Sam awoke to the gentle sound of waves lapping against the shore. When he first opened his eyes, he found himself lying on white sands beneath a boundless blue sky. A strange feeling washed over him, as though time had paused in that moment. The sea breeze brushed his face, but his mind was clouded. How had he gotten here? What had happened? Everything felt surreal—like a nightmare turned reality.
He surveyed his surroundings. The endless sea stretched before him, while behind him loomed a dense forest of towering trees, forming an imposing barrier. He touched his body, feeling the fatigue, and struggled to rise from the sand. Exhaustion weighed on him, as if he had been unconscious for a long time. He tried to remember, but his mind drew a blank after the colossal wave struck the fishing vessel.
As he attempted to gather his thoughts, he decided to explore. He needed to figure out where he was. In an effort to understand this strange place, he began walking toward the edge of the forest. Step by step, he drew closer to the shadowy thicket where the dense trees formed a barrier between the beach and the unknown. At first, everything was eerily quiet, but with each step, the canopy above blotted out the sky, dimming the light gradually.
He ventured a little deeper, then froze. An uneasy feeling tightened in his chest, as though this place was not meant to be discovered—at least not now.
Just as he prepared to retreat, something odd caught his eye in the distance. Between the trees, there was a faint, ambiguous movement. He focused intently. Figures moved slowly, far enough away to blur their features. His breath hitched.
Sam watched them silently, trying to glean any clue to make sense of the situation. Yet deep down, he knew interacting with them might not be wise. He didn't know who they were, and fear tangled with curiosity inside him.
Unwilling to risk approaching, he chose to avoid them and retreated in the opposite direction. He inched backward from the forest's edge and turned to head back to the beach. As he trudged through the sand, his feet sank into the soft grains, and the waves' rhythm hummed in his ears. He needed time to process what was happening and refused to dive into unclear dangers.
With every step, questions piled up in his mind about his current state—awakening here, the missing memories, and the haunting uncertainty of this strange, liminal world.