Thin rays of light penetrated the thick canopy of trees. The foliage was so thick that I could no longer see the clear blue sky. The air felt heavy, and I was feeling uncomfortable. I continued to walk along the beaten path in the very heart of this unnamed forest. Sweat poured down my face, so I stopped for a while to rest. That's when I realized that something was wrong. There was not a single sound. I could not hear the chirping of the birds, or even the sound of insects. It was deathly quiet. Then I noticed a pair of bright, yellow eyes staring at me. Five Hunter Foxes came out from where they were hiding and surrounded me. They all walked on their hind legs and aimed their single-barrel shotguns at me. I could see their saliva dripping from their sharp, yellow teeth.

I pulled out my gun and aimed at one of them. They rushed at me, their eyes looking hungry, very hungry. They moved silently like the trained killers they were, ready to take me down. Three loud gunshots echoed throughout the forest. Three of the foxes crumpled to the ground, one by one. I felt excited now that I know the foxes were easy to beat. I was confident that I could take the remaining foxes. However, the other two foxes snuck up behind me. I realized too late, and the two foxes each delivered a blow to my head. It was sudden, and my vision became blurry. I tried to remain on my feet. The pain was excruciating. I felt like my head was going to burst. I blacked out on the grassy forest floor.

I woke up with a start and immediately stood up. Big mistake, my head was still pounding, and the sudden change in my posture caused me to feel nauseous. I tried to clear my head, but I couldn't. It was too noisy. I rubbed my eyes, and looked at my surroundings. I was in the middle of a large pedestrian crossing. There were people everywhere, and the noise they were making was deafening. I limped to some serious looking businessmen and asked where I was, but they didn't notice me. I began to wave my hand in front of them, but they still didn't notice me. Something was definitely wrong.

Suddenly, a sharp pain raced through my right hand. I looked at it and I could see a countdown timer on the palm of my hand. Now I was scared. Past experiences tell me that timers normally represent something bad, like a bomb, or the amount of time left in a lifespan. I felt a heaviness in my heart. I began to run as fast as I could, to get away from all this confusion that clouded my thoughts. I just ran, bumping into everything in my path, be it a person or a thing. I could feel the bruises on my body, blood running down from a cut I got from bumping into someone. But, I wouldn't stop for the world.

Before I realized it, I was running in a wide expanse of grassy hills. I could see the beautiful azure sky, and I could feel the warmth of the sun on my face. The heaviness I felt earlier disappeared. I realized how beautiful life really is. I look at my right hand, and the timer was no longer there. I felt extremely relieved. I decided to sit down on the ground and survey my surroundings. A cool wind blew, and I felt relaxed for the first time after a long while. The noise that clouded my thoughts, cleared. I lay down on the soft grass, and closed my eyes.

"TJ! Wake up! You're sleeping in front of the TV again!" I quickly woke up and found myself in my room in front of the TV with a game controller in my hands. My mom was standing at the door telling me it was time for dinner. I quickly got up, turned off the TV and the console and headed to the dining room. As I walked down the stairs, I remembered what I have seen a while ago. In those worlds, I have seen the beauty of life, the treacheries of the world, and the serenity of nature. I can live lives that would be impossible in reality. I could experience things that common sense would say is impossible. I have just traversed the borders separating the different planes of reality. I have entered parallel worlds.

Sources:

Dark Cloud Picture

www.armchairempire.com/images/previews/ps2/dark- cloud-2/dark-cloud-2-4.jpg

The World Ends with You picture www.siliconera.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/wend_sbucks.jpg

Dragon Quest picture

www.gameplaymonthly.com/games/dq8/1.jpg