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Alex sat beneath a massive ash tree.
The branches reached so high into the sky; they seemed to disappear into the clouds. The location was strange to him, almost ethereal. A squirrel bounded purposefully from the upper branches and disappeared below Alex, paying no mind to him.
An old man with a long gray beard, a staff and a wide-brimmed hat walked towards him. Alex wiped his palms against his gray sweatpants, his stomach twisting as he watched the man approach him.
"Why have you come here?" the old man asked.
Alex looked around him. His fingers threaded through the cool blades of grass his body rested on. The air was just warm enough to be comfortable, and the sun warmed his skin. Yet he had no idea where he was or why he was here. His brow furrowed.
"Where is here? Alex asked. He tilted his head to the side. It was a long shot, because it couldn't be possible, but the man reminded him of someone. “Are you Gandalf? Is this middle earth?”
The old man rolled his only eye and cocked an eyebrow at Alex.
"Bah," he scoffed. "It's always Gandalf. I will have words with Tolkien for using me as inspiration for that blasted wizard."
A vague ghost of a memory came to Alex.
Norse Mythology.
He only had one eye.
"Odin?"
"None other," Odin replied dryly, as if he didn't have time to be talking to a mere mortal. He shook his head. "Not another dreamer."
It amazed Alex that Odin seemed to have read his mind, but then again, he was a god.
"Another one?"
"This happens all the time. Some unsuspecting soul dreams their way on to Yggdrasil. Well, that answers my question," Odin said, tipping the brim of his hat in Alex's direction. "All the best on your journey, warrior."
"Warrior?"
"Well, you've killed a man, haven't you?" Odin's single eye seemed to bore into his soul.
"Uh, well—I didn't mean to." Alex shrugged, feeling the guilt churn anew in his belly.
Odin scoffed, pounding his staff against the earth for emphasis.
"What do you mean you didn't mean to?"
"I mean maybe I did in the moment, but—" Alex shook his head. "It doesn't matter, really."
"I think it does, seeing as you seem to feel great guilt over it." The old man leaned against his staff. "Listen, I will not tell you how to feel, but carrying that guilt around with you will only hurt you."
"I'm starting to realize that," Alex said, his shoulders rounding.
"Good. Well, farewell, young human. And remember the weather can change a lot in five days or even a month."
With that, the man turned and walked away. Alex was glad Odin couldn't see the confusion on his face.
The squirrel from before leaped from below, using Alex's head to jump to one of the higher boughs of the tree.
The pain from the claws of the rodent caused him to wake up.