The horizon stretched endlessly before me, a sea of green. The sky hung like a painting, painted with the hues of late afternoon, where the familiar old light sunk lazily. Its warm glow washed over the lands, bathing everything in a soft, honey light that seemed mystical. Amidst this green expanse, time slowed, and the world became a whisper.

"Where am I?"

When I lay down in my bed, tired from another day of monotony and noise, I was in the city, surrounded by the dim, flickering lights of streetlamps and the distant hum of passing cars. My apartment was small, monotone, with walls grey and dull in color.

For years I've endured the relentless routine of life that felt like an endless loop of monotony. Waking up to the same alarm, walking through the same crowded streets, and returning to the same dull walls that I called home.

Everyday I've always wondered what went wrong? What took away the color from my once vibrant life?

But now,

I stood in a place far removed from that gray world. I didn't know how I had arrived here, one moment I was drifting into sleep, the darkness closing in on me, slowly losing myself unconsciousness, the next I was here, standing amidst the vast greenery, and a plethora of daisies. It was surreal, like walking away from one world into another, but with no memory of how it happened.

"A dream?"

I, I had dreams much like this before, realistic and immersive, where the air was fresh and real, the landscape stretched across with such clarity it was hard to believe it was a dream. But this was different. Here, I could feel the breeze on my face, soft and cool. I knelt, running my fingers through the blades of grass, I could even smell the scent of the earth.

I was caught by surprise. Even the grass felt real, it was as if I was caught in those anime moments where I was transported into a whole different world. I tried to make sense of it, but the more I thought about it, the more I'm convinced that I'm in a completely different world.

"If this is a dream, it is different than any I had ever experienced before. It feels too real, too detailed, too...alive."

I stood and looked around, my head swiveling left and right. The green expanse stretched as far as the eye could see, bordered by a dark outline of a forest in the distance. The trees over there were tall, I could faintly see their branches swaying gently, moving in rhythm with the wind's quiet melody.

'Jesus Christ.'

I felt a light pressure against my right thigh, a familiar weight. Glancing down, I noticed a slight bulge in the fabric of my pants. Slowly, my hand went toward my pocket, fingers brushing against something solid. I reached in and pulled out a cigarette pack, along with a lighter.

I smiled.

I held the pack for a while, my smile still on my lips. With a flick of my thumb, I slid a cigarette from the pack and rested it between my lips. The familiar snap of the lighter echoed in the stillness of silence, and then a small fire danced into existence, yellow and bright. I cupped my hands against the soft breeze and lit the end, inhaling deeply as the smoke curled into my lungs.

'So, everything's real' I thought, as I exhaled, watching as the smoke curled lazily, taken away by the breeze.

As I exhaled, it was then I realized how tired I had been, both physically and mentally. The exhaustion of living a life of a never-ending cycle of stagnantism, of walking through days that felt dull. Here though, standing amidst this field of green, amidst these beautiful flowers, under this surreal sky, all the weariness went away.

And yet, something gnawed at the edges of my mind. How had I come to be here? I couldn't remember leaving my apartment, let alone the city. I couldn't remember anything beyond closing my eyes, hoping for a night of dreamless sleep.

"Is this the trick of the mind, written by my brain from years of longing for an escape?"

"Or is it the afterlife?"

As I exhaled another plume of smoke, I cleared the confusion away and began to walk. I was just walking aimlessly, choosing my path as I went.

There was no path to follow, no destination in mind, just the need to explore, to understand. The grass danced around me as I moved, the wind carried the smoke out of my lungs as I breathed out yet another string of smoke.

I walked for what felt like hours, by now I've already burned down seven cigarettes. Yet, having no cigarettes was not important right now, what's bothering me was the sun never seemed to sink lower in the sky. It hovered there, just above the horizon, casting long jagged shadows across the land.

The silence here...was different. Not like the city like it was quiet at night, no. Here, it was different. Here it was a living silence, filled with the subtle sounds of the earth, the grass, the gentle rustling of the leaves, the distant chanting of the water, the faint chirping of birds in the air.

After a while, I found myself standing at the edge of the forest. The trees were tall, their trunks big and ladened with age, their branches stretching high into the sky. I stood there unsure, as I released yet another storm of smoke.

"Should I head in, or no?"

But, from deep within the tall trees, deep within the forest, I heard something. It was faint, almost impossible to hear, but it was unmistakable, a voice, soft and melodic, much like the wind singing through the leaves.

The voice called to me, beckoning me to come forward. Without thinking, I stepped into the forest, into the great unknown, guided by a sweet lullaby.

The world around me changed, the air grew chillier, the light dimmed, as if I was stepping into another world. The trees loomed above me, their branches forming a cover that blocked out most of the sky.

But none of them bothered me, none of them were important. The voice, the voice was closer now, clearer. It wasn't the soft breeze of the wind, wasn't the mind playing tricks of me due to my sense of longing, no. It was her.

I couldn't rack an explanation how I knew. I hadn't seen her, hadn't heard her name, but there was no doubt in my mind that it was her. The one I had been searching for without even knowing it. The one who had been waiting for me.

I moved deeper into the forest, traversed through the blanket of moss and leaves, following the sound, the sweet melody, following her voice. The air was thick with the smell of a mix of earth and pine, yet I heeded it no mind. The light was dimming, the shadows thickened, yet I paid them no mind. For I know, the distance between me and her was growing closer.

And then there she was.

She stood in the center of a small clearing, bathed in the soft light of the sun. Her back was turned toward me, her shoulder length, dark hair, flowing against the breeze. She wore a simple, white sleeveless gown, the fabric rippling, dancing gently, in the wind. For a moment, I simply stood there, watching her, my heart beating hard in my chest.

I didn't know what to say. I merely stood there in silent awe. After a while of me awkwardly staring at her back, the slow ripple of her gown, her dark hair dancing in the wind. Why does all of this seem familiar?

I inhaled a gust of air, mustered up the courage and began to walk toward her, until we were a hand reach away from each other.

Before I could speak, she turned toward me.

"Beautiful."

Her eyes met mine, and everything else faded away. The forest, the trees, the leaves, even the soft blanket of grass and moss, the world around us seemed to blur, leaving me and her standing in that clearing.

Eyes hazel in color, beautiful and bright, warm with delight. It carried this elegance when one would gaze upon the shining stars, or the beauty of a field of flowers. It was truly surreal; it was like I was caught in a trance.

There was something about this woman before me, something about her that stirred a memory just beyond my reach. It was as if I remembered her from somewhere, a place I couldn't remember.

Then, she smiled.

But, before I could speak, to ask who she was, where I was. Before I could utter a single word, she reached out, her fingers brushing against my hand.

And in that moment, in that very moment, I woke up.

"Fuck."