Someone once told me that repeated, horrible nightmares are a sign of what's to come for you. I only mentioned to her that I'd been having repeated nightmares lately of drowning-being trapped below the waters and watching helplessly as that final breath escapes me. She went on a long rant about it being some kind of bullshit about a possible feeling of anxiety in my life; that I'm likely dealing with so much that I feel like I'm 'drowning in all the stress.'

In all honesty, I don't feel like I have a lot to stress over in my life. I'm twenty-nine and only just starting with my life. I grew up in a smallish city in Wales called Swansea and haven't exactly had the hardest time of things. I even managed to recently move out of my parents' place and get my own apartment near the city center. It isn't exactly cheap, but that's what roommates are for, right? We all had a good setup going together too. I'd take care of stuff like food and cleaning, and the other two would do whatever else we agreed was a shared chore. Anyway, you likely don't give two shits about any of this stuff, let alone one.

I should probably introduce myself before I continue, huh? My name is Morgan Evans. As I said, I am twenty-nine years old and about five-ten. That's around one hundred and seventy-seven cm for those who use other measurements. I have short, black hair, very light stubble on my face, and blue eyes.

Today was certainly starting like no other day. The first thing my senses picked up was what sounded like a wooden cart moving on a wet, muddy road. I had a horrible memory kick in as the fear set in. As I slowly opened my eyes, I could see that I was, in fact, on a wooden cart. I groggily tried to look around me, but I was still in that in-between stage where everything is still blurry, like you've just downed ten shots at the bar in one go. Once everything started to clear and the world came back into focus, I finally managed to take in the trees and grasslands all around me.

"What in the ever-loving name of Todd is going on here?" I sputtered out as my surroundings became sharper and clearer. I heard a voice from my right, towards the front of the cart. The man made a sort of spluttering noise, likely in surprise at my sudden awakening and talking.

"Hey, yer finally awake, I see." he chuckled as that sense of dread from a few moments ago returned. I groaned at this horrible reminder of everything ending in that damned opening. Never in a million years did I think my life would become a meme, but here I was.

"Hey there, where am I? More importantly, how in the hells did I get here in this cart? Last thing I remember is that I was in bed, and now I'm here."

"In bed ya say? Very odd, sir. I found ya in the middle of the fields a little ways back. Maybe you 'ad a few too many last night and passed out in what ya thought was yer bed?" He let out a deep belly laugh. Now that he started to talk more, his accent hit me. He sounded like he was some kind of Cornish farmer in the west country. It took a lot to stifle a chuckle of my own, as I expected he'd start singing to me about his combine harvester.

That's when it hit me. I couldn't possibly have gotten so drunk that I managed to make my way into England and headed down Dorset's direction. The other major thing that hit me was what I was sitting in. As much as I'd heard jokes from others about the west country being backwards and behind on things, they surely weren't as far back as still using carts, were they? Otherwise, where does the whole stereotype of tractors come from with them? I shook the thought from my mind as I sat myself up into a more comfortable sitting position.

"So what's your name, boss? Suppose I should thank you properly for helping me. I'm Morgan." I informed. He seemed silent for a moment, likely focusing on the road, before he replied.

"Name's Turner, young sir; Kenneth Turner, but friends call me Ken. S'pose yer alright to do the same." He turned his head to me slightly in an attempt to at least show some kind of respect for this greeting before putting his attention back on the road.

"Sounds good, Ken. Thanks for the help here; I hope I wasn't too much trouble." I laughed. He returned it.

"Course not, young Morgan. I 'ad no trouble whatsoever getting ya into the cart. Light as a feather, ya were, believe it or not. Though I'm not low in strength meself; owning and working me own farm for near on thirty years gives ya some good muscle." He said this proudly. I honestly couldn't blame him either. Thirty years on a farm is some damn good work. I couldn't help giving him a nod of respect too before I leaned back in my seat.

"Do you mind me asking where we are? Maybe any way you can help me point my way back to Swasea?"

"Swansea? Never 'eard of it. Right now, we're about fifty miles away from the southern Yularan border, on the northern side of Eldora." He proclaimed, putting much emphasis on what I assumed in the moment were the two names of places. I couldn't stop the look of confusion on my face as I felt my eyebrows reactively furrow. It took me a few moments, but I managed to let out a nervous chuckle.

"Gotta admit, mate, I've never heard of either of those. What county are we in?" I started to look around myself, hoping to eventually spot some kind of sign somewhere that could give me a hint. Panic was now starting to set in."Can't say we 'ave them. What's a county, young sir?" The panic set. I could feel my breathing quicken slightly and my words shaking.

"I um... You've got me worried now, Ken. How far from home am I? Ever heard of Wales? Or even England, given your accent is that of someone from the west country of England." I chuckled again; a little bit of hope in my tone, though that hope was quickly dwindling. The cart came to a stop now as Ken started to turn himself towards me, that same look I had a few moments before now on display on him.

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"West? Like I said, lad, we're on the northern-" He stopped short as our eyes met. I finally got a good look at his face now. He looked to be in his mid to late fifties. His messy hair and beard seemed to be greying in some places "Meredith's arse, lad! Yer an Outworlder! It's no wonder ya weren't makin' much sense. Why didn't ya say something?" He broke eye contact as he buried his face in his right hand. his face had a few wrinkles but I could tell this man aged well.

"What's an Outworlder?" Am I in another world or something?"

