35

Five minutes. Five crucial minutes he spent trying to think of what to do. Justin's life felt like the universe's punchline. As much as he laughed and joked about it with his coworkers, it was the truth. His parents died in a car crash when he was fifteen and bounced around foster homes until he came of age. A meager inheritance that just barely gave him enough to afford utilities each month. The rest was kept under so many layers of legal tape that the best lawyer he could find that actually could get through it all would drain all he had before he could even get to the money! It was the kind of tale that got old ladies to cry their eyes out and bake you cookies to make you feel better.

His phone buzzed again. His boss was probably on a warpath. "God, Cindy must be ticked off today." Speaking of which, screw her and that stupid overpriced coffee shop! Like was it even coffee? Mocha chocolate browncake with honey was NOT. COFFEE. It was overpriced crappy bean water with artificial sugar syrups that by the time he had finished making the damn thing, he had to grin and give the stupid thing to an annoying customer that still somehow found time to visit every. Single. Day. Sometimes even twice! Justin's phone buzzed again. He took one look at cheap hunk of glass and plastic and with a maniacal grin on his face; he slam dunked it into his trash can. Only to pull it out a few minutes later because he might need it.

33

Justin opened the door. "Still no bathroom. Great! It's not like I might have needed my medication or toilet paper for whats to come. But at least I definetly know now that the timer is going down once every minute." To make sure, he had watched the timer while continulously glancing at his phones clock.

CHIRP. Called out the very large bird sitting on the twisted tree. It was watching him. He didn't know why or how, but Justin could tell. Eyeballing the thing for a few moments, he had a good idea of what it looked like. For one thing it was about the size of a large dog, and was colored silver. Like actual silver. The metal. That wasn't normal. But neither was a giant tree with silver leaves. Incredibly beautiful though sight though. Practically mesmerizing.

31

"No. Dammit me, get it together!" He actually slapped himself to get his head in the game. It didn't help, and apparently slapping yourself really hurt. Who knew. He really needed to stop wasting time though. Now, why was he here again? Right, right. The testing. Justin ran back into his kitchen and grabbed a spoon out of the dish drainer. While some would question this, he actually had a very good reason for what he was doing. He needed to know if he could actually take objects from here to, to... to uh. He had absolutly no idea what to call the alien forest. Justin quickly filed that thought away for later, he had a spoon to throw. With no time to spare, he ran back to the doorway and threw the spoon at it. Not gonna lie, it was a pretty good toss. Might have even won him a spoon tossing competion if that wasnt the most ridiculous idea for a competition that someone could come up with. Much to his relief, the spoon sailed through and out the other side, landing on the dirt about 10 feet from the entrence. "Okay, that worked. Now for the second test."

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

He shoved his arm through the doorway.

...

...

Justin opened his eyes and pulled his arm back. It was still there! No bodily harm from transporting to another universe and back whatsoever. Wonderful.

11

A quick glance to the floating box told Justin that he was running out of time. Not that he had been spending a good twenty minutes just twiddling his thumbs like an idiot. That would come later. Instead he had done the sensible thing and started shoving as much of the stuff that he owned in his rather small and dingy apartment into trashbags and throwing them through the doorway. Clothes. Everything in his drawers went first. Than his prized fluffy pillow and his blanket in another bag. Then came food, he practically swept his arm through his refridgerator and dumped it all in a trashbag and out the door it went. It was lucky that he didn't have to worry about anything shattering or breaking as he couldnt afford better than frozen tv dinners and bottles of water. Ramen? Nah, a few years of eating almost nothing but the stuff had almost completely turned him off it.

Then came the knicknacks and anything possilby valuable that he could find. Pens, old notebooks, a small one person tent, the camping equipment he had in his closet for trips to the sunny outdoors of California when it wasnt on fire like it was almost every year. Then he started rifling through his kitchen and bedroom drawers and came out with more prizes. Eating utensils, a pocket knife, an old mp3 player complete with headphones (hopefully charged), a cooking pot, plastic food containers (that that he had ever used them until now), a few bungee cords, and a first aid kit. It wasn't a a good first aid kit, barely passing even but with all the useful drugs and bandages he might have had were in another freaking dimesnion. Salty didn't even begin to cover how he felt about that.

7

To round off this eye spy session, Justin walked to his bed and crouched down underneath it. He pulled out a cardboard box with the words "Memento's" hastily scribbled on it and an expensive backpack he had pooled his funds to save up for and...

And...

...

Justin pursed his lips and tried his damndest to tell himself that he was doing the right thing. That trading a shitty world that he did know for one that might be even worse was a good idea. It wasn't. Words failed to describe how much he felt it wasnt. But it was too late now. He wouldnt be able to get everything he threw out from the forest and put all this behind him. Not when when he had a chance at something new. He cradled the box under the crook of his arm, and slung the backpack over his shoulder with the resolve of a twenty four year old faced with the crushing weight of possiblities. Justin made his way over to his bathroom door. He opened the door and didn't look back.

What happened next would be a hot debate between scholars for ages to come when the story of this "man" (Whatever that meant) had became something like that of legend.

When Justin had made his way through the doorway into a new world.

He walked past the pile of trash his belongings, and past the spoon that had won him the not real spoon tossing competition. He made it about 15 feet before promptly collapsing on the spot, and then there was only black.