I was just sitting at my desk. I think it was all a dream but… I’m not sure. It seemed so real.

I’m a computer programmer. And since AI has been introduced into the company, I haven’t had to do as much. And while my pay has stayed the same, it means that I’m often just sitting at my desk doing nothing. Because I’m still on the clock and I’m limited in the things I can do during business hours.

I had a late night last night and while I tried to stay awake- because a nap certainly isn’t one of those activities that’s allowed- my eyes kept closing and I must’ve dozed off.

It all started in an empty field. There was no one around- I was all alone. I didn’t recognize where I was. I started walking, trying to figure out where I was. There was nothing in any direction. After a while, I found some footprints. They looked kind of human- except for an extra imprint where the toes are. Like the person had 6 toes on each foot. Hoping that they would lead me to something that would lead me to answers, I hesitantly followed them. Being unfamiliar with my surroundings had me unnerved; how did I know that whoever was at the end of this path wasn’t out to hurt me?

After a long while, I though I saw something - and someone- out in the distance. I wish there was a place to hide and figure out what’s going on, I thought to myself.

The figure in the distance saw me and stared at me the entire time I walked toward them. His hand clutched the side of his leg like there was something secret there. As I got closer, I realized his skin was an unusual color: it was a pale white and green, but it seemed to change to a Caucasian color depending on the angle you looked at him. He was dressed strangely, too. The loincloth he was wearing was made of black scales that shimmered in the sun and he wore no shirt. He wore a strip of tanned leather across his chest like sash- it had animal fangs hanging from it. He had 6 toes on each foot.

Taking a deep breath, I stepped up to him and said, “who are you? Where are we?”

He looked at me strangely, with big yellowish gray eyes and let out a deep growl and incoherent sounds. There was a distinct reply from what sounded like 30 feet away. He stated in that direction for a few moments then looked back at me. Raising his hand, he touched my forehead and I heard a voice in my head.

“You’re not supposed to be here. Leave.”

The black tattoos on his right arm glowed brightly and all of a sudden I woke up back at my desk.

I shook it off, thinking it was just a dream.

But when I got home and I looked in the mirror, there was a symbol on my forehead that I could only see at certain angles.

Am I still dreaming?