A Change in Plans
Copyright© 2006 by Asa Strong
Chapter 3: A New Understanding, A New Life
Science Fantasy Story: Chapter 3: A New Understanding, A New Life - George Rice, a dying, emotionally detached scientist who plans to stage his own accidental death after losing his wife and receiving a terminal cancer diagnosis. At the brink of suicide, he is intercepted by a higher being named Alama, who offers him a chance to “right a terrible wrong.” George accepts and dies—only to be reborn into another world and another body.
Caution: This Science Fantasy Story contains strong sexual content, including Ma/Fa Ma/ft Consensual Romantic Science Fiction Isekai First
“What the hell does he mean, A New Life?” I thought. “Wasn’t the last one bad enough?”
“Alama, just what do you mean about a new life?”
I could feel him pause, as if thinking before he supplied the answer. It was an eerie feeling.
His thoughts seemed slow and deliberate as he answered my question.
“You must understand that I brought you to this place and time for a purpose. Now it is time for you to begin fulfilling that purpose. I am going to place you in a place you are unfamiliar with. There is nothing more I can tell you. It is now time to trust that I have made the correct choice.”
Darkness encompassed my mind; nothing was there. There were no thoughts, no feelings, just the sense of a huge void. Slowly I became aware, a smell, a sound, then I felt an incredible pain. I lay in torment for I know not how long.
I could feel myself lying on my back. The deep rasping sounds seemed to come from my throat and mouth. Gradually my senses fought through the pain and I faintly heard the rustle of the wind in the trees. I smelled the odor of earth and grass. Could I see? Should I try?
I cracked my eyelids slightly with the sudden effect of increasing pain, now mostly located in my head. Very slowly, my eyes opened further and through blurry vision came a riot of greens and yellows. After a while, the kaleidoscope of fuzzy colors resolved themselves into trees, leaves, and grass, all bathed in a clear light coming from somewhere behind me.
Without conscious thought, I sat up and looked around, noticing that I appeared to be in the middle of a forest. Actually, I was at the edge of a small clearing, and there was a stream flowing through the middle of an open space surrounded by trees.
The pain was easing somewhat, and it was then I really noticed my body, or to be more precise, the fact that I had a body. I also noticed there was a lot of blood on my clothes. Who was I now? Where was I now?
To say I was confused would be a gross understatement.
I managed to force myself to stand up by using a small tree close at hand. My head was foggy, and I was dizzy, but I seemed to be able to see well enough.
First things first! I had to get rid of my raging thirst and dry throat. I slowly made my way to the stream and managed to cup a few hands of water, and then bring them to my lips. It felt like heaven to taste the water as it dampened my parched lips and satisfied my thirst.
I sat on the stream bank for what seemed like a long time, but probably it was no more than a few minutes. As I sat there, I tried to clear my head and make some sense of what had happened.
Slowly, my mind cleared, and I began to take a good look at my surroundings. Far off in the distance, to the west, was a large range of mountains. As I looked closely at the trees and flowers, many of them seemed different than what I was used to seeing. The small wildflowers, close to where I was sitting, were foreign to me as well. It was apparent that this was a very different place than I had come from.
I stood up and, after a brief period of dizziness, was able to start walking. As my head cleared, I tried to focus on my immediate problems. Since there was blood on my clothes, I started checking to see the extent of my injuries. I became quickly aware that I was tall; maybe over six feet. I had large hands—not at all what I was used to in my previous life.
I raised my hand to the back of my head, where most of the pain was emanating from. I discovered a large gash that had already swelled into a good-sized knot, the size of a goose egg. As I took my hand away from my head, I did not see much fresh blood, so the gash must have closed somewhat.
After further examination of my body, I determined that this seemed to be my only injury.
Having decided that my body was sound, I started walking downstream in hopes of finding a clue to where I was located. I had no idea if there was danger present, so I crept quietly and carefully along the trail.
After about 20 minutes of walking, the stream started down a steeper slope and gathered speed. I carefully walked along the edge of the stream for another fifteen minutes. I paused to rest for a moment and noticed a clearing on the hillside below me. On the other side of the clearing, I could clearly see smoke in the distance, maybe a mile or so further down the hill.
I followed the stream course as best I could down the hill and eventually came to a large pool of water, where the hillside met the valley floor.
I was again rather thirsty, so I knelt down next to the pool and leaned over to scoop water into my hands and noticed my reflection. Looking back at me was a pair of dark blue eyes set into a rather ruddy face with coal-black hair.
There was no doubt in my mind now that I had not retained my original body.
I quickly quenched my thirst and turned towards where I could see the smoke rising over a small hill in the valley.
I reached the top of the hill, and before me was the source of the smoke. It looked like a farmhouse, and several outbuildings had been set afire and were just now beginning to reach the smoldering stage.