Midnight’s hush settled over the apartment, casting shadowy patterns on the living room wall. She had dressed in silence, the world outside her window oddly still, and now she curled up on the couch, exhaustion tugging her eyelids downward. The ticking clock grew gentle and muffled, time losing its meaning as her consciousness faded into a strange twilight.

Suddenly, the television sputtered to life. It flickered, flipping erratically through channels, the glow strobing across her face. Abruptly, it stopped on channel 97. First came static—white noise buzzing in her ears—then a rich blue screen emerged, scrolling with words that felt urgent yet distant: “Where have you been? Mark has been looking for you.” The message looped endlessly, the letters dissolving and reforming as if they might reach out and touch her at any moment.

A chill breath of air swept the room. She sat up, heart pounding, her gaze compelled towards the front door, where a figure stood. He was tall, impossibly slender, his eyes twin embers of orange light in the gloom. The man’s hand hovered above the doorknob, uncertain, as if waiting for permission to enter her world. With a creak, the door opened wider, and she found herself face-to-face with a vision words could never capture.

Inside, the world had transformed. Her voice failed her, lost somewhere between awe and disbelief. Every surface—walls, ceiling, floor—glittered with gemstones, a kaleidoscope of color that danced and shimmered in the half-light. The orange-eyed man leaned close, whispering a word in a language she didn’t know yet, but somehow understood. With a gentle gesture, he beckoned her to sit across from him at the very heart of this luminous chamber.

In an instant, the ground trembled. The floor beneath them yawned open, spilling forth a torrent of red light so dazzling she could not look away. The world twisted; time unraveled. When the brilliance faded, she found herself somewhere achingly familiar—her heart recognizing every angle, yet her mind clouded by wonder, as though she’d returned to a home she’d only ever visited in dreams. Suddenly awakened by the alarm clock, she was struck by how vivid the experience felt. Glancing toward her window, she observed a cat walking along the fence outside, its eyes glowing orange. She smiled, secretly believing the magical place was real and hoping to visit it again.