There was a gentle breeze in the air now. The temperature was still hot even though the sun was going down. But the breeze felt like an icy wind against my skin.

I gathered my strength for a moment and ran past the entry sign.

Even though it was almost sun down I was surprised by the number of people. There were people robed in fine tunic, materials that looked very expensive. Some people even had large garments, bracelets, necklaces, encrusted in bright colorful jewels. But upon closer inspection, the jewels looked fake.

Is that gold on that guy’s head piece? Whatever.

I was running sloppily, nearly bumping into many people.

“Sorry!” I shouted dodging an elderly woman. Where is it? The professor said it would be here.

I passed by many shops. The architecture was clearly on a different scale here than places I had passed previously. The buildings seemed very sturdy and were much bigger. The displays on the glass windows also boasted higher prices.

Clothes shops with life sized mannequins wore the latest trends. Jewelry shops with giant necklaces on display. It felt like wandering a big shopping mall.

Peter Cross’s Fine Clothes. No.

Eleanor’s Imported Faux Jewels & Crystals. Useless.

I was speeding past name shops left and right, trying to find something that maybe had the word ‘map’ in it.

Then I was yelled at by what seemed to be a patrol guard walking in the opposite direction. He had a gun in a holster around his belt, and was carrying an iron halberd as well.

What’s the point of a halberd if you got a gun?

I wondered if that was just the fashion for guards to seem imposing.

“Boy, don’t you know you’re not supposed to be running?” he shouted.

I got caught like a deer in a car’s headlights for a second and then started walking at a normal pace.

Boy? I’m 25 years old buddy.

“Sorry, I’m looking for a shop and it’s urgent!” I said loudly.

He sighed and continued his patrol. Once his gaze was distracted, I tried to camouflage with a few trees next to the shops and then resumed running.

Several hundred feet later, I had entered what was like a cul-de-sac of stores. There was a sign that read, “ACADEMIA & HOBBIES”. This seems promising. I must be close.

Finally I caught wind of a store that had a few model boats on the window display. There seemed to be a pirate hat and a pair of skull & bones too.

Pirates use maps! This must be it.

I should have taken a moment to read the sign that was outside that read, “Bobby’s Costume Goods”, but I just waltzed right in.

There were a few people browsing inside and a ton of different costumes available for purchase. And a small line to the try-on closet. I was surprised by the variety: anything from clown makeup and attire, to animal costumes, to pirate gear and props, to theater clothes. Growing exasperated from my search, I made my way to the counter way in the back and was looked at with curious eyes by a woman who seemed to be in her 20’s and quite attractive.

“Are you looking for something specific, sir?” she said in an inquisitive voice. “I’m this shop’s owner. Well the owner’s daughter. I can find whatever you need.”

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“Yes, I noticed you had pirate gear on display in the window. Well I’m really looking for a map to complete my set. But I’d prefer a real one.” I said.

“Hmm, we have fake maps with the big red X’s on them. You might want to try the store next door,” she giggled, pointing to the big sign that said ‘ACADEMIA EMPORIUM’. “You can’t miss it.”

I squinted my eyes into the window display of the store she was pointing to from where we were standing. And wouldn’t you know it, alongside a suit of armor, a few textbooks and tools, I saw a scroll that was expanded and looked like a map.

I felt relieved. I might have shed a tear if this lady wasn’t looking at me so intently.

“Thank you.” I grabbed her hand. She was caught by surprise. I quickly bolted out of there.

The Academia Emporium was vast. It looked to have entire sections dedicated to books in a mini library, materials, research materials like rock samples carefully labeled, tools like magnifying glass.

I walked past a bunch of stuff, some of which I don’t even know what was for.

I’m a map. I’m a map. I’m a map. I’m a map. I’m a MAP.

I started humming along to the Doris the Explorer’s little map friend, trying to stay calm.

Finally, I arrived at a section with a sign that said “Geography”.

And then finally, a plastic globe with all the countries of the world.

What I saw horrified me. I saw the outlines of all the countries in the world. You could clearly see North America, Central America, South America on one side and then Europe separated by the Atlantic Ocean and then Asia. All of the world’s countries were there.

But everything was mislabeled. What’s more, the countries’ boundaries were all wrong. The United States seemed to have lost a third of its size.

And the country underneath it is..

I gasped.

Kingdom of Brittle.

The United States of Ulseex.

Kingdom of Renshire.

The Central Federation of Nations.

All names completely foreign to me. And they all formed the continent called “Calas”.

I quickly reached for a geography textbook that was on another shelf. I flipped through a lot of pages with pictures of people, towns, and other things. The photos looked to be in either black and white and some were in color. The photos appeared to have been taken by camera.

…Brittle, Ulseex, here it is! Renshire!

The page containing the information I was looking for was very detailed. It began with a summary of the nation.

It read:

“The Kingdom of Renshire was established in 1503, the result of a 50 year war between a tribe of native inhabitants and a settlement of explorers and people appointed by the king of the former nation Crystalis. This war was one of the first turning points in history when military technology and weaponry proved effective against unorganized magic.”

Unorganized magic? They must mean the weird voodoo stuff African cultures would do right? Were the troops afraid of that stuff because they thought they would be cursed or something?

The books were very nice quality. I was being careful not to rip any pages, but I couldn’t stop myself from turning the pages crudely. Nothing made any sense.

Then in a moment of lucidity, everything became clear, like pieces falling into the slots on a child’s puzzle. I thought of everything I had read and heard that didn’t make sense. The country names, the people, the strange things I had seen. My head felt like it was just hit by a nasty curveball.

We’re not on Earth anymore. It really did happen. The teleportation took us. Somewhere far away. Another dimension. A different plane of existence that looks like our Earth, but is home to completely different people who made completely different choices and on a totally separate timeline than our Earth.

My hands started feeling heavy. The rest of my body followed. I sat down on the floor and put my face in the palm of my right hand.

But…why does everyone speak English?

I sat for what seemed like an eternity, unable to move from the weight of the realization that had hit me. Still and motionless. I felt like if I tried to speak the words might not have come out.

I heard a soft spoken voice call out to me.

“Are you alright, mister?” a little girl who looked to be around 10 years old called out to me. She was short with long dark blonde hair and dressed well.

Still on the floor, I shook my head.

I couldn’t find the energy to give her a real response.

“What’s wrong then, mister?” she pressed.

I took my face out of my palm to look her in the eyes. I managed a small grin.

This girl is worried about me, a total stranger. This place might not be so bad… I thought, getting a little bit of energy back.

Then an adult lady dressed in fine clothes showed up and grabbed her forcefully by the hand. She gave me a cold look.

“Don’t go near strangers, Clarice. Especially men.” she cautioned the girl.

I turned my head and looked out the window. The sun was setting. I had no idea how to get back to my family to tell them what I had learned. I was alone and afraid. I had no clue what to do for food or where I was going to sleep.

But I sat on the ground motionless, without the energy to get up. It was getting harder to care at all.