State of Dreaming

New Surroundings and Company

Between my lashes I could distinctly make out a flickering light. I blinked a few times to clear my vision but to no avail. So I focused somewhere else, on trying to wriggle my fingers and toes. They twitched. As far as I could tell, I was lying straight on my back and- crap! I wasn't wearing a lick of clothing. I couldn't feel anything on my skin, no underwear or anything. Dear lord, what kind of predicament had I put myself in. I tried to open my eyes again properly and glimpsed more of the flickering light, as if it was streaming through leaves in a breeze. Odd. Trying to focus and defocus like a camera lens I realised I was right. It was sunlight streaming through trees. So I was naked, lying on my back in a forest. 

Forcing myself not to panic I wiggled my toes again and then my wrists and ankles, then knees and elbows until I felt enough confidence to move my head and then attempted to sit up. My hands planted firmly into soft, damp moss as I pushed my body upright and drops of dew rolled down my bare spine, causing a shiver to ripple through me. Now sat up, I took a moment to reflect on my environment. I was in the middle of a lush green forest, pine needles and moss and fern covered the entire ground, dense trees as far as the eye could see in every direction and not a sign of intelligent life anywhere. Out of the corner of my eye I spied a small buggish creature and as if suddenly remembering I was naked and exposed, I leapt up from the forest floor. 

A sharp pain shot behind my eyes and I swooned at the speed in which I got up but I gripped a tree to steady myself. A hundred questions started to bubble up inside me but knowing I didn't have any way of finding answers, I decided to focus on the practical. Get bearings, get clothes, get shelter, get food and water. Then worry about what in the ever loving fuck was going on.

I closed my eyes and listened hard, almost stretching my ears to listen out for- and there it was, the faint distant sound of trickling water. A stream or small river likely. I quickly took off in the direction of the sound, wanting to get out of the small clearing and into the shelter the dense trees provided. My feet stung as I scrambled over sharp pine needles and various thorns and thistles nestled into the forest floor but I ignored the pain. The skin on my calves and upper arms were lashed with thin red marks from where I'd walked into small branches and twigs growing straight out of the trees. Stopping to strain my ears again, I heard the gurgling water grow louder and felt the dryness in my mouth and lips as a reaction to the sound. It felt like I hadn't drank a sip of water for a week. I broke into a run, brambles and branches whipping me across the arms and body and legs as I tore through the dense greenery. The sound of the water was a deafening roar. Then suddenly, I broke through the trees and almost careened head first into the river. 

It was possibly fifteen to twenty metres across, not a small river by any means, but not enormous. But then I had also travelled a fair distance, maybe just over two miles, so I was surprised I heard it at all from my starting position. I crouched down low, acutely aware that I was exposed in the open air and likely others would be nearby at such a large river, possibly boating or rafting or fishing. I crawled forward and sat behind a rock, peeking over it to scan the area. Deserted. Not a single sign of life. Another strange thing was how, other than being impossibly thirsty, I felt absolutely fine. Not even a raised heart rate from my dash through the forest. I couldn't have been travelling for more than ten minutes. Surely that's more than my own PR. It must be the adrenaline.

I kept low, leaving the shelter of the rock and approached the river. The water was freezing and sparkly. I could see right through it to the riverbed, with the exception of the bursts of bubbles from the current. Making a scoop out of my hands, I filled them with clear, fresh water and brought it to my lips quickly before it could drip through my fingers. The water was sweet and I nearly dumped it in shock. The tang of flower petals, fresh fruit and honey lingered in my mouth. I greedily splashed my cupped hands back into the water, drinking as much water as I could before my stomach started to swell and I felt a bit sick. I flopped back onto the mossy riverbank, not caring about the bugs for one small second. I felt so good. I'd always looked after myself, working out every day, strict diets to keep myself fit and clean and every supplement, smoothie mix and vitamin were in my cupboards at home. Yet right here, lying naked, by a random river, covered in scratches and bruises, I felt better than I ever had in my whole existence.