I've always loved novels about wilderness survival. It was something about the push to live and the gradual building up of skills that are constantly put to the test in the harshness of the natural world that never failed to bring me in. The accumulation of various small inovations and lots of luck always allowed the protaganists of those stories to just barely eek it out in the beginning, but eventually they'd triumph over the environment as they create more and more elaborate shelters and stocks of food. It was magical. Though not quite as magical as being transported to another world. Which is the situation I happen to be in right now. Which I was doing a fantastic job of distracting myself from.

Godammit.

Ok. Breathe.

In and out.

In and out.

Huh. Smells forest-y? Ah. Taking the time to properly observe my surroundings now that I'm somewhat calm, I notice I'm in a thickly wooded forest. Misty god rays stream through the foliage into intermitent patches of sunlight. It's rather picturesque now that I've taken the time to properly observe it.

I think now would probably be the time to do some thinking. I go and sit down against the closest tree. It's not the comfiest of seats, but I'm not exacly spoiled for choice. So I'll recap the situation a bit and try to come up with the most optimal course of action. I was sitting at home taking part in my other greatest love: video games. Then I heard the ding of my toaster being done, got up from my chair and promptly tripped while walking to the kitchen. Then, boom, big flash of light, horrible pain, trippy colors and sounds, and then I'm here on the ground.

Ok, not much to go on here. That leaves me with a few possibilities of where I am. I could be dreaming. I'm ruling this out since this doesn't feel anything like a dream. There's too much coherency in the world around me for it to be a dream. Second possibility is that I died when I tripped and this is heaven or hell or purgatory or somesuch afterlife. The third possibility is that I've been transported to another world. I didn't meet any cute goddesses or grim reapers, but other than that my experience fits the mold. The fourth and final possibility is that I've been drugged and subsequently dumped out here for some unforseen and undoubtedly nefarious purpose. This is probably the most realistic possibility so far, but its also the probably the worst for my continued well-being.

None of the possibilities are particularly actionable unfortunately, so let's assume nothing until I find more information and put this off for future Derrick. He'll surely know what to do and not be clueless at all. Sarcasm aside, I should probably secure my basic needs in case I'm stuck in this forest for the foreseeable future. That means I need shelter, food, water, and fire. The long-term plan settled, I should go anywhere that seems more down-hill. That way I'm more likely to come across a stream. Water is probably the most dire of my needs after all.

Tally-ho then.

Done with my introspection I get up and start walking through the forest in the most down-hill direction I can see at a brisk pace. Once again I appreciate the beauty of the forest I'm in. It's a pleasant journey for the first two hours. It's a tolerable walk for the next two. It's a slog for the following four, and by that time it's beginning to become dark. Stopping for the night and resting seems like a good idea with how tired I am. Taking shelter for the night may help me avoid an predators too. This thought and coming upon a tree that seems easily climbable leads to me climbing the tree to sleep for the night. I ended up about ten feet up laying against the tree and sitting across a couple of branches. It's also getting a bit nippy as night settles in. I'm wearing jeans and a long-sleeved shirt. It's mildly fashionable but not particularly warm. I wasn't really considering that I'd be camping out when I was getting dressed this morning. There's not really much I can do about that though, So I'll tough it out. I am a bit worried about falling out of the tree when I'm asleep though

Hmm.

Ah! I'll tie myself to the tree with my belt. That should do the trick. With that done I nod off to sleep.

A sweet dreamless sleep.

That's abruptly stopped when I'm yanked from unconsciousness by my taut belt. It's still night-time so I make the executive decision to readjust my position and go right back to sleep.

This time I slowly drift awake to the morning sunlight and the chittering of various birdcalls. I blink away the sleepiness and untie myself from my perch. As I'm doing this the night comes back to me and I freeze.

I could've died falling from this tree. A ten foot fall could've broken my neck and the only thing that stopped it was a whim from the night before. I have to be careful. This isn't a game. A little bit of paranoia goes a long way. Having resolved to be more cautious I resume detaching myself from the tree and climb down to the ground. It's unpleasant since my legs are sore from all the walking and the awkward sleeping position.

I'm reminded of my quest for water when I realise I'm parched, and hungry for that matter. I realise I can solve one of these issues slightly when I notice my shoes are wet with dew. I grab some of the blades of grass around me and slowly pour some of the water droplets into my mouth. It's not the cleanest method of gathering water, but it'll do for now. Or rather, it'll DEW for now. Chuckling DRYLY at my pun, I continue my search for running water.

One hour of walking leads me to the conlusion that the slope of the land has been steadily increasing throughout my trek. After another hour or so of walking this time at a slower pace due to my sore legs, I'm rewarded with the sound of flowing water. The trees slowly thin out to reveal the scene of a little stream running through a valley.

My pained legs forgotten I jog down the incline to the stream. I fall down on my knees and dunk my face into the water, drinking deeply.

Water has never tasted so good. Absolutely delicious.