The start of another work day.

another droning, dull, day at a place where nobody gives a crap if you stay, go, smoke, or cut up. as long as you are safe about it, and the work gets done, nobody gives a crap.

its six AM, and eighteen degrees outside; and I still rode my bike to work. namely because its my only running vehicle right now. I blew the engine in my pickup as it was starting to get cold. I put the kickstand down as the boss walks over to me.

"Hey!" he calls out.

"Good morning." I say as I lay my gloves on the fuel tank to get my helmet off.

"You have your ID handy?" he asks.

"Yeah," I reach into my pocket and pass it to him, "What's up?"

"You arn't working out, we're letting you go. enjoy the solstice." he says and walks away with my ID in his hand. no more comments, or no more of a reason. that is all it was. I put my gear back on, and leave; not leaving in a rush, revving the engine, or even doing stupid things to express my frustration. I simply just left, as though it was just another normal day, and I had something I needed to do.

"Well, Crap." I said to no one else, barely able to hear my own voice inside the helmet, my scarf preventing the frigid air from wafting up onto my face, and causing frost-nip; however because of this, I was having to lift my visor at every stop light to prevent ice crystals from forming on the inside.

I rode the twenty minutes back home, never doing anything that could be considered reckless, even though I was on a 94 horsepower machine that could accelerate to triple digits quicker than my reaction time could control, I stripped all my gear off when I got inside. instead of sulking, or even punching the walls, which I desperately wanted to do, I began cleaning up.

seven pizza boxes, twenty six soda bottles, and a couple dozen more trips to the dumpster, and that was just the living room. at least there wasn't any food in those boxes.

"I need a walk." I distinctly remember saying aloud. With the same coat I wore earlier, back on, I went for a walk. a walk that changed my life.

I could call it a spiritual event, I could call it an epiphany, I could even call it an awaking. but in truth, it was nothing such as grand as any form of self-discovery. no, it changed my life, because I walked for twelve miles that day. ending up at a nature center, walking some more.

eventually I stopped somewhere along the trails back there. I don't remember where, just that it was in the middle of a rail-less spruce bridge completely made of standard construction lumber. with a random stick in my hand that I had picked up on my first loop of the center, I simply stated a true and heartfelt wish.

"I wish I had a talent outlandish, and outrageous enough that I didn't have to deal with this crap." a feeling welled up inside me, and an orange miasma, almost neon, appearing poisonous, seeped out of the stick in my hand.

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"you will regret those words." I remembered my mom's voice from a past memory, when I said something; not so nice, to her. I remember falling on the bridge, like solidly, no way to roll off. and then waking up in a hospital. looking at possibly the most beautiful girl I had ever seen.

"well, hello there." she says to me. "Do you know the Date?" she asks promptly.

"December eighteenth, two-thousand twenty." I answer confidently. I must have said something wrong, because all color left her face, and she said something strange.

"Shit. off all the days I switch shifts, and now I have to do this." she shakes her head, and begins to rapid-fire questions about current government leaders, military ranks, even a Rorschach test. after about two hours, I finally get her to answer the same question I have been asking since she started this, her color getting more and more pale as time went on. "you were found passed out two weeks ago on someone's private land. you had only two things in your possession other than the strange clothes you were wearing. this strange thing with glass all over it;" she moved her hands as though someone would who had never seen a cell phone. "and your staff."

"you mean the stick I had?" I asked.

"Sir, this is no mere 'stick', I understand you may like joking around, but I will not accept any jokes regarding weapons of any kind." she turned serious quickly, and pulled a beautifully polished wooden staff from behind one of the monitors keeping an eye on my vitals. "This is a staff of an enchanter, and one of substantial rank. I have never seen one of these in person, but I recognize the patterns the history books describe. all of these were thought to have been destroyed. and the fact that every time one of our security guards attempts to put this in the armory, it beats the crap out of the guard as soon as they cross the threshold with it; comes back into this room, and falls flat on the floor.

"I have no idea of what you are talking about." I answer honestly.

"Sir, I have no idea who this 'Donald Trump' is; or what Microsoft is, what a 'Google' is," the way she said Google, made it sound like she added two more Os to it. "or why there is a bitten apple engraving in your pocket. and then what is the deal with using the Vandal Goddess to give a date; it just sounds absurd." she set the polished staff back against the wall, and looked at me for a few seconds. "you are either attempting to pull a fast one over on me; or you are an Unsummoned Traveler. I pity you if either are true." she shakes her way to the door and stops just before it opens.

"By the way, my name is Michelle, what's yours?"

"Daniel Huddy." I answer promptly and without any hesitation, and before I can say more, or make any further comments, she bolts out the door to the room.

"what the hell is this place?" I ask aloud.