1 Eyes Open

I do not know how it happened, only that it did. One moment I close my eyes on my couch after an ever so fulfilling day at the office, no not really if any of you didn't get the sarcasm, and the next moment I open them, I am in a completely new place, in a completely new body, and I have absolutely no clue what the hell is going on.

To say that my life up until this point was dull would definitely be an understatement. I was a twenty seven year-old office worker, for whom every single day was the exact same, monotonous repetition of the day before. To top it all off I basically had no family to turn to, no partner in life, and the only thing waiting for me when I got home were the unpaid bill notices sitting on top of my living room table. 

With a clack of the door lock gears setting into place I turned my house keys twice counterclockwise, and with a screech of unmaintained door hinges I stepped into my apartment. After yet another day at the office I flicked on the light switch, the lightbulb flickering a few times before turning on, and lazily threw off my shoes into the corner near my front door. After taking off my jacket, I shook it a few times to get rid of the water clinging onto it, as it began raining the moment I got off the bus, and hung it up on the coat hanger which stood nearby.

Making my way inside I was met with the view of my apartment. A window on the far side of the room right in front of me, covered with blinds that no longer worked and just stayed open. To my right is a couch, in front of it a low dark wooden table covered in various magazines, bill notices, and a couple empty soda cans. To my left, my TV, not completely ancient but old enough to have thick bezels, atop an old TV stand of the same color as the table. My kitchen was next to the front door, a small counter and sink with unwashed dishes from yesterday, or maybe the day before, I do not know for sure. Next to my couch was a door leading into my bedroom, with a single queen sized bed, and a bedside table to the left on top of which stood a small lamp.

It was a small place, but more than enough for a single guy to live in. Flopping down onto my couch, I leaned over to grab the remote, and turned on the TV. But as I was scrolling through the channels I saw nothing interesting to catch my eye, so simply turning on the news I stood up, walked over to the fridge, grabbed a can of coke, and lazily sat back down. I sat there for about half an hour, and seeing nothing new besides what team won today's hockey game and what new argument the politicians stirred up, I turned the TV off. Then collecting all the empty cans off the table I chucked them into the trash bin right there from the couch, missing four out of the five shots, before wearily sighing and slouching back down into the cushioning.

How did I end up this way? And to think that once I had aspirations, some sort of goals in life, but where are they now? Was partying really that more important than preparing for college finals? If I partied, then what meaning did my goals back then even carry if I was too lazy to even work towards achieving them? Well, it's not like I can reverse back time and beat some sense into the past so that he wouldn't end up like the eyesore I am now. I truly wish that that was possible though, but the reality of life choices is such that you must face the consequences, and I am no exception to this rule. All I can do now is either whine, or just accept reality.

Thinking this I fluffed up the single pillow laying on the couch, and just like that, still in my work uniform, I laid there staring into the ceiling, following a lone spider. It scurried somewhere, then froze, then scurried again, and kept repeating that cycle, as if mocking me of my day-to-day life of repetition. I felt my eyelids growing heavier as I debated whether to call in sick and take the next day off, or to drag myself back to work once again for the thousandth time.

Wow, there again, I was thinking about slacking. Hah, I truly am an incorrigible, lazy ass huh? Hilarious, if I actually would've gotten a second chance, would I actually use it, or ended up the same way I am now?

On that note, my breathing grew steadier, and I drifted off to sleep.

***

And that is how I ended up here. In a totally unfamiliar room, with complete strangers looking down on me. Besides that, the language they spoke was also unfamiliar. Foreigners? Yeah that could be the case, but then would it also make sense to believe that I was kidnapped? No...that makes no sense. If that were to be true then why am I not tied down? Actually what makes that thought even more absurd is why the hell would they kidnap a complete nobody like me? I mean, they would get nothing out of it, holding me for ransom wouldn't work because nobody would give a damn, so jokes on you. Wow what a sad individual I am, thinking about it, it's more a joke on me situation. If they wanted money then they could have just taken the stuff I own while I was out cold on my couch, but then again what is there besides my old TV that's really worth taking?

As I was debating just what the hell happened to me, it finally clicked in my stupid brain that the people I looked at seemed oddly giant compared to me. Also, why the hell am I wrapped in some kind of blanket? Oi, people, I do not know who you are or what you want, but unhand me this ins...!

Just then, I noticed that my hands, no, not only that, the entirety of my arms, were much different than I remembered. As I was wrestling myself out of the blanket wrapping around me I finally took a good look at them. Tiny fingers, tiny palms, and short stubby arms. What the hell is actually going on here? This is most definitely not my body, why am I an infant? In the midst of examining my new weird infantile body that I acquired, God knows how, I took a look at the people surrounding me. The three of them with long white hair, one with blue eyes, the other two with green, wearing weird clothes that were definitely not something you would see someone wearing in the US, some kind of middle ages fashion, but the one thing that struck me the most were, the pointed ears. Ok, were these freaks cosplayers or something? Fairytale obsessed kidnappers? But no, those ears do not seem to be fake, and my body is most definitely that of a newborn. Just what the hell is going on? Did I seriously get reincarnated?

Wait, let's take a deep breath and calmly assess the situation. I am in some kind of infantile body, check, surrounded by two dudes and a woman wearing strange clothes with pointy ears, check, speaking a different language I have never heard of in my life, check, and in a completely different place, check. Ok so people with pointy ears judging off of fairy tales and whatnot are Elves, and I am in some infantile body. So did I actually just get reincarnated? As an elf? Like the forest dwelling and living for a thousand years type of elf? I touched my ears as a final confirmation that I am no longer who I remembered myself as, and yup, they are pointy at the top. Well shit.

The blue eyed guy, I assume he's the equivalent of that of a doctor here or something, or at least that was my first impression of him, turned to the green eyed guy, spoke something to him which was completely incomprehensible to the "newborn" me, and shook his hand. Well from the looks of it, it was some kind of congrats I guess, so I guess green-eye is my dad, and damn they have earthly mannerisms here too, didn't know there were handshakes in this world as well, cool. When the blue eyed guy left, the green eyed guy leaned in. Woah man too close, I kind of understand the whole yay I have a kid part, but some personal space would be appreciated here please and thank you. He lifted me up from the woman's arms, yeah thanks for completely disregarding my plea for personal space, though I couldn't tell him but c'mon man, the grimace I made was more than plenty, get a hint bro. He then grinned like an idiot, and said...

"Ardiel Elrond"

Safe to assume that is my name from now on. What a cliché, of course there had to be some kind of "iel" or "el" mixed into it. Thanks I guess, but for the time being I will mentally refer to myself by my earthly name if you don't mind. I guess this is the start of my "second chance" I wished for for so long, although for now it is quite awkward. It's also quite eerie to think about. Like did I actually die back there on my couch?

For the time being right now, whether this is some hyper-realistic dream or actually reality, I'm thinking of having some fun exploring this new world as a newborn.