Swapped Sides

by JetWave Wavewind

Discovering the unknown

When I awoke from my daze I was on the shore of a small lake. As I sat up I saw the lake sparkle out of the corner of my eye, when I looked I saw the house-shaped cloud from before being reflected on the surface, there were a few ripples so it was slightly distorted.

I looked up to see it in the sky and there was no doubting it, it actually WAS a house made out of clouds, floating about 2 stories above the lake surface. I didn't have my glasses with me when I fell through the portal and I can't see long distances very well with out them, but from what I could tell it wasn't a very big house. It seemed to be only one story with what looked like a garden, or at least a cloud formation made to look like a garden; with a statue to the left of the door and a staircase leading up too it. The two materials that made up the staircase were very different from each other. They started out being made of earth from the bottom going up and when you were about a quarter of the way to the top, the earth stairs stopped and stairs made up of clouds finished the assent. I walked over to them thinking that if half of them are made of rock then surely wherever I am walking on clouds was possible.

When I reached the top of the grounded stairs I was quickly proven wrong with my theorizing by way of having my foot go straight through the first cloud step I tried to use. At the risk of loosing my balance, and falling for the second time today; I squatted and grabbed the stairs that were actually tangable, shaking slightly.

"Well.. so much for that idea" I mumbled to myself as I looked back up to the house of clouds.

I had really hoped that I would've been able to talk to someone up there about where I was and about that strange fall. Even though the earth staircase only made up about a quarter of the stairs overall, I could still clearly see that the house wasn't just a floating mass of cumulonimbus. Even though it was gentle, I could still feel a breeze blowing that ought to have made it blow away by now.

Having regained my balance from before, I sat down and looked around at the house and the landscape. There were a few trees and bushes scattered about here and there and a peaceful looking forest in the distance. Then my eyes fell on the lake. The staircase I was on was flanked by it to the left and the water seemed to be deep enough for a high dive off into. I considered the idea for a moment and eventually thought, why not? I was just wearing my old gym shorts and a button up flannel after all.

I took off the flannel and walked down to a height where I wouldn't feel queasy, folded up my flannel and jumped into the water. The water was cool and refreshing, the perfect temperature for the warm summer day it seemed to be here. I hadn't even noticed I was sweaty from wearing that flannel until the water washed over me. I played around in the water for most of the afternoon, jumping off of the stairs many more times. I Decided that I should probably find somewhere safe to stay the night when I noticed that the sun was beginning to set behind the forest that now looked as though any vile creature could come out of it during the night.

Even though it was a few miles away I still didn't want to be anywhere near it by nightfall, so I grabbed up my flannel and started walking away from the lake, in the opposite direction of the forest; and kept my eye out for anything that might make a decent shelter for the night. I lucked out by finding a log cabin a small ways away that seemed to be in pretty good condition. It was a bit smaller than most homes, but only in way that I would have to duck before using the door. I knocked at the door expecting no more surprises for the day, just hopping I would be able to rest. I was once again proven wrong in my thinking when the owner of the cabin opened the door.