• Richard woke up but did not open eyes. He was lying flat on his back and he could feel the warmth of the sun on face. He could feel the lush grass beneath his hands and between his fingers. He could smell the many different aromas of trees, shrubs, flowers, and other plant life that one would find in a forest. He could also hear the subtle sounds of bird chirping and of a gentle breeze. He was convinced that he was in fact in a forest. But he still didn't open his eyes to take in what must be the beautiful scenery around him. No, the first thing he needed to do was to stop his heart from beating so hard, take control of his breathing before he hyper ventilated and convince himself that wasn't crazy.

    He shouldn't be in a forest. He should be in his bed in his small apartment in L.A. His mind raced with questions. Had he been drugged? He didn't feel any different last night when he had gone to bed. Besides if he had been drugged, Who and why? Was this some kind of joke being played on him by his friends? Did they sign him up for some stupid reality show? But even if that was the case, how in the hell did they move him from L.A. to the middle of a forest? The only logical way they could have moved him was by car and Richard had always been a very light sleeper so they would have had to drug him. He didn't feel any after effects like grogginess or stomach sickness however that would accompany waking up from such a potent drug. None of the answers he came up with seem to make much sense except maybe one. He must still be dreaming. This sure didn't feel like a dream though. He had to open his eyes. He had to see if the reality that he sensed all around him was the same reality that he could see.


    He opened his eyes and saw the towering trees stretching toward the sky all around him. He got to his feet. He heart sank as he slowly scanned his surrounding area. He was sure now he wasn't dreaming, as far as he could see in every direction was the dense forest he woke up in. Despite his best efforts to stay calm his mind began to slide into an unproductive and uncontrolled panic. He had camped with family and friends before so he was no stranger to the forest. It had been five years since his last trip though and he had never camped without bringing supplies. Without food, water, a tent for shelter, or any matches or lighters to start a fire, he might as well have never even seen a forest before. "What the f**k is going on?" he thought. "How do i get out of here? What if I can't get out here?"


    His attention then shifted to something that he was surprised he was just now noticing. He realized he was wearing something strait out of one those renaissance fairs. He was wearing all black leather from his shoes to his chest. The leather was thicker and more padded in the torso area but was still very light. He also had a black cape on that draped over his shoulders and hung down to the ankles of his feet. The most notable part of his new found cloths was the belt that held a pair of daggers. He withdrew one of the daggers and held it up in front of him. The dagger was double bladed and about two feet in length. The hilt was an intricate design apparently meant to be both stylish and to provide a good grip for the weapon. A jet black jewel was firmly embedded in the bottom of the hilt. He pressed his thumb against the blade to test if it was sharp or not. With only a small amount of pressure the blade sliced the skin on his thumb leaving him with a wound the size of a paper cut. Richard was surprised that the blade was indeed real instead of being blunted and by how sharp it had to be to cut him without him running his thumb down the blade. Richard pinched his thumb and forefinger together for a few seconds to stop the little bit of blood that was seeping from the cut.


    What was stranger still to Richard was how familiar the weapon felt in his hand. He withdrew the other dagger from it's hilt with his left hand. This dagger was identical to other one. Considering that Richard had never held any kind of bladed weapon bigger than a steak knife, He should have felt awkward. Instead, He not only felt comfortable with the daggers, He felt like he could easily defend himself with them. He tried out a couple of test swings, swinging with both arms from side to side then up and down. A smile slowly started to form from the corners of his mouth. He felt like some warrior from one those fantasy movies where magic and monsters were common place.


    His mind snapped back to his present situation and Richard immediately scolded himself. "Here I am, lost in a forest, with no idea how I got here and no idea how to get back and I'm playing in fantasy land like an idiot" His mind shot back to a thought he had earlier. He must be on one those stupid shows where they make a fool of some poor person for the mild amusement of the audience. He face burned red hot with embarrassment. "here I am flailing around like I'm Peter Pan and s**t while the guys behind the camera are getting a good laugh at my expense. They might have kept me going a little longer if they didn't put me in this stupid outfit" He sheathed the daggers and decided to call their bluff.


    "Good job guys. You really had me going. But look I'm not completely stupid so you can come out now." He said. He made sure to speak at a loud enough volume that the microphones could pick up what he was saying. He waited a few minutes with no response. "Come on people, Jokes over." He waited a few more minutes with no response. He became a little irritated but since he realized that getting angry and making a scene might encourage them to continue the charade even longer, He came up with a more boring and passive tactic. "Well since you guys don't seem to eager to end your joke yet, I'm just going to start walking until you are." Still no answer was given to him. "OK then" he said with a sigh. "Lets walk this way". And with that, Richard started walking away from the rising sun.