I was awoken by the ringing of my alarm clock at 7:00 A.M. It appeared to be a day like any other as I drew back the curtains and slowly dragged my tired eyes to look at the view around me. The city's bustling would never stop no matter the time of day. I pulled my head away from the window and trudged over to my closet to put on my clothes for the day.
As I made my way to campus I thought about my depressing day-to-day life as a loner and social outcast. I failed to make friends in college just as I had at every other school, I had ever been in. I could truly say my existence felt invisible to others besides the work banter that school projects bring. I imagine my gloomy appearance didn't help much. I constantly wore dark, plain clothing and never really gave off a friendly approachable aura.
My day was just like the previous with the same boring, easy classes and the same gossiping chatter at lunch. I truly had to wonder if my life would ever change. I guess I can only blame my miserable self for never trying to change and just waiting for change to come upon me.
With my lectures finished and homework completed I made my way home around 6:00 P.M. I felt ready to relax for a while and then crash into bed to repeat the same monotonous cycle tomorrow.
With the clock approaching 9:30 P.M. after relaxing for a couple hours I decided to get ready for bed. After I was all prepped for bed I made my way over to the bedroom. Scratching my head and yawning, I dragged myself over to bed and threw myself on it, except I kept falling! Panic took over my body as I had zero clue what was happening. I closed my eyes thinking, or rather hoping this was a nightmare. Eventually, my body hit the ground with a thud and I let out a groan.
I opened my eyes to see an orchard all around me full of trees of apples. However, the strangest thing was looking straight up and seeing a gigantic portal with a blue tint about 5 feet above me. I must have fallen from that portal right to the ground. As I continued to look up the portal closed right in front of my eyes. With horror, all I could do was watch it happen in front of me. With the portal gone the only question is where the heck am I?
As I sat up and looked around, I could not geographically determine where I was whatsoever. Scanning the landscape beyond the trees there seemed to be hills full of rolling green grass as far as the eyes could see on all sides. Looking up at the vast sky it was a beautiful day with white fluffy clouds floating in the big blue sea that was above me.
However, a strange detail in the sky caught my eye. There seemed to be two suns! I rubbed my eyes to make sure I was seeing correctly, and I indeed saw two suns.
This detail along with the portal led me to the seemingly impossible idea that I had been transported to another planet or dimension. Thinking that made my head feel dizzy and my stomach feel nauseous. Just as I felt like I was about to pass out I noticed a stout little, old man coming down a dirt road running along the side of the edge of the field of trees leading off to what I could only assume was a village or other such community.
As he came closer, I was able to get a better view of him. He was chubby but not severely fat. He had a long gray beard and a hood covering the top of his head. His clothes appeared to me to come straight out of the Middle Ages in Europe as farmer's attire. Noticing me standing in the field he trotted over to where I was.
"Who are you and what are you doing here?" the old man asked me slightly out of breath after coming up to me.
Strangely enough, although this was a different world the man spoke perfect English. "My name is Ken Sosuske and I seem to have passed out and awoken in this field. Could you tell me where I am?" I asked him concealing the existence of the portal for the time being.
"You are in Melalova, a kingdom to the east of the Warrel Sea," the man replied giving me a confused gaze.
The Warrel Sea I repeated in my mind with confirmation this was indeed a new planet. "Well anyway, what is your name I asked the man?"
"Georgis" the man replied.
What an interesting name I thought to myself. "Well, Georgis I seem to have no idea where this is or how I got here," I retorted truly being a lost soul in this strange new world.
"What kingdom do you come from?" Georgis asked of me looking at my entirely black pajamas.
I imagined they must appear strange to him based on the setting of this new world. From the speak of kingdoms and such I deduced that this must be a world in a sort of medieval era without any advanced technology that the planet of Earth has. "I come from the kingdom of Ledin which is closer to the Helden Sea than the strange sea you mentioned," I said. Judging by his outfit and these fields I believed him to be a simple farmer without the knowledge of world geography or perhaps this world hasn't been fully discovered and explored entirely. Based on this I fabricated my identity so as not to reveal I had come through a portal from another world and to possibly evoke sympathy and cut myself a deal of lodging for the night.
"Well," Georgis began," I do not know how a man from a faraway kingdom suddenly ends up in my orchard, but I must ask you to leave this place," he told me believing my story to be true.
With his acceptance of my made-up kingdom, I decided to ask for lodging in return for work. "Please sir, I have just awoken in an unknown and unfamiliar land. I have no clue what the customs of this place are or any of the people. Will you allow me a place to sleep in return for helping you in your work"?
He gave me an unsure look at what he should do with my request. Finally, after letting out a sigh and looking at the earnest and sorrowful expression on my face he said, "You may stay in an unused shack on my property in the village but, in return, you must work hard for me tomorrow.
" Of course, thank you for your generosity," I told him after his response to me. I believed him to be a kind man based on his tone and his general concern for me looking aimless and sickly in his field. I was right and was able to secure a place to sleep in return for work. I was able to breathe a sigh of relief over an unsecured future now being taken care of. Although I felt guilt over lying about my identity and origin, I didn't believe it to be a harmful lie and quickly stopped thinking about it.
When things were moving calmly, I followed behind Georgis as he tended to the trees and began to wonder. Why am I here? Rationally analyzing the situation, I could not come to any sort of real conclusion as to why I would fall through a portal that would have to be right over my bed. As my head was processing all of these new events and this entirely new setting Georgis asked me a question.
"So, how old are you?" he questioned while breaking into a coughing fit.
"Twenty years old," I replied.
"And what craft exactly did you practice?" he asked me recovering from his bout of coughs.
I had to think about this for a moment because this is a new planet with possibly a different direction for human society. But because I knew that farming and growing food was still a thing, I could come up with a job that relates to it and be relatively safe. Besides, even if it was a job he had never heard I could just say it came from my made-up country where crafts and trades are different than here. "My craft was crop replacement," I smugly spoke believing I had come up with a brilliant craft on the spot.
Georgis gave an interested look and responded, "Crop replacement, eh? I've never known anyone with such a craft. All I know about the matter is that it exists and can be used for old crops that need a new product."
Half glad it worked and also half annoyed it wasn't a thing Georgis had known about I continued watching him pick apples and measure the trees. The suns began to set as Georgis finished with the trees.
"Well, I am all finished here so I will show you back to the village and where you will be staying," Georgis said as I simply stared at the weird phenomenon happening in front of me.
Pulling my attention away from the sunset I began after him down the road toward the village where he lives, and I will be staying. Strangely I did not feel fear about this new environment but rather excitement. Perhaps change does just come upon people. Anyway, as I headed to where I was going to stay, I thought about what it would take to possibly find a way home and what journey I would have to partake in to complete this goal. My head was filled with readiness thinking of the days to come.