Tennessee [Written August 17th, 2013-Modified]

The dream begins breaking through clouds, looking over a silver city full of tall glass buildings with beautiful flower shapes and nature-like innovations. I was the eyes of the dream, not flying, just seeing. I was at a shop where the clothes they sold were based on icons of the past and I specifically remember shopping at the "Jackie O section" and completely marveled at the beauty of the confections; of course, they all had their futuristic twist. Suddenly, it was night time, I do not know if I bought anything at all--all I remember was leaving and stepping out into the parking lot when the lights started to dim one by one until I was all alone and surrounded by darkness. I had but a moment to feel fear and then I was taken from the very ground my feet were stepping on. Like a pull, they took me. I felt a strength and vertigo in my stomach unlike I had ever felt before and, out of nowhere, nothing.

I 'woke up' in darkness again and as soon as my eyes grew accustomed to the darkness I saw the difference between the night sky and the mountain of trees that almost touched the sky. It was unlike any place I had ever seen before and the air smelled of wet dirt and trees. There was a silence as cold as death and even though I stood on some sort of pathway, there were no cars to be seen. I suddenly realized I was completely naked. I ran to the other side of the road hoping for no one would see me, my feet were cold and covered in mud. I didn't know where I was or how I'd gotten there, all I could remember was being at that parking lot, but this mountainous and tree-covered land was not home. I began to fear the worst, what if I was in another state or another country? Was this Earth at all? I didn't understand.

I felt weak and hungry and had nothing to eat. I searched along the ditch for rags or something to cover myself with and I found some wet dirty cardboard, but it would have to do. Suddenly, I heard a snap of a branch and looked directly at the spot where the sound had come from. Someone had turned on a light. It came from a dirty white 'hut' (or something like a hut), and seeing it as my only hope, I ran to it and searched for a door, found it, and opened it to find myself stepping into a wet, dirty bathroom.

I've had dreams like this before, I thought to myself, where all the toilets are clogged and the floor is wet and dirty, but I had never been naked or barefoot, unprotected, afraid and alone. It all made the matter far worse.

I ran to the mirror, I felt every second counted and that with every second I was further and further away from home. How was I ever going to get back? I asked myself and as I looked into the mirror I found myself thinner and paler than usual, with bruises on my arms, legs and stomach, of fingers, long and thin, I feared inside my dream the very thing I know I sometimes fear in reality. Out of nowhere, a light shone through the broken bathroom window, it was a truck so I ran to it, with cardboard dangling and all, and waved the arm I could spare and tried to scream for help. I don't know what I said or even if they heard me at all, but I had to try. They stopped and I asked through the window where I was. "Tennessee," he said. I woke up.