Cloud stepped outside of the stifling confines of the grocery store with a sigh, yet another long day weighed heavily on his shoulders and his legs felt like lead. He hated this place but it was the only place where he had been able to secure a job, as low paying as it was. Every little bit counted though, he was entirely on his own now.

Ever since his mother had died when he was 10 years old, he and his younger brother, Sky, had been bounced from one foster home to the next. They had no idea who their father was but apparently he hadn’t wanted them, otherwise they might not have been in this situation to begin with. Things hadn’t always been smooth but they always had each other…at least until now.

As soon as Cloud had turned 18, he had decided to strike out on his own. He was at least able to keep in touch with his younger brother and hoped that one day he could secure a stable enough living that he could take Sky into his care. At least, that was the plan. It was a lot harder in practice than it had been on paper. A year had turned into two and before he knew it he was in his 20’s and Sky was celebrating his sweet 16. How time flew.

Cloud shook his head and turned off the sidewalk and headed into the woods that he walked through twice a day almost every day. It was faster than taking the winding sidewalk back to his tiny apartment, and more relaxing at that. He felt more at home here than anywhere else, away from the stifling buildings and noisy cars and hard concrete. Tonight, though, the woods felt a bit different. The hair on the back of Cloud’s neck stood on end as he went deeper and deeper into the forest He couldn’t explain why but the energy felt…different. More charged, more…alive.

Out of the corner of his eye, Cloud suddenly saw something flicker. Like an old TV set turning off and on. He stopped and glanced in that direction, frowning. Nothing was there…at least he didn’t think there was. There! It did it again! Beside a spindly old aspen, something was flickering…or fluttering. Cloud stepped a bit closer, curious. What was he seeing? The closer he got, the more he could make out. The flicker was more like…a tear. Like a tear through a sheet that was fluttering in the wind, and on the other side he could see…something, a forest but definitely not the same woods that he was in.

Cloud reached out, wondering if he was dreaming or jut hallucinating. He hadn’t gotten a whole lot of sleep lately. His hand slipped through the “tear” and a shock went through him, as if he’d touched something electric. Cloud let out a yelp and withdrew his hand, eying the strange fluttering tear in the air with distrust and confusion. This had to be a dream. Things like this simply didn’t exist! It was as if someone had cut a hole right through the fabric of space itself!

But what if it wasn’t a dream? Curiosity got the better of him. Cloud shifted his bag off his shoulder and reached into the tear again. He winced as he felt that electric shock again, but it passed quickly. In its wake, he felt a tingling sensation. For a second, he wondered if he ought to just turn around and go home. What would happen if he stepped through this tear? What if he never returned? Something was pulling him though, urging him to step through. Maybe it was curiosity, maybe it was something else.

Before he could make a decision though, Cloud felt something clamp down on his arm and yank him forward. He fell into the tear with a cry and found himself tumbling through darkness. This was it! He was as good as dead! He messed with something he shouldn’t have and now he was lost forever! At least, that was what he thought. Gradually, the sensation of falling eased, as if he were simply floating like a feather now. Cloud looked around himself, wondering how long he would float here in darkness. He had been so stupid to mess with that weird thing!

He didn’t have to wonder for long. Suddenly, a light appeared in the distance. No, not a light, a figure. A bright white figure. Cloud squinted, trying to making it out. Then it started to move…toward him! Cloud hardly dared breathe as it moved closer and closer, gradually growing clearer. It was a deer, a whitetail buck with bright blue eyes. Cloud felt a strange feeling go through him. It seemed familiar somehow, nostalgic. Maybe he was imagining but he thought he could smell the scents of a forest and hear the chirps of birds.

The buck stopped just inches from him. Cloud could see now that it wasn’t actually white, but gray and transparent, as if it were a ghost. Cloud reached out toward the buck, mesmerized. He felt like he knew this deer somehow, as if he had seen it somewhere before.

The buck lowered his head, pressing his muzzle into Cloud’s hand. Suddenly, Cloud felt an electric shock go through him and his vision went white. He felt like he was spinning, visions flashing though his head too fast for him to process. Then, he lost consciousness. The last thing he knew was the scent of a forest and the chirping of birds and the faint thought that this was the strangest dream he had ever had.

When he woke, it was anything but a dream. Where was he?