My birthday was on the 1st of April. This year I woke up and my partner was waiting on me with a very strange smile on her face. It was a smile I can’t even describe.

She said, “Happy birthday honey. Good luck.” I don’t know why I didn’t question her. It felt like I had no choice. I looked out the window when she handed me a little note. The note said “Remember the clock tower. You are running out of time. There is a way back.” Deep down, I knew I wasn’t where I was supposed to be. I looked out the window. And I couldn’t believe my eyes. I live in New York City. But it looked nothing like the city we know. Everything from the buildings to the cars, the roads, the people, the way the noise sounded. Just. Everything. I saw flying cars zooming by. But they didn’t just fly. They moved at a speed I’ve never seen before. There were cars on the road as well, but there were no tire marks behind them. It looked like they were hovering. Buildings rose high into the sky like in a sci-fi movie. There were skyscrapers in our world that I’ve never seen before, even in pictures. And the way they were lit up. We don’t have anything like it. But I took it for what it was - my birthday present. I thought it was just some AR glasses or something. Maybe she rented some of those hover cars. It was fun thought. The only strange thing was that I saw people walking around. They looked real. Like I would just see people walking on a regular day. But it looked so different, it still felt like a movie set. I could see far into the distance. I saw a park, what I thought was Central Park. I saw the big lake. But when I looked closer, the water looked black, and it seemed to be steaming. I looked back to my partner, and she was gone. I stood there, bewildered at what was happening. But then I saw it. Far beyond the skyscrapers. I saw the clock tower. I didn’t know what was happening. But I knew I had to go there. The thought sent a shiver down my spine. I took a deep breath. I took another look out the window, and when I turned back, my partner, my dog, my house. Everything was gone. I was standing in the middle of a street, surrounded by the towering buildings and the flying cars. And I thought it was fun. I felt like I was in a dream. It felt like a game. Like I was playing GTA. But it didn’t feel like a game. And I didn’t act like it was a game. I acted as if it were reality. It felt like I woke up one morning and here I was. I walked around. I saw people walking by. I saw restaurants and shops. But I didn’t stop at any of them. I had to get to the clock tower. It was a long way. I walked for at least an hour before I got to what looked like a subway station. I walked down the stairs and rode the subway. I could see out the window, and saw more flying cars. But there were also cars on the road, and it was the same as I saw above - no tire marks. They were hovering. I rode the subway to the last station. When I got out, I was in the middle of a wilderness. I saw the clock tower up in the mountains. I had to walk for hours. But I finally made it. It was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. But when I walked closer, it started to glitch. Just like a game would glitch. I got closer. It glitched more. And then it disappeared. I was back in my room, with my dog asleep on the couch. I woke up and rubbed my eyes. I fell back asleep. When I woke up the next morning, I thought I had just dreamt it all. But I went on my phone and saw I had a text from my partner. It said, “Hope you had fun. See you soon.” What just happened?

My birthday was on the 1st of April. This year I woke up and my partner was waiting on me with a very strange smile on her face. It was a smile I can’t even describe.

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