He sat up somewhere new. Was he awake? It was hard to say. The ground below him was cold and hard and he could feel a gulf of dried saliva tightening the skin of his cheek. His head hurt, but his head always hurt. He was surrounded by nothing. No stars, no trees, not a single sound. Just dark, and the dull throbbing in his head. He sat up.

“Can I please go home?”

There was no response, but he hadn’t really been expecting one. He felt the blood rush to his temples as he pushed himself up off the ground. Thoroughly disoriented, he felt like he was hanging upside-down.

“I’m asleep. I know I’m asleep. Please just let me wake up now.”

He jumped up and down a few times, feeling the packed ground beneath his bare feet.

“I know I wasn’t supposed to fall asleep. I’m sorry, just please let me go home.”

No response. He sighed heavily and then started to walk. The sky was beginning to turn a bruised shade of purple and he could see rolling hills on the horizon. There was nothing to do now but walk, and wait to wake up. So he walked.