Maladaptive Daydreaming..? (pt. 2)
[MASUMI's POV]
It felt so real. My senses were telling me it was as genuine as it could get. The change of direction of the wind, the warm breeze that brushed off my skin, the brightness of my surroundings so bright that I was temporarily blinded, all of this I wasn't able to process properly since everything happened ever so suddenly in the spur of the moment.
As my pupils adjusted to the environment's sudden change of atmosphere, I was taken aback by the scenery in front of my eyes. My eyes scoured the surroundings while asking my own sanity.
I thought to myself, "Did the school disappear? Or was it the other way around?" By this point, I was totally convinced that whatever happened during that short period, I got transported into an unknown world for, well, unknown reasons.
I was genuinely appalled, as I was looking at this with my very own eyes, thinking to myself...
"Is this actually real?"
As I looked around, there was nothing obscure nor peculiar but only plains of grass, stretching in all directions of the vicinity.
"No way..." I began to worry, thinking that this seemingly never-ending sight of plains would be the cause of my own demise. I knelt down and tried to touch the grass to see if I would feel anything quote-unquote "real".
As soon as I touched the grass, however, I felt a pretty sharp feeling, which confirmed the worst-case scenario. Thinking that it's probably useless to try and return to the world where I once was without knowing what I am actually doing, I temporarily took my worries aside and began observing everything more neatly.
On my left, I noticed a long streak of dirt without grass the size of a pavement—which I assumed to be a road and my best chance to encounter a civilization. Asking for help or any information about the mystery behind this uncanny experience was one of my top priorities at the time as I planned on taking that road, which was practically the most obvious and reasonable first step to make.
However, as I was about to take my first step...
BAM!!!
I almost fell and tripped myself, not because I stepped on a rock or something, but because...
I was back at school! Again!
"What the— huh?" These unusual turns of events made me stop and process what have I just experienced. The peculiarity of this strange phenomenon prompted me to double-check to see if the school was actually "real" and not a work of my other-worldly imagination.
I got back to my senses as I looked at the clock.
12:36:45 PM...
12:36:46 PM...
Huh?
That confused me even more.
I looked at the school's clock at the other end of the hallway, making sure that my watch was not broken or something.
Turns out my watch was not dead; it was as true as it could get.
"I came here just a minute ago, but that felt like five minutes. What the hell is going on..." I know I'm not that good at Math, but I'm pretty sure the time right now should've been around three minutes later than the current time suggests.
I was considering brushing it off since it must have been a very immersive form of daydreaming. "Right! That must've been maladaptive daydreaming—"
"That can't be, though... It felt too real for even me to consider it to be a work of my vivid imagination." I walked back to my classroom with these very profound, but ridiculous what-ifs forming in my head.
What if it was real?
What if it was connected to our real world?
What if it was an uncharted world that only I could enter?
That sensation felt a bit too real to be ignored. I was thinking so hard that I lost my sense of direction while walking.
I'd probably look like a fool if I told anyone about this. The absurdity of this situation makes me want to go crazy!
Oh well, might as well take it upon myself.
I began coming back to my class with fears of getting late, disregarding the peculiar experiences I had earlier as I had priorities far more important to fulfill for the day.
"I wonder..."
[4 HOURS LATER]
"I'm home!" I closed our door as I left my shoes on the rack, undressed myself, and tossed the dirty clothes into the dryer.
Ah right...
...no one's home.
Mom's at work, while my Dad... went out to get some milk. My mom would rarely come home because she'd be living in an apartment closer to her workspace. Because of this, I became a self-proclaimed housekeeper. I'd do my laundry, make my own food, do some household chores, everything to keep the house well-maintained and self-sufficient. In return, she would give me some monthly allowance to keep myself well-put in our home.
I am more proud of this as a man since most of my classmates of my age can't do the things I can. It's something I'm quite proud of!
Well... it's the only thing I think I excel at.
I went into my room and lay down on my bed.
Ah right, about that...
If I let my mind roam freely, then...
To test my hypothesis, I sat in a 'meditative' position. I began thinking about the most outrageous thoughts—from mythical dragons to reincarnation and even zombie apocalypse! All of the possible wild shenanigans I could possibly think of in a span of about 10 minutes I did, but nothing happened.
I pondered a bit, thinking of other ways to trigger another lucid dream, an uncontrollable lucid dream to be precise.
"How about if I..." After that, I started to think about the love letter I wrote for Katsumi—
WAIT! I FORGOT ABOUT THAT LETTER!
With this in mind, I overwhelmed my thoughts with that incident earlier. I used my anxiety as I channeled it with a bunch of random scenarios in my mind.
COME ON! WORK IT OUT!
COME ONNNN!!!!!
GAHHHHH!!!!!
Still, to no avail. I gave up and presumably concluded that it was all just an illusion, and it felt just as real as it is in the real world.
But still, I can't invalidate the sensation I experienced earlier. The wind that breezed my skin, the warmth that embraced my body, and the grass I touched; all of this I couldn't help but wonder what really happened earlier.
"I'm such an idiot..." I thought as I went to take a nap.
It was all silent in my room, so I was fast asleep.
But then, a gush of wind smeared all over my face.
"Huh?" I was confused since the windows weren't open the last time I checked it.
When I rolled over, it felt a bit stingy underneath the sheaths. It was an uncanny feeling, but since I was half-asleep, I didn't take much notice.
Also, I turned off the lights so why...
That's where it hit me.
Immediately after I realized this, I opened my eyes and saw that I was lying in the plain fields.
The same grass plains I saw earlier.
"That makes sense now. I was drowsing off when I was at school before I got to that point. Now that I have fallen to a nap, I am now in this world, eh?"
Interesting.
"I cannot waste this opportunity now!" I told myself as I stood up and began slowly walking...
...to explore this other-worldly parallel world.