“Hey...hey buddy...hey...oh Reeeyeeeece...wake up!” called out a voice that echoed through Reece’s head.

Reece opened his eyes to find himself slowly rocking in an old-fashioned porch swing on the eastern wing of a white-washed wooden porch that ran the entire length of the front of a house. He felt something cold in his right hand and looked down to see a glass of lemonade. As he looked at it, he saw the cubes of ice floating within shift slightly as they melted in the hot humid air. He watched, fascinated, while drops of water formed on the outside of the glass and ran down to dampen the hand holding the glass. If this was a dream, it was the most realistic one that he had ever experienced.

Reece looked down at himself. He had on a pair of familiar overalls that he hadn’t worn since he was a teenager. Looking back up, he took in everything around him. Just off the porch, there was a freshly mowed yard cut in two by a rock path. It led from the porch steps through thick hedges on the other end of the yard before finally ending at a dirt road. Huge oaks and maples with a smattering of birch trees surrounded the idyllic front yard. Reece quickly recognized the place. It was his grandparent’s farm. The place looked just like he remembered when he was a child before they were bought out by the largest multinational agricultural corporation of the time. His father’s parents had been forced to move into the city. The house, yard, and trees had all been removed to make room for more farmland. Yet, here it was...whole again. He hadn’t thought of this place for a long time and tears came unbidden to his eyes at the gift of seeing it again. It was a place of warmth and love, filling him up with feelings of peace and happiness.

“Try the lemonade,” said the squeaky and excitable sounding voice as it spoke again, rousting him from his thoughts.

Reece had begun to think he had imagined it the first time, but he heard the voice this time for sure. It didn’t sound like it came from anywhere in particular, but from everywhere all at once. Not one to be cowed after all he’d been through; Reece raised the lemonade to his mouth and tipped the glass back. As the cool, sweet liquid poured into his mouth, the perfect blend of sour and sweet threatened to overwhelm his taste buds.

He swallowed a bit but kept some in his mouth, savoring the wonderful flavors. It was just right, exactly like his grandmother’s had been. Well, his grandma, Astrid. Grandma Veronica made scrumptious pancakes, but her lemonade always turned out too sour for his liking. Every time he had visited, the two older women had doted on him like he was theirs. He cherished the time he had spent here with them.

“Good, huh?” said the somewhat obnoxious high-pitched voice, interrupting his thoughts.

“Yes, very... and... who are you?” replied Reece.

“You can call me Chippo. The short answer is that I am the consciousness of a furdian, a species humans once referred to as were-squirrels. Humans are rather unimaginative like that. Unfortunately, we died out centuries ago. I have the distinct honor of being bound to the Regenesis orb...you know, the round black rock thing that you’ve been calling the nightcore,” replied the shrill voice, sounding somewhat prideful as he introduced himself.

“How hard did I hit my head?” Reece asked himself aloud as he used his free hand to feel around his scalp for a wound or sore spot.

“Where am I?” Reece asked, deciding to change tactics.

“Oh, you...you’re still on the big metal bird thing...phoenix or jet or whatever. We’re in your subconscious,” answered Chippo.

“Okaaaaaay...so, I’m talking to Chippo, the were-squirrel? Seriously? How is that a thing?” Reece asked before thinking better of it. “Never mind. I don’t want to know.”

“Well, we fit in pretty well back when there used to be brownies as such. But that was a very long time ago. Anyway...good news. Now that I can finally speak with you, I can help you locate the rest of the Regenesis Orb so we can finally restore the world and help fix what has been done to her,” Chippo explained without prompting.

“Huh? What do you mean by finally being able to speak to me? And you can locate the missing nightcore pieces? And what exactly does ‘restore the world’ mean? Can you return all the dead back to life?” asked Reece in rapid-fire succession.

“Whoa, hold on there. So many, many questions. Let’s see. Yes, yes. I couldn’t speak with you before because I didn’t have enough power, you see. My consciousness was spread too thin, so thin. I feel my missing self, spread across the planet. Pieces of it here and there, calling out to me... always calling. I’d like to guide you to them, and then you can help me get all my thoughts back. I never thought I’d miss my mind so much... oh, so much,” answered Chippo in a blissfully oblivious voice before adding... “So... how does that sound?”

Reece simply hung his head and smiled at the insanity of it all. Looking back up, he responded to the disembodied consciousness of the were-squirrel that was apparently tied to this enigmatic rock of great power. That he was talking to ‘it’ in his head only added to the craziness of it all. He was going to have to redefine the word ‘strange’. Regardless of the absurdity, it felt like the right thing to do.

“It sounds like we have a deal,” Reece answered the jovial voice as he had made up his mind just to go with it. “I help put you back together, and you help to save the world. So, what exactly does that mean, save the world?”

“Excellent! That is excellent...okay, ‘kay, ‘kay...,” replied the overly excitable sentient being. “Um, I’m not sure. Like I told ya, I’m missing parts of my mind. Find more of it and maybe I’ll be able to fill in the details. In the meantime, things are developing quickly with your body and its surroundings in the conscious world. Nice to meet you, Reece Danielson. I’ll speak to you again soon. Now...time to wake up!”