He snapped open his eyes to see a car barreling down on him, horn blaring, tires screeching. Gerald screamed, rolling out of the road. The driver slowed without stopping completely, rolled his window down and yelled, “What the fuck is the matter with you? Get a job you fucking bum!” then sped away. Gerald stood up, thinking about how he’d almost been hit by the car— A car! Was he back in his normal world? He looked around, seeing only road and trees, but noticed they looked a little more familiar. Up ahead, he could see a stop sign with a road name sign adjacent to it. He ran full tilt, got to the road, and found he was within a mile of his house. He cut through some woods, across a field, and was back in his own yard within the hour. He felt like a sailor who’d been in a lifeboat for weeks, falling to his knees and kissing the ground in front of his home. He almost stood up and screamed “Hallelujah,” but managed to stop himself. He wasn’t so sure of his sanity any longer, but didn’t think there was any reason to convince the neighbors he was crazy.
