The Testers

Who could believe in what they experience? Why would one question the good things?

He awoke laying on a patch of grass on a densely wooded hillside. How he got there was a mystery. The last thing he remembers is going to sleep in his bed on his sailboat on San Diego Bay.

Now he is on a hillside in the middle of nowhere as far as he knows. And finding out exactly where is his only concern at the moment.

Dan Parker loved living on his sailboat. He had sailed up the coast and back down to Baja California. But when he sails into his home waters of San Diego, he is happiest.

It was one year ago when Dan found a great opportunity to live his dream living on the water.

At night on his boat when he was simply drifting with the tide or anchored off a beach somewhere, Dan would lay on deck looking up at the bright starry sky.

Then after a few months, he would notice that at night there was always an instant where he seemed to black out. The sensation lasted only a second, but he could still sense that time was missing.

He would awaken the following morning with strange ideas in his head. Where these ideas came from he did not know.

Then, about three months ago Dan realized that not only was he blacking out for an instant, but he was also seeing places on dry land that he has never seen.

The first time it happened, he saw a desert somewhere. The vision was only fleeting, but he remembered every detail.

Then there was the mountain top with snow. Dan thought it all strange. And he was glad that when he awakened, he was still on his beloved sailboat.

The last vision he had when he blacked out lasted longer. He could actually smell the dry air if the landlocked area he found himself in. When he awakened on his boat, he found that he was tired and his shoes has dirt on them.

Now, Dan was in a wooded area and he was awake. What scared him was that he was not on his boat like always.

He stood up and looked over his surroundings. He could see nothing but tall trees and grass everywhere. He did not recognize the area at all.

“Hello! Anyone here!” Dan yelled hoping he would get an answer. There was no reply. However, there was a dim light in the distance.

Dan began to walk towards the light he was looking at. He felt as if his body was floating toward the light yet he saw that he was indeed walking.

“Dan Parker, we await your return.” A voice said as Dan walked.

Dan stopped dead in his tracks when he heard the voice.

“Who's there! Hello! Where am I?” Dan said nervously.

“We are the Testers. We have brought you here to complete your journey.”

Dan shivered after hearing the voice. “What journey? I don’t understand. Where are you?”

Dan had walked to the light and saw that it was a small glowing orb. He looked closer.

The voice spoke again. “You were chosen from others of your species to teach us about your world. We wanted to learn about your world and when we observed your journey on your water craft, you caught our attention. We have learned a lot from you and we thank you.”

“We brought you to this place to complete your journey. Your mind takes us to the places that you have seen. Your mind has shown us many wonderful areas of your world. This area will be your reward for showing us your world. When you pick up the orb, we will return to our world and you will return to your water craft. The orb will vanish and in it’s place will be your gift. Now you may pick up the orb. Thank you Dan Parker, your journey is over.”

Dan again only heard the wind. When he picked up the small glowing orb, in an instant he found himself back on his sailboat. In his hand the orb had vanished and in its place on the deck was a shiny small box. Dan opened the box and found a box of money. He reached into the box and saw nothing but hundreds of dollars.

Dan thought about the Testers later in life and was always grateful.

His much larger yacht had taken him to even more beautiful places.

Dan Parker was a wealthy man. He had dreams.