They played in turns until the night fell. Shortly after Martha got up and turned on a floor lamp, almost as tall as her, standing in the corner. By that time they both decided they’re no longer invested in the game. She saved her progress and turned the TV off as they moved on to chatting the evening away and washing it down with the beer, of which there was still a handful of bottles left. They talked about their jobs, their families, their current situation. About dreams they had at one point, which they either failed to breathe life into or had to abandon due to particular circumstances. At one point Jake was almost sure she would burst into tears and he had no idea how he would react, as he had never seen her cry. Fortunately for both, she didn’t, and the conversation carried on. He was still sitting in the same spot, leaning against the couch and so was Martha, still on the floor, now however with her body facing Jake. He asked if she’s really comfortable down there. She told him to enjoy one of the few moments when he’s taller than her. It hurt. They laughed.

Eventually the time came to call it a night. They were both tired and wasted, Jake more so than Martha, as she was always better at holding her liquor than him. He got up and let her know he’s had fun and now he’s going home. She got up as well and stopped him in his tracks.

“You better spend the night here” she said, looking down at him with a hint of care “You can sleep on the couch, I’ll get you a blanket”

“I can walk home. I’m not that shitfaced”

“First – you are. Second, it’ll be better for us both”

“How do you mean, both?”

“Well, you get some sleep and I don’t get to worry about you”

“Aw. You care”

“Shut up. Lie down. Wait for me, I’ll go get a blanket”

He complied. She left the room in a hurry and quickly came back, covering him with a thin, bright yellow blanket.

“Ugly colour” he muttered, the sleepiness already overwhelming him.

“Yeah, it suits you. There’s some orange juice in the fridge. You know where the toilet is?”

“Sure”

“Try to aim for the toilet if push comes to shove. Or when”

“Huh?”

“Goodnight”

She left and Jake passed out.

He never dreamed. No pleasant nonsense, no nightmares, his nights always passed in an instant. One moment, he’s lying in darkness. The next, the sun is hitting him in the eyes and the alarm clock is screaming at him. Nothing in between. This night however was different, as Jake woke up in a different place than he fell asleep in. Or so it seemed.

Upon waking up he noticed two things. First, his head was pounding and he wanted to die. When he overwhelmed the latter, he noticed the other thing – the greenery. He was surrounded by what seemed like blades of grass, each taller than him. Closer inspection revealed it wasn’t grass at all; despite the colour, it had no texture or smell of grass. The thick layers of dust gathered here and there also didn’t spell it out as grass for him. Whatever it was it was thick, overwhelming and Jake wished to get out of there, and quickly. And so he began to walk, discovering one more mystery of the morning, namely that he was naked. Completely naked. No shirt, no pants, not even his underwear. Fucking hell, he concluded, as he continued walking, with no idea as to where he was, why wasn’t he wearing anything nor where he was walking. He decided to figure it all out once he’s left this… place. He pressed on, his bare feet occasionally getting stuck in the thick layer of this weird vegetation, as his mind was busy trying to recollect the memories of the evening.