"Ya mean ya didn't know? That would explain a lot." He seemed to ponder for a few moments, making some kind of calculations in his head as he began muttering to himself. He finally nodded to himself as he turned back to me. "Right, come to my farm and I'll explain everything to you. Me wife will make us a good meal, and I can tell ya what I can."

We seemed to stare at each other for ages in those few moments. I wanted to tell him no; I wanted answers now, and I had no time to wait around and eat dinner or whatever else I'd have to do. But then the thought hit me. What if my assumption of being in another world, based on him calling me an 'Outworlder', is correct? How can I even be sure I can get back? Maybe now I have to make do with what I'm given and accept my circumstances. His eyes seemed desperate in those few moments, almost pleading with me to come. I think he knew how I was feeling and wanted to do what he could to help me. I finally took a deep breath and let out a long sigh to calm myself. It wasn't fully gone, but the panic seemed to subside for the moment. I nodded, and he returned it, his eyes shifting to a more fatherly kind of look. 'Everything's going to be okay' they told me. I wanted to believe him so much.

We rode for a half hour more in silence. I suspect he wanted to give me peace to collect my thoughts and maybe think up any questions I could to ask him soon. We arrived in a well-fenced-off area that seemed to split the fields up for all the different livestock Kenneth owned. His house, sitting just at the center of the fields, was beautiful. Only a single-story building, but I could see the place was large enough to possibly fit three whole families in. It seemed simply built, but very homey. Cobblestone made up the walls of the home, and the roof was well put together with some kind of wood. I wanted to say spruce, but I could see some kind of sheen on it from certain angles. Flowering vines seemed to be growing up on the left side of the building, giving the stone a vibrant coloration. I could see a large, red barn some ways off behind the house.

The cart came to a stop, and I hopped off the back as Kenneth came around to meet me. I finally got a good look at his clothing, and nothing seemed well off with it. Other world or not, the style of a farmer seemed similar. This prompted me to finally get a look at my own clothes, since it was likely I was dressed oddly to him if this truly was another world. While I certainly wasn't dressed in a way that would be odd to Kenneth, I was definitely shaken. My clothes seemed to have changed their styling. While the clothing seemed normal, such as a plain, woolen shirt and trousers, it was a leap in difference compared to my usual style of shirt, black jackets, and jeans.

He tipped his head towards the cart, and I nodded, getting his meaning of asking me to help him get his things off the back. It was the least I could do. As we gathered the different empty and half-full sacks, a young woman came out to meet us. She looked like she could pass for late twenties or early thirties. Long, brown hair that reached just below her shoulders, and in a dress and apron that made me think of a fifties advert. They embraced and shared a welcoming kiss with each other before she spoke up.

"Welcome home, my love. How was the trip?" Her voice was warm and loving, and even as she turned her gaze to me for a moment, she exuded an aura of care and welcome. "I see you picked up a stray along the-" She also stopped short as her eyes met mine for a moment. She looked back towards Kenneth, and he nodded.

"Meredith, this 'ere's Morgan. I found him passed out on the road and felt it weren't best to leave him there." He said conspiratorially. I could tell he was trying to tell her something with a wink without winking, though his eye enlarged as if he was about to but didn't want to give away the secret.

"Oh o' course. Right you were ta do so, love. I'll bet yer starvin', sweetheart. Come with me, and I'll get you some dinner going." She motioned me to follow her. Kenneth nodded and sent me on my way with Meredith as he picked up the remainder of the sacks.

Inside, Meredith took me through the kitchen and towards a washroom. A large brass bath was in the middle of the washroom. She began to let the water run as she went and brought fresh clothes and a towel for me. As she set the clothes and towel on a countertop for me, she gave me a smile.

"You wash yerself up, lovely, and hand me yer clothes once yer done. I'll take care of them, and you can use these spare ones we have. I'll have food ready soon, so it should be ready as you come out to join us." Her smile and warmth filled the room. That panic, which had begun to subside earlier, seemed to fade away. She reminded me of my own mother, and I was just five years old again. Once she left the room, I stripped off and stepped into the bath. I was expecting it to be cold, as I saw no steam rising, but it was hot. I couldn't believe that it was both hot to the touch and gentle on my skin.

As I lowered myself down to submerge in the hot water, I let out a relieved sigh. My mind blanked while I let everything wash away in the relaxing warmth. I'm not ashamed to say that, as each moment passed by in that tub, the closer I got to breaking down. A million thoughts a second seemed to go by like my brain was travelling at lightspeed; questions shot out like speeding bullets from a smoking barrel. What do I do from here? Am I going to be able to get home? Does anyone even know I'm missing? Do they even care? I'm not the best at keeping contact with my loved ones, I never really took notice to it. But surely someone knew I was missing by now, right? It took everything in me to stop myself from letting it all out, it wasn't enough. I wept in that tub for what must have been fifteen minutes, the weight of the situation finally breaking through the shield I thought I was keeping up pretty well like a mountain falling through a sheet of paper.

Once I felt I had calmed myself enough, I got myself cleaned up and got out; it was time I went out to speak with Kenneth and Meredith. I found the clothes they left and quickly put them on. They fit pretty well. I assumed they might have either belonged to a much younger Kenneth or they have a son that's my size. Kenneth's not a small dude in any way, he towered over me by maybe under a foot. I put my hand on the door leading out of the washroom, took a deep breath, and made my way out to join my hosts.