I jolted awake. Bathed in a blindingly brilliant light which, contradictingly, failed to illuminate the rest of where I was. Trying to speak out I found myself gagged and restrained. What is happening? My head swirled with currents of fear. Will I be killed? How will I die? I could only make out the bold details of the crowd that seemed to have appeared. A brilliant white gem atop a staff … or was it a cane? There was a conversation in an incomprehensible language that drifted smoothly into my ears to taunt me for my idiocy.
It took a while for my eyes to adjust, by then the conversation seemed to have devolved into fierce argument on the verge of outright fighting. More details became clear, the crowd of shadowed figures was more expansive than I could have thought, all of them bore a striking, pointed ear and were all impossibly tall for normal people. Could they be … no. They aren’t real. They don’t exist. The one who bore the staff shot a look at the argumentative two and they ceased their battle. The thick rimmed glasses appeared blacked out as the subtle reflections of where their eyes would be was notably absent. Why would they obscure their identity? Surely I would die and if so why would they still aim to conceal themselves? I had nothing on me -the weight of my belongings had vanished and I could feel the soft cotton of my clothes still on my skin- nor could I move or speak; I had no clue where I even was.
One of the figures who had been arguing moved to take something off a table. I was further adjusted to the darkness, long strands of hair descended from every figure’s head. The evidence was mounting. They aren’t real. They aren’t real. They aren’t real. He stared at my phone. The light made his appearance even more obvious. A stern face paired with the suit and tie. They. Are. Not. Real. He fiddled with the archaic device, lifted the glasses and shouted what could only be assumed to be profanity. Soon a crowd of figures gathered round. All bathed in the screen’s light. It became hard to deny what was there. They don’t exist … right? Soon more began gazing at the pilfered items. My watch. My wallet (and by extension my cards and money). All equally as puzzled.Undoutably bewildering to them. The entire room was now alive with muttering. Incomprehensible mutterings.
It seemed like an age before the entire room finally silenced the figures all gathered round in a circle, conversing, arguing and debating. Minor interjections of English burst from the huddle. Broken English but understandable none the less. About twenty minutes later one of the figures strode towards me. There was a specific elegance about the walk. It felt almost … pretentious. “Due to complications with the study of your personal items, you will be brought in for further questioning.”
I was too stunned to process anything.