It was vibrations.
At least that’s what I’m told brought me here.
Where is here, and what do vibrations have to do with any of it? The locals call this world Orth, and before I get into anything else I think I should give an account of what has happened to me.
My name is Jonathan Ross. I’m a normal guy from a normal town in the middle of the United States who tends to keep to himself for the most part. I’m 30 years old and I live alone. I teach computer science classes at a local university. I enjoy the same thing every other normal 30 year old male does — books, video games, movies. There is nothing remarkable about me that would lead someone to take notice of me. I have no special talents that set me apart from anyone else — other than perhaps my overactive imagination.
Every night before I go to sleep I close my eyes and imagine exploring worlds as I fall asleep. Sometimes I’m a king in these worlds, punishing my enemies, conquering nearby countries. Other times I am an adventurer exploring a complex series of caves for a secret long lost treasure or a superhero doling out justice to criminals in the city. If there is a scenario I’ve probably imagined it, from high seas piracy to exploring planets and beyond.
I’ve done this since I was pretty young. It’s always helped me deal with the boredom of falling asleep. Because of the practice, my imagination has become pretty vivid. Nothing prepared me for where it would lead, however.
It was Friday night, and having finished my grading I was looking forward to a relaxing weekend. I played a video game and retired to bed to do some reading. Since tomorrow was Saturday and I had nowhere to be I was staying up as late as possible. Finally, as drowsiness kicked in, I closed my eyes and prepared for sleep. Because it was so late I was too tired to work out a story in my fantasy. Instead I decided to simply imagine laying down in a clearing in a forest. I looked around with my mind’s eye. The trees swayed lightly above me, framing a sky full of twinkling stars. The soft breeze brushed against me as the soft sound of rustling leaves and branches moving in the wind filled my ears. The tranquil smell of the forest drew me deeper into the scene.
I slowly started to drift to sleep, not noticing how real the world had become. The feel of the grass against my fingers and legs as I lay there. A leaf moving overhead as it fell to the ground, drifting in the wind. The soft sound of the breeze becoming more clear as soft blue clouds moved across a dark sky.
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As I lay there relaxing in the peaceful clearing, I failed to realize that things were becoming a bit too real. At least I didn’t until she appeared in front of me. She was beautiful to be sure, though her features were difficult to make out in the moonlight. What I could make out was long blonde hair that cascaded down her shoulders and the outline of a feminine, though muscular body. Wearing a cropped top and short skirt made of animal skin, I at first found her appearance to be a welcome addition to the fantasy. That is, until I realized she had a spear pointed right at my chest. Her face had a determined look and she spoke out a command in a language I had never heard before.
I jumped sitting up only to find three more spears appear out of nowhere, pointing at me from all sides. Too bewildered to consider whether I could be dreaming, I cried out, “Hey! What are you doing?” The girl snapped a command at me, clearly showing her irritation that I was not complying. I spoke up again, “Do you speak English? I have no idea what you are saying.” She looked over at the other three and they begin to have a conversation amongst themselves. Finally, looking down, she lifted her spear in a manner as if nudging me to stand up. Standing up I realized for the first time I was completely naked.
The women did not seem to take notice of my nakedness. I tried to cover myself, overcome with embarrassment but found my hands pulled roughly behind my back. It was at this point that I began to wonder if I was dreaming. Normally I would instantly wake up after realizing I was dreaming, but this time that was not happening. I shook my head, trying to break myself out of the dream but had no luck.
I began to panic. “Hey! Watch it!” I cried out, trying to pull away. As the other three spears moved up toward my neck, however, I decided it would be best to stop struggling. Soon I felt my wrists bound together by straps made of some sort of animal skin, the fur soft in contrast to the tightness of the straps digging into my wrists. With a spear pressed into my back I was marched out of the clearing and deep into the woods. At this point I had concluded that I was not dreaming, but I still tried waking myself, mostly out of desperation. Unfortunately I had no success.
How long we walked I don’t really know. I would guess at about 2 hours. Exhausted, I tripped on stones and roots to the amusement of my captors as the trees grew thicker and closer together. Splashing across a couple streams soaked and chilled my body. My feet and legs became cut and bruised by the underbrush and I began to plead with my captors for either rest or release but was met with a cold stare and the butt end of a spear. Exhausted and cold, I finally began to notice some lights in the distance.
As we approached the lights they formed into torches and fires of what looked like a forest village. A vast maze of wooden huts, walkways, and stairs seemed to rise up into the trees spreading out into the distance. The ground became more even, the soft dirt a relief to my aching feet. The village had a welcome appearance despite being eerily quiet. Standing around were groups of women. Some held spears and watched as if standing guard. Others quietly warmed themselves by the fire. As we drew near the village two of the women holding spears approached.