A Series of Unexplained Events: The Beach

Evans Dairy

There I was, on a beach. Literally seconds ago, I was at home. I need to give you some background information on me first. First, I dream and recall all memories in the third person. The only time I experience first-person perspective is when I'm awake. I mention this aspect as it explains why I knew I was in another reality and not a dream, playing out a memory, or having a vision of some sort.

Sitting cross-legged in my bedroom, it's about 7 pm, and nothing throughout the day, let alone throughout my life, would suggest what was about to happen was going to happen. It was like a headset slipped over my head, and though I knew I was still sitting cross-legged in my room, no matter where I turned my head, all I saw was the deepest blackness. Typically of me, I calmly say to myself, "Right, let's see where this takes me."

A multi-colored checkered circle fills my entire vision. Like an iMax theatre on steroids. It's quickly replaced by an old-school movie film strip that's counting down from 4, 3, 2, 1. BOOM, I'm plonked onto a beach.

The very first thing I do is lift my hand up. And there it is, I'm staring at my hand in first person perspective. This is not a dream, it's not a memory, this is real real. I mean real, real, real! I can feel the warmth of the sun, I hear people talking, I can feel the texture of the sand under my feet... all the senses are working normally. Apart from color, the colors here are intense, as if someone turned up the saturation... a lot.

My name is being called out, I turn in the direction of the call. Three teenage girls huddled in a half circle are beckoning me. Ok, I can play along with this I guess. I walk towards them, it hits me... I'm walking! Physically walking! I approach the girls and notice the back of the denim jacket one of them is wearing. It's bedazzled with glittery gemstones, it's an emblem, and my name is on it. Does it seem like a pop-band logo? They're in an animated discussion, and my mind reels about how to casually ask them some nonsensical questions, like "Hey, what planet am I on?", or "Are you human?". Though they look human, so I guess they are. While listening in on the conversation I scan my surroundings. I need information about where I am, and I feel an urgency to do so, afterall I don't know how long I'll be here for.

Elation! Up on the cliffs I see trees I recognise -- pohutukawa trees! I'm in New Zealand... or a version of New Zealand? Looking around I notice a convenience shop across the road. Yes, yes! I'll ask someone at the store for directions, or place names, or something at least.

"Hey, I'm just going to pop into the store", as I depart the girl's company and leg it for the store. There's a street sign next to the store, straining my eyes, I'm too far away to read it clearly. A man approaches me, he asks, "Hi, could you help me with directions?" You and me both I mentally say. "I've got the same problem", I blurt, "I'm heading to the store to ask them", I nod towards to store and invite him to join me. I can now make out the store's name, Evans Dairy.

Just as I'm about to enter the store, BOOM, I'm slammed back into my bedroom. I lift my hand -- first person. I'm back.

Since then, I've googled every dairy I could to find an Evans Dairy. Nothing. I even google mapped toured New Zealand beaches to see if any looked the same. Nothing. I don't know much more, and I don't know why this happened. But I've theorized. Perhaps, it was just a way of introducing me to other possibilities, other realities, to worlds that exist beyond our current limited perspective.