Delete: Rune

I opened my eyes, breathing in the scent of day. My head felt like cotton and my back ached. Wincing, I pushed myself up on my elbows. The sun shone directly in my face, and I blinked it away, using a hand to shield my eyes.

The clouds were pretty today.

I lowered my hand, looking down at my surroundings. I was on top of a hill, beside a small but lively looking town. People scurried around, looking as small as insects from my vantage point. They were blissfully going about their days, unaware of…

Unaware of what?

I blinked again. My head was pounding. Unaware of nothing. Nothing was wrong as far as the eye could see. I stared at my shoes.

The grass was so green.

Another blink and I raised myself to sitting position. The world was warm and bright. It was comforting. It was normal. 

Normal.

The word repeated in my head like axe felling a tree. Something about everything being normal seemed strange. What about it was normal? My hand slid to my neck and grasped the key that hung there.

A key? A key to what?

I opened my palm, staring blankly at the little black box that sat in its center. It didn’t even look like a key. Why would I call it a key? Crawling to my feet, I stared down the hill. My hand fell from my neck as I stepped forward, my feet moving habitually towards the town. 

“Hey Eran.” I blinked in surprise as I heard my name. Was it my name? I turned to the man who had spoken it. I’d been so caught in a haze that I hadn’t seen him approach. His eyes were glued to mine and he’d stopped walking. It was obvious he was speaking to me.

“Excuse me, sir, but where are we?”

He smiled. “Rune.”