His eyes opened, and all he saw was red. The primitive part of his brain was the first to wake up, and it knew that something was wrong, but he couldn't place what. His senses began flooding in: a whistling and rustling, rushing up and all around him. Endless redness in all directions. A whisp of something pale and soft in the distance: the word formed in his mind as though from somewhere far away, "cloud", and close behind, "sky".
He was on his back, staring at the sky, and beneath...
He twisted in midair, and saw the chaos of a city rushing up towards him. He was falling. Was that all right? Was there something wrong? He didn't know anymore. He stared in rapt curiosity, now turned and parallel to the ground that was rushing to meet him. The buildings were rust-colored and dusty. People in the streets pointed, and distantly, somebody shouted.
WHUMP.
He paused for a long moment after he collided with the cracked street. People were screaming and he could hear the sounds of them running toward him. Why? Was something wrong? He pressed his palms into the ground and lifted himself up slowly. Gritty flecks of pebble fell from his forehead and nose, and he slowly sat back on his heels and blinked. A high sound stood out amongst the chaotic din: a tiny clink of glass. He blinked again, and slowly lifted his fingers to the glasses on his nose. The lenses suspended in the dark square frames had cracked magnificently, and half of one had fallen to bounce away into the street. He pressed the pads of his fingers gingerly along the sharp edges of his glasses, but a greater curiosity summoned him.
"Hey, man, are you okay?"
He looked up into the face of a horrified looking teenage boy. A crowd of people had drawn near enough to see, but only the dark skinned youth had been bold enough to come forward.
"I," he started, and stopped at the low and lovely sound of his own voice. "I'm fine, I think." He felt like smiling all of a sudden, and so he did.
"You just fell out of the sky, man! How are you okay? Uh.. does anything hurt? Feel broken? How, how many fingers am I holding up?"
"Four," he smiled wider, and unfolded himself upright to his full, lanky height.
The youth stepped back in alarm, and then again. "Shit," he breathed. The nearby crowd had begun to mutter and wonder aloud as well.
"Where am I?" He asked softly, looking all around himself in wonder.
"Whe-- Ladrillo." The youth responded.
"What planet?"
"Planet? Mesa Roja, what do y--"
"What system?" His voice was amused and he turned to smile at the boy with an excited gleam in his bright eyes.
"System?!" The boy's eyebrows came together in frustrated confusion. "Bro, where are you FROM?"
That was the million dollar question, wasn't it? And with all of the honesty in the world, the man smiled in a fatigued sort of way, and said, "I have no idea."
He was on his back, staring at the sky, and beneath...
He twisted in midair, and saw the chaos of a city rushing up towards him. He was falling. Was that all right? Was there something wrong? He didn't know anymore. He stared in rapt curiosity, now turned and parallel to the ground that was rushing to meet him. The buildings were rust-colored and dusty. People in the streets pointed, and distantly, somebody shouted.
WHUMP.
He paused for a long moment after he collided with the cracked street. People were screaming and he could hear the sounds of them running toward him. Why? Was something wrong? He pressed his palms into the ground and lifted himself up slowly. Gritty flecks of pebble fell from his forehead and nose, and he slowly sat back on his heels and blinked. A high sound stood out amongst the chaotic din: a tiny clink of glass. He blinked again, and slowly lifted his fingers to the glasses on his nose. The lenses suspended in the dark square frames had cracked magnificently, and half of one had fallen to bounce away into the street. He pressed the pads of his fingers gingerly along the sharp edges of his glasses, but a greater curiosity summoned him.
"Hey, man, are you okay?"
He looked up into the face of a horrified looking teenage boy. A crowd of people had drawn near enough to see, but only the dark skinned youth had been bold enough to come forward.
"I," he started, and stopped at the low and lovely sound of his own voice. "I'm fine, I think." He felt like smiling all of a sudden, and so he did.
"You just fell out of the sky, man! How are you okay? Uh.. does anything hurt? Feel broken? How, how many fingers am I holding up?"
"Four," he smiled wider, and unfolded himself upright to his full, lanky height.
The youth stepped back in alarm, and then again. "Shit," he breathed. The nearby crowd had begun to mutter and wonder aloud as well.
"Where am I?" He asked softly, looking all around himself in wonder.
"Whe-- Ladrillo." The youth responded.
"What planet?"
"Planet? Mesa Roja, what do y--"
"What system?" His voice was amused and he turned to smile at the boy with an excited gleam in his bright eyes.
"System?!" The boy's eyebrows came together in frustrated confusion. "Bro, where are you FROM?"
That was the million dollar question, wasn't it? And with all of the honesty in the world, the man smiled in a fatigued sort of way, and said, "I have no idea."
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