Just a Cuppa

Jarred from my sleep by the shrill exclamation of my alarm, I dazedly swipe the disable option from my watch, feeling immediate relief at the resulting absence of noise. I grumble (just another part of my daily routine) then shuffle into my boots/stilettos/[texture not found] slippers and meander to the bathroom. I perform my morning ablutions, brushing my teeth while the video game visage peers back at me through lidded, groggy eyes. I chuckle; my ability to visualize is ordinarily non-existent. I must be more tired than I thought.

Still shuffling along, I make my way through the bundle of fur outside my bedroom door, all six of our cats swirling through and around my legs in anticipation of their breakfast. I carefully wade through the furry sea, mindful of feet, tails, and bodies. For a moment, Baron looks shorter… where are his legs? I vigorously rub some sleep from my eyes, and everything is normal. What on Earth did I eat last night?

Into the kitchen, scoops of dry kibble into the individual bowls make no sound. My tinnitus is louder than usual today though, it seems, so I think nothing of it. With the cats sated, I turn my attention to my morning coffee. Is it me or does the coffee carafe seem… lower resolution? What? Are my glasses on? I double check and confirm they are seated on my face. Rubbing my eyes again I blink: normal… blink: low resolution… blink: only one eye normal… blink: both back to normal. Maybe I should call out of work and go back to sleep, since it seems all of my senses are on the fritz today. I cautiously touch the carafe, but it feels normal enough. I reach for a cup in the brown/red/wood paneled/deteriorating white cupboard, pausing for a moment before grabbing my Vault-Tec? No, Star Wars mug.

I rest my hands on the counter for a moment, leaning on it and shaking my head vigorously from side to side, not unlike a canine might with their favorite toy. Myshka swirls at my feet, eager to begin the daily “coffee buddy” routine. I pet her between her ears, then resume preparing my morning joe. I debate readying my travel mug to take to work, and ultimately decide once I’ve had my caffeine, the world will surely make more sense. I fill my mugs, tightening the lid of my travel mug, then reach for my Star Wars mug, but it’s now on top of the cupboard. Then on the floor. Then gone. Now spinning in an erratic orbit several inches above the countertop.

I stumble back a few steps; there’s no way I’m imagining this. My coffee continues its circuit above the counter. Nothing spills out, as if it is no more than a hologram, but it was tangible just a few moments ago. Perhaps I’m still asleep? I’ve never had a dream this vivid before, and as far as I know I’ve never had a lucid dream. But the other alternative is I have been isekai’ed into an alternate universe that resembles my own, but as if it were designed by Bethesda. Taking stock of my surroundings, I note that I am still in a space that mostly looks like my kitchen, except the levitating mug of coffee. Most of the cats have gone about their business except Myshka, who is now inside of one of the kitchen chairs, only her head and shoulders visible above the seat, with the rest of her visible beneath it.

Stepping around the corner I peer down the hall to see [texture not found] a grey expanse that is vaguely hallway-shaped, but with no doors and no apparent end. Turning back to the kitchen, my coffee is now resting perfectly normally on top of a Formica counter that looks like it came from the 1950’s. I tentatively reach for the mug, and the moment my hand touches it, the mug is launched away from me as if fired from a canon, passing through the wall and disappearing immediately over the horizon. So much for my coffee.