Adventure in a Virtual World

Have you ever fallen asleep somewhere other than your bed and upon waking you have no idea where you are for a moment? That’s how I felt, except that it was for more than just a moment and I certainly was nowhere near my own bed, much less the computer I could have sworn I had just been sitting in front of. I was now standing in a field of the greenest grass I had ever seen. The sun above radiated the familiar comforting warmth of a calm spring day and yet it felt completely different. These soft beams of light reached out and kept reaching until they touched the very soul of the land, beautifying everything they touched. Although I was in an unfamiliar place I could feel its rays penetrating my very being, comforting my heart, as if to say everything will be okay. Flowers were blooming and the trees encircling the clearing flourished in a spectacular bouquet of nature. 

It took me awhile to realize I was not alone. There were six of us together in that field of wonder, each emanating an aura of curiosity, overwhelmed by the assault on our senses. For awhile we just stood there, silently acknowledging the existence of one another. It was just so serene we were afraid that if anyone spoke the illusion would be shattered and we’d find ourselves back in our respective bodies, thrust back into our own boring, normal lives. Until at long last a familiar voice pierced the air.

“Where the heck are we?” asked a young looking brown haired boy in annoyance. “And who the heck are you all?”

“You... you’re shorter than I imagined you would be,” a tall young man wearing glasses managed to say before bursting into a fit of laughter. “You’re but just a kid!” he exclaimed between heaving breaths. After all the months I had known him, I never expected Ryan to be capable of sounding so amused.

“I turned nineteen this year genius, who are you calling kid?” the young boy replied, attempting to make his baritone voice sound even lower.

“Wait, Keith? I always thought that you were like thirty or something,” said the pretty, bright red-haired girl of about twenty. The sun shone brightly off her creamy white skin. Although I had never seen a picture of what she looked like I knew that this must be Shana, I’d recognize that voice anywhere.

“You shouldn’t be the one to talk barbie, are you like twelve or something?”

“Come on Keith, there’s no reason to be a jerk.” Elliot, always the voice of reason, I thought to myself. Next to Elliot stood a very confused young woman who I assumed to be his girlfriend. The group continued to make remarks and hurl insults at each other until I finally had enough and spoke up.

“Well, it looks like the gang’s all here. Where is here though?” I asked. It was obvious no one knew the answer, but I was determined to figure it out.

Straight ahead of me at the edge of the field was a break in the trees where they ran parallel on either side of what appeared to be a path. As beautiful as the field was, I doubted that we’d get any answers just standing around and so we set off to explore. We walked in silence for the next fifteen minutes before the forest around us thinned and opened up to a valley. Below us stood a city, but it wasn’t like any city we had seen outside of TV shows or movies. Every last building was made of stone and in the very center there was no mistaking it, a castle.

Continuing along the path we walked, we walked right up to where the dirt path met the city’s stone street and that is where we stopped. No more than ten feet ahead of us was a faintly shimmering veil, marking the city’s border. The others seemed unnerved but as for me, I finally knew where we were. Giving them a quick smile I led them to the other side of the veil, into the city, the mythical city of Calemdor.