Day 1 : "Cold"

Cold. I feel cold. I awaken groggily to this realization, and reach for a blanket, only to find I am without one. Had I fallen from my bed? No. The cold beneath me was hard, not soft. It was not carpet, as my bedroom floor was. It did not resemble the structured tiles of a bathroom floor. It was cold. Cold, dark gray stone, cracked and rough. I brought myself to wake up, wondering if I had somehow ended up within my basement. No, the breeze was fresh, cool air like a park in the afternoon, with a slight, choking hint of sand and musky rock. I could hear the sound of distant waves and wind, muffled by the cries and calls of birds overhead, and insects in the distance. Closer still was the crackling of something burning; a scent I hadn't noticed, lying stiff against the ground.

Picking myself up off the cold, cracked floor, I bring myself to full alertness, rubbing the sleep from the corners of my eyes. It appeared I was in a small, wooden room, closed in from all sides, save a small door roughly the same height as I. Two torches on either side of the room lit all angles, giving the warm, alluring scent of flame, accompanied by its gentle crackles and pops.


In earnest wonder of what awaited, I brought myself to walk outside -- Was this a dream? I had no memory of coming here, and there certainly was no sign of civilized sound. Only the sounds of nature accompanied me here; soothing any sign of fear with its calm scents and wonders.

Outside the small, vacant room was a gathering of trees - a forest perhaps? To the left I had seen some flowers growing; but they were not in my immediate interest, nor was this the time to stop and smell the... whatever flower their yellow petals presented them as.


My legs brought me closer to the trees for inspection - they were natural trees, with no sign of human tampering or markings. The leaves overhead hung low enough that I may jump to reach them... but I left them alone for now, as beyond them I could see sky.


Sky. Yes, sky. A bright blue, glorious sky spread before me. So much sky -- too much sky. The sun hung aglow above me, warming the chills of emotion that ran through me, a feeling of happiness and exploration I hadn't felt since I was a mere child. Sky... and water. More water than I had ever seen before. All I could see was bright, beautiful blues before me, and in such untouched clarity that this could only be a fantasy, dreamed by glorious painters and artists, with the utmost respect for nature and its beauty. A dream I hoped I would not soon wake up from, as I feared this was the very happiest I had ever been, and refused it to end. A dream I wanted to live for now, and possibly forever -- and already it all felt so real...!


I would play along with this dream, then, until it ended on its own accord.

I wandered in this paradise, finding scattered caverns carved out naturally under rock and rushing water. In this particular cavern, however, I noticed a strange mushroom, and decided to take it with me.

Wandering still, I found a large carving behind the wooden building I had began in, and beyond it I spotted an animal resembling that of a pig, albeit much more energetic than the stereotypical ones I had seen on TV in the waking world. I decided to lure it toward me for a closer look with the mushroom I had picked -- with very saddening effect. Soon after this pig-like creature took a bite, it seemed to choke and fall to its side in pain. I could do nothing but watch, realizing I had killed a living being... momentarily. With its final gasp for air, the creature coughed up a strange tool -- but this meant nothing, as it seemed the pig was dead.


I wandered for a bit, after cleaning the tool with my coat. Saddening, this dream had become. Was it turning to nightmares in retaliation to my happiness? I would not know. Perhaps the realism of the dream had worked both ways, and I was being taught what life really is, in both beauty and vile ugliness.

Soon I found out I could make small flames with the tool, rubbing the metal piece against the dark, smooth rock. A flint, and a piece of steel? I wondered how the animal got a hold of this, but lingering meant nothing if this was a dream. It would end soon, I was sure. But for now, I toyed with the primitive device for my own amusement. I had lit a small fire out of twigs and grass, and watched it burn for a while, quickly consuming the materials. Pressing my luck, I wondered if I could burn the leaves from a tree -- but this ended in disaster.


I panicked for a moment. If this wasn't a dream, what trouble would I be placed in? An excuse quickly formed in my mind - it was a signal for help, should someone arrive. I was bad with verbal speech, but I had hoped this would suffice.

The tree quickly burned to the ground and gone out. Surly this was a dream - I was quite sure fire wasn't this fast-acting, unless something was wrong with the tree in itself. It was then that I noticed some hefty sticks were intact, so I decided to grab them while I was around, perhaps for my own entertainment.


The day went by quickly, however. At a point, I was deeply hungry, and had killed a sheep in my makeshift swordsmanship. The wool seemed to pull from its skin easily without debris - some of it light, some of it dark, and some of it knotted and tangled into strings of white hair.

As I headed back to the room I woke up in, I had found a strong feather, and another piece of flint. As I got up from the ground and dusted off my legs, I looked up at the sky overhead to see the sun setting, and I watched it in its beauty.

Darkness fell quickly. A portion of the ceiling had fallen, but I put it to use as a small bench in the corner of the room. I patched up the doorway with some dirt to keep animals out, and laid down some wool to sleep on, opposite the skylight and workbench.

And as I look up at the glowing moon overhead, I cannot help but reflect on the day I had had. Peaceful. Quiet. Free. Happy. I lay in my bed of wool in wonder of the morning after -- I would awaken back home in bed, and feel this dream's happiness throughout the day.

Cold. I was still cold.