When I stepped out into the bright sunlight, I only had two things on my mind, getting out of bed on time and not being late. As I reached over to turn on my lamp, my hand met with the ground instead. I must have knocked my glass of water over. Little did I know that was far from the case. It was an unusual morning as no one yelled at careless drivers from the side of the street. No wails from cars boomed in my ears.

Nothing.

I opened my eyes. To my astonishment, I was sprawled in a field, freshly blanketed by early morning dew. Fragile, pale green stalks of grass swayed gently from the caress of the wind, moving synchronised and spanning out endlessly. Mist clung to the tips of the stalks attempting to stay in its place. Pale blue and pink flowers coated the ground in small groups like freckles on a face.

Where was I?

I slowly peeled myself up from the ground and sat up, absorbing the beauty of my surroundings. I stood up, my shoes squelching as they made contact with the sodden earth beneath me. The mist painted my face in countless dots, small as grains of sand. I brushed away the drizzle and spun around slowly in a circle looking for something or someone, but there was nothing.

“Hello?” I croaked, waiting for a response, but nothing returned my invitation. I exclaimed once more, once again met with silence.

A feeling of calm began to withdraw, replaced with the wrapping, choking hold of worry. The idyllic scenery once before me decayed. Tears of dew rolled down blades of grass. Pleasant quietness started to lurk eerily, eavesdropping on my frantic thoughts. Sickly green stalks flung themselves violently at each other, striking each other till they were no more. The wind howled like a wolf of the night, urging me to run away. Flowers shrivelled up into small balls, depleted of life. Mist settled low to the ground, like smoke in a building ablaze.

I didn’t care about getting out of bed anymore, let alone not being late. I wanted to be home. I wanted to hear the energetic bustle of the city to walk me out of this nightmarish scene.

Sofia Medurić