too long.] Just as that thought runs through my mind the wind picks up. [of course, why wouldn’t it be windy all of a sudden.]

I trudge over to the now thoroughly shaken up can. [Shelter and warmth should be my first priority, then water. Heh, I feel like I’m in one of those survivor shows I used to watch.]

The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

I begin to look around the outskirts of the clearing for any trails or other signs of civilization. After finding none, I decided to walk towards the sound of the brook.

After a short while I came across the brook that I had heard before. It was much louder now, resembling more of a medium sized stream rather than a brook.

[Well that’s water sorted, now shelter.] Looking across the stream, I notice hidden behind some large shrubs is a small cave entrance. [And that’s shelter, man am I on a roll right now!]

As I begin to walk excitedly towards the cave I am quickly reminded of the stream.

PLOP!

My foot lands just inside the icy water causing me to quickly pull back. [Ah, right… the water situation. There doesn’t seem to be any way to cross without getting my lower half soaked. Maybe there is a better crossing somewhere downstream?]

Goal in mind, I begin to journey downstream. My left shoe squelches with each step as the icy water clings stubbornly to it. Beside the cold feet, the walk was rather pleasant. The sound of the stream coupled with the birdsongs gave the woods a serene quality. As I walked the stream seemed to pick up speed, now crashing against rocks in a white foam. Small chunks of ice weave around the rocks with a grace similar to newborn puppies, tumbling into many of the rocks and breaking into smaller pieces.

Traversing around a small bend I see why the water has sped up. The sheer dropoff of a cliff meets my gaze, with the stream forming a waterfall down the side.

“Well so much for an easier crossing.” I say to no one in particular amid the crashing sounds of the waterfall. “Maybe I should just risk getting wet, the water wasn’t too deep or fast.”

Turning back in the direction I came, I made my way back upstream. By the time I reached my original point the sun had dropped alarmingly in the sky.

[Not much time left in the day.] I think grimly. [How am I going to cross without getting my pants and other shoe wet?] My foot was starting to go numb, a state of affairs I wasn’t too keen on letting continue.

That’s when genius struck. [Aha! I’ll just get naked. Well not completely naked, I can take off the clothes that would get wet and hold them above my head as I cross! It definitely won’t be comfortable but it will let me keep my clothes dry.]

Quickly taking off the clothes covering my unmentionables, I stuff some of my garments into my pants. That way it’ll be easier to carry.

[Alright, here it goes!] I hop into the stream. [Oh god that’s cold!]

Moving as fast as I can, I wade across the water. With every step, the cold seeps into my lower half. Feeling like tiny needles of ice are piercing into my skin. Taking deep breaths, I attempt to quicken my steps.

[This is definitely not comfy!] My legs are now numb. [Dry land! Sweet sweet dry land, I’m coming for you my darling!]

The moment I step on the opposite side of the stream I immediately begin to shake off the icy water and put my clothes back on. Not wasting any time I begin to rub my legs and do jumping-jacks in a desperate attempt to regain warmth.

“Never again.” I quietly say to myself, the feeling in my legs returning somewhat.

[Now, I think it’s time to check out this cave.]