What Happened to Me at that Strawberry Tree?

"Mama," I chuckled through a mouthful of chewed strawberry, covering myself to try and be a little more graceful despite her joking nature during lunch together. "You didn't."

"I did," she laughed heartily, insisting she wasn't making anything up. "I promise you to this day, I will always think I vanished and got abducted by aliens."

"You've had champagne today, haven't you?" I popped a cherry in my mouth as she shook her head.

"No, Lissa, I'm actually being serious. I know it sounds funny but I wonder about it all the time." She continued to smile despite the "seriousness" of her "confession."

"No one even noticed you were gone, though," I retaliated. "A lot of the plausible cases at least have people who can confirm they vanished for numerous hours and nothing ever came from that knowledge. It was probably just a vivid dream, during a really intense nap."

"Then how come no one ever wants to sleep in that room when y'all stay here?"

A bit of breath whooshed out as I slumped back against my chair at the kitchen table. I didn't know my brothers also rejected that room. "Well, I just like the other one you have set up a little better, that's all."

"Hmm." Mama sipped her tea as I studied her carefully. "Perhaps you could prove to me that you are the one who is mistaken by sleeping there. If you visit where I visited, perhaps you can't deny what I've said."

"You just got done telling me an awful lot about where you went. I could easily lie and say I went the same place."

A smile crept across Mama's lips. "I didn't tell you the last part, though. I want to know what happens. But I'm wrong, right? So what's the problem with choosing the room you like a little less just for your dear old Mama's sake?"

She was pissing me off. She knew damn well I didn't like turning down a challenge.

"Fine, I'll have my suitcase moved before bedtime. Do you need any help with dinner later?"

Mama admitted a list of things she could do well to have help with as we finished our lunch. The rest of the day went by without any surprising or major events, but I couldn't help the nerves that were bundling in the pit of my stomach. It felt like I was going to pass out a few times when I thought about the possibilities, but the logic in my head just kept on reminding me that there was no way...

There was just no way.

I was being put through some test by someone who might not even be sane herself! A dream! And she thinks if I have the same one, it proves aliens exist.

She talked about them in detail, so if I do dream about them, then I only know what they look like because I could picture them so easily. It's not even a big deal.

And I kept telling myself that through dinnertime too. Through every bite of pot roast, carrots, potatoes, and homemade biscuits. Through every polite remark exchanged until Mama finally said it.

"You're nervous, ain't-cha?"

I dropped my fork and scowled at her. "Only nervous because you've been planting all these things to fear in my head. I'm going to prove myself right and then I'm leaving again, Mama. I don't want to play these games. I came here for a nice visit and this has turned into some weird...thing."

Mama smiled sadly as she picked up her plate to rinse off in the sink. With a ruffling of hands across her apron to dry them, she locked eyes with me and calmly said, "Goodnight, Lissa. I hope you do well."

I frowned, my head cocking to the side. "You mean sleep well?"

"Of course I do."

"You too, Mama. I love you."

Mama walked past me and laid a hand on my shoulder briefly. "I love you too, baby." She strolled up the stairs and to the right, where her bedroom and the one I liked best both could be found. I followed a few moments later to retrieve my bag from my old room and shifted to the new one. I felt a slight feeling of being watched but shook it off as I lugged my suitcase over to an old, brown armchair in the corner. The walls were an ugly, dark gray that I never cared for. Border that had probably been picked out in the early 90s was peeling, which was fine since it was covered in weird-looking trees and bushes. I wasn't sure what the theme goal had been here but it wasn't my taste at all. The other room wasn't much better with all the yellow and orange, but the colors made me happier.

After my nightly medicines had been taken and I made my way to the bed, my nerves flared up a bit.

"Hush," I whispered aloud to myself. "No one's here. You're just going to sleep like always. We have our pills, we have a glass of water, we're good to go. Let's do this like we...like we always do."

Then I huffed a sigh as I realized I was talking to myself with the word "we" and figured maybe I did inherit some kinda crazy from Mama. Maybe that's why Daddy had been gone so long. I changed into my modest white nightgown, something Mama wouldn't be embarrassed to see me in, and climbed into the bed. Her antique quilts were heavy but welcoming in the chilly night, and I found the weight of them helping to soothe me to sleep faster than my nerves could really take hold of me.

As if no time had passed at all, I felt myself enter a dream world. I was still in the bedroom, but I could tell I had entered my subconscious. Still, I stood up and decided to take a stroll around the house and see if I could figure out what Mama was making such a fuss about.

