Liam, a typical office drone, was on the cusp of hurling his resignation at his boss’s face when the fabric of reality decided to take a coffee break. One moment he was in his cubicle, the next, he was in what appeared to be a circus tent designed by someone high on baroque aesthetics. He was encircled by a trio of outlandishly dressed figures—a pair of men and a woman—whose outfits screamed 'Mardi Gras meets the Renaissance fair'.

  Around him, bodies lay strewn like rag dolls. Uniquely, Liam was upright, a fact that seemed to interest the garishly clad trio momentarily. In a grand gesture of greeting, Liam waved, and promptly, his stomach betrayed him, expelling the remnants of his half-eaten tuna sandwich in a spectacular fashion. The trio wrinkled their noses in unison, their expressions a blend of disgust and snobbery. One of the men, in a feathered cap that would make any peacock jealous, gave the other a hearty slap on the back—a gesture that, in any other circumstance, would signify a job well done. But Liam? He was just confused and nauseous.

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  “Where the fuck am I?” Liam pondered, his mind a swirl of questions. He hadn't the foggiest idea whether he was hallucinating from work stress or if this was some new VR team-building exercise gone awry.

  His thought train was derailed when a gaggle of grubby-faced children barged in, their small hands eager and prying, nudging the inert bodies with a mix of curiosity and a disturbing familiarity. One of them, a boy with a face that looked like it had a long-standing relationship with dirt, took Liam’s hand with an assertiveness that belied his years and tugged him out of the room.

  Through a labyrinth of hallways, adorned with tapestries that had seen better days, they went, until they arrived at a humble room, no larger than Liam's own office. There were three beds, each looking as comfortable as a pile of leaves.

  "Pick a bed, any bed," the boy seemed to say with his eyes, as he gestured grandly towards the meager sleeping arrangements. Leom sat down on a bed and the boy left him there. Realizing he was very tired and this was probably a dream, he laid down his head and fell asleep.