A light tickle on my face from stray strands of hair made me wince. But I couldn't shake off my slumber. For the first time in days, I was enjoying a good, deep sleep. I didn't really want to give it up so quickly.

  I brushed my hair back with a slightly lazy gesture. Almost immediately a light gust of wind swept it back over my face. I'll have to get up after all: it looks like I fell asleep and forgot to close the window. In addition, my nose caught a faintly sweet scent, suspiciously similar to my perfume. Well, if this cat had been snooping around again and knocked over the bottle…

  Any sleepiness vanished—replaced by regret about the perfume and irritation at the furry troublemaker.

  I tried to brush the hair out of my face again, but it was no use. So I sleepily opened my eyes, simultaneously trying to lift myself off the mattress. My fingers spread, feeling something soft and... wet. Unpleasant.

  That snapped me awake.

  With a short, somewhat shocked breath, I sat up, pulling my hands away from what I'd found. The sudden movement made me feel slightly dizzy for a moment. And then a gust of wind picked up, and my long hair fell over my eyes again. Too long. Before, I'd thought it had grown out and was time for a haircut, but... not that long. It felt like it was really tangled. Had I fallen asleep with wet hair?

  Whether it was the wind or that last thought, I suddenly felt a little chilly. But first, I needed to get myself together and finally close the window. Then, sort out this strange, sticky object and…

  The moment I brushed my hair aside, every other thought vanished. Only confusion remained.

  There was nothing to close after all: around me, instead of the familiar bedroom walls and window, there was only an unfamiliar park. A well-kept lawn, bushes with dark rose buds and trees towering behind them. Judging by the sound of water, there was a fountain somewhere nearby.

  I froze, bewilderment. A second later, I reached out and pinched my cheek. I must’ve pinched myself way too hard, because it immediately became very painful. It also felt a little sticky and disgusting. Like I'd gotten something smeared all over my face... I immediately imagined slugs in my mind, and nausea rose in my throat.

  I looked down, dumbfounded. I was sitting on a stone path, with sparse grass sprouting through the gaps. It was as if I'd fallen. Nearby there was thicker grass and damp earth, in which someone had dug deep little furrows. And looking at my dirt-covered fingers, I realized that this someone was me.

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  Panic grew within me. Water. The thought flashed through my mind. The gurgling I'd heard was somewhere nearby. Find water, and wash, and... But this simple thought was immediately lost against the backdrop of growing panic inside, along with the feeling of pressure in my chest.

  An unknown garden, not my apartment. It all seems like a dream, but the pain from the pinch and the feeling of dirt on my face are real.

  I frantically tried to recall all the events of the previous day, though it was difficult in my state. But yesterday there were definitely no meetings that would have required me to spend the night at someone's place outside the city or to indulge in excess. I clearly remember falling asleep in my apartment. And for a prank, it all seemed too disgusting.

  Thinking was almost impossible. All I wanted was to scream and clutch at my hair. And yet, it felt like there was no air in my lungs, and I couldn't take a single breath; my skin was tingling. I desperately repeated to myself, Pull yourself together, but it sounded like I was saying it to someone else. But it had to be done. At least to understand what to do next.

  Breathe in.

  Breathe out.

  Slow. Steady…

  Somehow I managed to calm the storm inside me. But it was still there—just under a thin veil, ready to break through again. And envelop me in screams.

  Stop, there's a way out of every situation. Even such a strange one, full of unanswered questions.

  I tried to get up from the path. My body felt stiff and alien. Still, I managed to stay on my feet. But the next moment, I almost fell on the path again, as I stepped on the hem of my dress. Fortunately, I didn't fall, but the unmistakable sound of tearing fabric reached my ears.

  On my second try, I managed to stand up to my full height. I noticed I was barefoot, and judging by the dirt on my feet and the leaves and blades of grass clinging to them, I clearly hadn't gotten here on the paths. A half-torn piece of light-gray fabric from my nightgown—not a dress, as I'd initially assumed—was now trailing behind me. And the garment had clearly suffered even before I'd even tried to stand, as there were plenty of holes in the hem.

  I barely stood up when I felt a slight dizziness. I managed to stay standing, but I wished I had something to hold on to. I needed to get to the fountain. But as soon as I took a step toward the sound of running water, a sharp pain shot through my right foot. I cursed, clenching my teeth, and instinctively leaned over to see what was going on... Well, without proper support, that was a mistake.

  The trees and bushes blurred before my eyes. I seemed to be lurching left... or right. I couldn't quite make sense of anything. The world slipped away, and panic and nausea only intensified.

  Someone's arms caught me, and the world around me blurred into a whirl of colors, like a spinning teacup ride. The dance of color and light quickly ceased, and only a pale blue sky and someone's silhouette appeared before my eyes. I couldn't quite make out who it was, but it was definitely a man.

  However, the next second I no longer cared, as the feeling of nausea washed over me even more intensely, and my consciousness sank into darkness.