The entire house, I realized, was the same gray tone as the walls of the bedroom. The entire world seemed to be nothing but grays, whites, and shadows. Shadows that even seemed to move a little, sounding like whispers in the wind, almost lovingly caressing me. I didn't feel unsafe at all and yet my brain kept telling me to run.

I ignored it.

I moved down the stairs into the living room, noting that nothing had changed at all. I went through the kitchen, opening occasional cabinets to see if everything looked right, and it did. It was like all the color was just gone. I couldn't see as well without the color I loved so much but I was adjusting okay.

Eventually, I made my way back upstairs to check on Mama and the other room. Mama looked like she was sleeping; more than likely, I wasn't dreaming, I was doing that astral projection thing people talk about. But the people who talk about that kinda stuff are witches, so I didn't know I could do that too. I guess you never know.

Since I was just basically walking safely in a plane of my own existence, I decided to take a stroll outside. My bare feet felt nothing as I strolled across the yard, heading toward the edge of the forest when something made a noise far off in the distance to my left. I looked out and noticed the enormous full moon seemingly shining on a lone tree in the middle of the torn-up cornfield after harvest season and decided that looked like some kind of sign.

And since I am not a horror movie person who knows the rules about not doing stuff like this, I headed straight for what could possibly be the first part of an alien abduction journey.

The tree seemed like it was real from a distance but as I got closer, I noticed it looked like someone had made it from various farm materials, some rope, and some branches that held themselves together by what seemed like magic. I bent down to study the materials putting together the base, which looked almost like a snowman of hay and mud and clay, and as soon as my hair brushed the base of the tree I felt my body yank itself from the ground and zoom up...

Up, up, and up.

Up further.

Further even.

It felt like I couldn't breathe.

I was traveling so far, so fast, through what looked like literal stars up close and personal.

I kept going and going until I landed softly on what seemed to be a regular bed with regular bedding...

That's when I saw them...they looked exactly like Mama had said. I inhaled sharply to let out a loud scream before my vision went black and everything went silent.

Silent. Black.

But I could feel my body moving. Being turned, rolled, picked up, held upside down...you name it, I could feel the sensation. It made my stomach feel like it was rolling but still, I had nothing but blackness and silence surrounding me. It felt like it took forever, and at the same time, it ended so abruptly I couldn't believe anything happened at all.

I started to fall again, fast, fast, faster...

Faster...

Even faster...

Oh my god, I was going to crash into the earth and die...

I was going so fast...

So nauseatingly fast...

Why wasn't this stopping?!

The journey up wasn't this long!!

I'm STILL going faster!...

Silence. Blackness.

In the span of twenty-three heartbeats placed at a freakishly fast pace, I blinked and finally saw the tree I'd seen before. I put my hand on my chest and let myself fall to the ground, scooting away from the base of the tree as quickly as possible and panting hard. I felt like I was suffocating, like I was dying. Was this a panic attack? Was this some weird dream attack?

Was Mama crazy and made me crazy somehow too?

What was going on?!

By the time I managed to slow myself down and stop trembling, I stood shakily, still avoiding the base of the tree as my head bumped into something else. That scream I'd tried so hard to let out finally released as I turned and saw an insanely large, plump, delicious-looking strawberry hanging from a branch of the very tree that made me question everything I knew about myself.

That was when I heard the gentle, soothing voice that comforted my soul from the inside out.

"Take a bite, you'll be back home."

I didn't care who said it or why, I was ready to try anything to wake up. If that's what they meant by "home."

I turned and took one last long look at the tree before I turned back to the strawberry and reached up, grabbing it with both hands before taking an enormous bite. I closed my eyes as I chewed and started to giggle, feeling a pleasant sensation I hadn't expected. I covered my mouth and opened my eyes...

to Mama sitting across the table.

"I did," she laughed heartily, insisting she wasn't making anything up. "I promise you to this day, I will always think I vanished and got abducted by aliens."

I paused, gaping at her.

"The last part..." I said, trailing off. Suddenly I realized she may not know what that meant...but then Mama paused, her face suddenly serious.

"What happened at the last part, Lissa? Was it the strawberry?"

My eyes grew wide as I nodded. Mama shook her head.

"You won't be going home, baby. But I'm happy to welcome you back to your first home, with me. C'mon, let's go talk to Daddy upstairs. He'll tell you all about everything." I looked around and realized it wasn't going to matter much anymore about what color room I was in...everything was still gray.

***

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