A Lifeless Meadow

The early morning dew is seeping into your blue jeans as you open your eyes and realize you have no idea where you are.

Last night is a fairly recent memory but you know you left the bar with Molly and James about midnight.   Molly was celebrating her 30th birthday with a self-thrown party that James would inevitably pay for.  You had been invited since you and Molly were old college roommates and she wanted everyone there to help her cross over into her thirties.

You distinctly remember ordering at least three Manhattans, but after that, things become a little foggy.  Did you throw up in the ladies room?  You remember that you probably did.

Molly had laughed that “you couldn’t hold your booze the way you did in college.”

The headache is the only thing you are remembering now.

The drive home was a nightmare because James was just as, if not more, drunk than you were.  He should not have been behind the wheel of your car.

Was there an accident?  Why is your memory so foggy?  It was only 5 hours ago and yet, you are lost as to what happened.

You look around to see if James or Molly are with you in this dew-covered field you seem to be awakening in.  They don’t appear to be in your scope of sight.

Getting off the ground is not as easy as it should be.  You’re only a year younger than Molly. You should be a little more capable of standing on your own two feet.

The only thing you can see for as far as you can see, is a wildflower covered meadow.  The flowers are beautiful and you think that if you had more time, you would have picked a bouquet to take home.  Tiny buds of purple, pink, yellow and orange that would complement your dining room beautifully.  Moving on!

You need to figure out where you are and how to get out of wherever this is.  Your shoes are now just as wet as your blue jeans as you take your first few tentative steps toward what you think might be a road.

Still no sight of anyone . . . no people, no cars and then you think . . . no birds, no crickets, no sound of any kind. 

Dread is now starting to set in as you realize you could be in a lot of trouble. This place just seems wrong somehow although you can’t quite put your finger on it. The silence is deafening. 

You now realize that the light you assumed was the sunrise is coming from some sort of ceiling light in the sky.  OMG!  Tears begin to flow and you reach for a tissue in your purse which doesn’t seem to have made it to this place with you. Sleeves are just as good, you theorize.

It’s now that you notice your white Chantilly lace blouse has turned into a hospital gown you are wearing over your blue jeans.  Full blown fear now is on top of you as your eyes search for something, anything to hold onto to hold back the panic.

There is something coming up behind you and although you are frightened to look, you are compelled to.  It’s Molly and you sigh with relief as you reach out for her, but your hands go right through her.

“Don’t panic”, Molly says as you begin to panic anyway.

“What is happening to us, Molly?”

“You really don’t get it, do you?” she asks.

You’re in limbo Molly informs you and now you have to make the decision as to go on or go back.

Do you want to go back? What is back there for you? No boyfriend, no real home, not really a good job, only a few good friends. And then you choose.

You are going on.