I looked up at the wide sky covered in bright green, dancing light. It seemed so close, as if it was just above the trees, touching the frozen, naked forest canopy. I could hear my dog’s worried pacing, but he drifted away as the light reached down and became all-encompassing.

Suddenly, I fell into a tunnel of my own mind, like shooting through an electric cable while my body stayed behind in the snow. When I came to myself, I saw that I was standing naked in a pitch black space. I felt as if I was somewhere at the bottom of the spirit world.

I had an umbilical cord stretching from my navel and out into the darkness, disappearing in the shadows. As soon as I saw the cord, it scared me. It had a darkness to it, and it was feeding me, and at the same time trapping me here.

I had been in this other world before, and during these times I had practiced changing my form and summoning tools and weapons. So I lifted my hand, made it into a knife, and cut the cord in a swift movement. For a moment I felt a deep sense of relief, but it was short lasting - a storm of black snakes shot towards me from all directions. I quickly created a shield around me, but the creatures kept pushing and sneering towards me, and the shield closed in and pushed me towards the ground.

I knew I couldn’t hold them off for very long. As a last resort, I prayed. I don’t believe in religion, but God is a matter of definition.

Benevolent father, vengeful warmonger? Collective spirit, Earth?

However one sees it, I prayed, and soon a light lowered down above me. The creatures escaped, and a hand reached down towards me. I touched it, and the next moment I flew upwards, all the way up to the stars and moon.

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