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Chapter 1
Piper
"Here’s a tip - don’t make customers wait a half hour for their food."
I looked down at the message scribbled on the receipt from the table I had served. Half of the staff had called out today, and my boss had asked me to work a double shift. Now on top of having customers lose their temper at me, I was getting stiffed on tips. I nearly screamed as I got into my old beater of a car to head home.
I just neededout.Of this situation, this job, this town. My life so far had been one long, neverending story of stress. After working all seven days this week at the diner, my only desire was to come home and rest. With aching feet, I trudged up the stairs to my apartment, but even that seemed like a struggle. I paused outside the door, bracing myself for what I would find inside. I took a deep breath, then entered.
Rob, the guy who I had been in a “relationship” with for the past eight months, was still stuck in the same spot on the couch where he was when I left for work this morning. His eyes didn’t even glance over to me as he remained absorbed in his video game. I slammed my bag down on the table, only to find that the entire kitchen had been left in even worse shape. The dishes were piled so high in the sink that they were practically spilling out onto the counter. Feeling the rage rising in me, I stomped over to the laundry machine and opened the lid. As I suspected, the load I had thrown in this morning was still in there, wet and mildewy. Not only had I pleaded with Rob to remember to throw it in the dryer before I left, I had sent him two texts in between my shifts to make sure he did this one, simple task.
I spun around, trembling as I walked up to him while he continued playing his video game in the dark room. “Are you serious? You didn’t do the one thing I asked of you?” He looked up at me annoyed, but didn’t respond. That made me even angrier. I started in on him again. “I don't have time to do every chore! I had to cover for a no-show again today! If you don’t have a job, the least you can do is keep the damn kitchen clean or at least do the laundry!” I was ranting now, my nerves frazzled from being overworked and underappreciated. He looked at me with annoyance and huffed.
“Jesus, you’re such a nag! I told you I’ve been searching for a job!” He yelled, and I nearly pulled my hair out with anger.
“It’s been eight months! When was the last time you applied for one? Show me!” I crossed my arms and he shook his head in disgust.
“Oh, soI’mthe bad guy? Fine. Have it your way, Piper.I’mthe asshole here. I put up with you, I’m the only one who will listen to your nagging, but go ahead and blame all your problems on me.” I turned halfway through his diatribe and headed for the bedroom. If I listened to one more second of his woe-is-me blame-shifting, I would pull my hair out. When I turned on the lights, I saw an even messier room in front of me. Clothes, shoes, trash, and half-filled cups from the convenience store all over. It seemed he had enough energy to walk down to the store to get drinks with my cash in between games, but not enough energy to throw my clothes in the dryer. I grabbed my camping backpack and started throwing supplies in, needing to just get away. Away from him, from my job, from people, from this life.
I had always found peace in nature. Lately, I felt like I was on a neverending hamster wheel, trying to stay afloat, working all hours at two different jobs just to stay ahead of the bills. But it was never enough. I thought it would help to finally split costs with Rob when he asked to move in, but he lost his job shortly after moving in with me and hadn't bothered to find a new one, content to have me support him. He only cared that the fridge was full and that he had a roof over his head so he could sit around all day. Half the time when I got home the fridge would be cleared out and I’d have to subsist on ramen and a few hours of sleep before heading to one of my jobs the next morning. What’s worse was I was too exhausted to fight him. I knew he needed to leave, but every time I tried to talk to him he’d argue until I was too tired to fight anymore. My sleep schedule was so random that I barely had the energy to keep up with the basics. Like laundry. Now I’d have to worry about drying and folding the clothes, washing the dishes, and seeing what was left to eat. Or, I could just go to the nearby campgrounds and let my mind clear out.
The campsite, aptly named Pine’s Edge, was only fifteen minutes away - and tonight the weather was perfect. I finally had a day off tomorrow and I wanted to get away from Rob, from my life, from this horrible existence where I was barely surviving. As I went out to the kitchen to scavenge for food, Rob still ignored me, his eyes stuck on his game. The cupboard had a few granola bars and there were some carrots left in the fridge. I filled up my canteen, grabbed the tent out of the closet, and headed for the front door.
“I’m headed to the campsite.” I paused as I waited for Rob to respond, but he didn’t bother to look at me. Sighing, I left and went downstairs to my car. Luckily, it was still light enough outside for a sunset hike. I started the engine and made my way to my favorite spot, the tension leaving my body in waves as I got closer to the forest.
The weather outside was gorgeous, and the evening was just perfect for some self-reflection. I walked the gravel path as the daylight slowly disappeared and made it to the grounds by the time twilight hit. There weren’t too many people out tonight, which was odd. I was looking forward to the idea of a chill evening though. After I set up my tent and sleeping bag, I headed toward the community showers so I could wash up. On the way there, I spotted a man with a small campfire going. It was a bit warm for a fire, but I shrugged it off.
