Field of Dreams

As Shift stepped into the deepening black, the sound of rushing water faded. He wasn’t sure why, but he felt no need to turn around. Rather, he was drawn towards the solid darkness in front of him. His eyes being of little help, he closed them, allowing his sense of touch to guide him. Taking small steps to avoid tripping over the stones that lay in his path, Shift moved forward with little urgency, though a knot of apprehension had managed to take up residence in his stomach.

Time passed indiscriminately as Shift marched forward into the unknown. Shift took a step and something light brushed against his face. With another step, he felt it cover the front of his body. Invisible threads, clinging tentatively to his body as if he had stepped through a spider web. He walked forward, feeling the threads stretch across his body, only offering the slightest of resistance to his progress. Pulling free of the web, Shift continued forward. Within a few paces a cool wind whispered through the tunnel and a dull light appeared through Shift’s closed eyelids.

Easing his eyes open, Shift found the light much closer than he anticipated, laying only ten meters before him. Quickening his pace, Shift walked out of the tunnel and into the glaring sun. Squinting to protect his oversaturated eyes, it take a few moments before he realizes that something is terribly odd about where he has found himself. He stood at the edge of a broad, circular field encased in tall canyon walls. Evenly spaced along the bottom of the canyon, arched stone entrances were greeted by the tall grass that covered the entire floor of the opening. In the center of the field stands a massive tree, twisted with age. Despite its obvious aged appearance, the tree seemed surprisingly lively covered with broad leaves that seemed to carefully hold the sun’s light. On the far side of where Shift stood, beyond the great tree, is a narrow, open trench that curves out of sight. But none of these things struck Shift as odd. It was two other things that made him feel uneasy in this serene landscape.

Leaving the arches that lined the canyon floor are pairs of people in wet robes. In every case, a proud, slender woman preceded a second figure, moving with resignation past the tree towards the trench beyond it. There was no indication of dominance or anger or resentment among each pair, but emotion still charged the air, making Shift’s stomach knot tighten. Second, an even more disturbing to him was that this canyon, the drenched people, the tall grass, the regal tree at the field’s center, were all devoid of color.