“Evening!” He greeted me as I passed him by. I gave him a short wave and went to the washroom. On the way back, I saw him roasting a marshmallow over the fire. “Want one?” He asked, and I paused. I normally don’t have an issue with socializing at the campgrounds, but I was so exhausted from dealing with people all week that I couldn’t muster the energy to try. He must have sensed it because he leaned back on his log. “You look like you might need a whole s’more. Just let me know. I have plenty to go around.” He smiled, and his eyes crinkled up at the edges. I glanced around, and since there were a few families nearby I decided to take the stick he was now offering to me as he handed me a bag of marshmallows.
“Thanks. I’ll have one and then be on my way. Today was a long day.” I hoped he wasn’t looking for a conversationalist because I wasn’t going to be a good one.
“You look like you’ve been through something. It’s a shame - too many people are burning themselves out at both ends.” I looked at him as I settled onto the log next to his.
“You got that right. But it’s the world we live in.” I sighed as I started turning my marshmallow over the flames, trying to get it slightly golden on all sides.
“Could be. Could also be that you just aren’t in the right world.” I chuckled bitterly at his words. I definitely wasn’t in the right world - working constantly, no relief, and a useless man living with me.
“If that’s the case, I’d like to go to one of the other worlds out there.” The man smiled again, his eyes brightening as he reached into his pocket and started to hand me something.
“Take this - it’s an old coin not in circulation anymore - but that’s neither here nor there. They say the energies in these woods make the veil thin between worlds. Hold onto a metal like this and wish to go somewhere new, you just might get there.” I held my hand out hesitantly and took it. It was strange - the old coin had an inscription on it that I couldn’t read and the side profile of someone I didn’t recognize.
“Which country is this from?” I asked, inspecting it quizzically.
“Not country - world. It’s from a place very similar to this one, but with some slight differences. More of a sister world, if you will. If you want something different, it might fit you better.” Okay. This guy was weird, and I was sure he was on some mystical shroom nonsense now. At least my marshmallow was ready to eat. I stuffed it in my mouth, savoring the crispy and gooey texture. It was better than the old granola bars waiting for me back at my tent. After it was gone, I stood and brushed myself off.
“Well, it was nice chatting with you, I’ll be heading back now.” I reached to hand him the coin. He held his hands up and shook his head.
“Oh no, please keep it. If you really don’t want it, just give it to someone else who looks like they need a new perspective.” I paused, then nodded at him.
“Well, alright then. Have a good night.” He waved at me as I turned to go back to my tent. The man was an odd duck but didn’t seem dangerous. Just a bit kooky. Once I was back in my area, I turned the coin over and over, trying to figure out if it was a prop of some sort. I twirled it in my fingers as I watched the dark sky and speckles of stars. If only I could wish myself into a new world. I didn’t have family here, no safety net. I was all on my own, struggling to stay afloat since I had my first job at age sixteen. It seemed like a never-ending cycle, and now I would have to figure out a way to deal with my situation back home with Rob. All he had done was become an extra bill for me that I couldn’t afford. Working nearly every day between my jobs, I barely had time to breathe, much less enjoy life or even figure out what I wanted to do with it. I crawled into my tent to rest. My eyelids started to get heavy, and before I knew it I felt myself falling asleep, the coin clutched in my hand.
Chapter 2
Piper
I awoke to the sounds of birds chirping and the sunlight glowing as it hit the side of my tent. It was late in the morning - I must have slept at least eleven or twelve hours. My body really needed it. It was my only day off for a while, and I was happy to start it with the serene sounds of the forest. I stretched a little before crawling out of the tent. Immediately I noticed something was off - although I was having a hard time figuring out what it was. The sun was in the right spot, but I knew for sure that the treeline wasn’t supposed to look like that. Had it been so dark last night that I set up camp further off from the campsite than usual? It didn’t make sense - I had been here so many times before. I headed for the showers to get my bearings. But as I started walking, I saw that the gravel path wasn’t even there anymore. I couldn’t see a single other tent. There was only grass and no sign that anyone else had been in this area.
I spun in circles, panicking. My tent was there, but the location was all wrong. Has someone played a prank on me? Moved my whole tent with me in it during the night? How could that be possible? I quickly returned to the tent to grab my phone. There was no signal, so I packed my things and headed south to where I knew I would eventually get to the parking lot. Even then, I couldn’t see the trail as I hiked down the terrain. I must be so far away from where I was supposed to be.
