Johnny looked around, completely baffled. He was sitting on a stack of hay and was surround by hay bails as well. The smell of manure assaulted his nose and immediately made him dry heave.
He stood up and realized, he was in fact naked. Feeling self conscious for what was probably the first time in his life he decided to put the duster on. It fit perfect. Like it was made for him.
Looking up he noticed tall wooden rafters, definitely not machine built. There were nests in the rafters and barn swallows flew in and out of the upper doors. He had only seen something like this in movies and shows.
The walls were made in the same fashion as the rafters and roof. Rough cut wood. He noticed to his left was a passage way with dim light shining through. Slowly he crept along the rough wooden walls until he reached the opening.
Four stalls lined the hallway, two on each side. This was like something he'd seen in a western. Where the hell was he and how the hell was he here?
"Hello?" He called out.
A chestnut colored horse head poked out from the stall nearest to him. It whinied softly and studied Johnny with its large onyx eyes.
"I don't suppose you talk do you?"
The horse rubbed its neck along the wooden gate. Hanging halfway down was a name plate with hand carved letters. It read, Sock.
"Sock? Is that your name?"
The horse seemed to know its name as it turned to fully face Johnny. It sniffed the air as Johnny crept closer. Slowly he reached his hand out and placed it on Sock's nose.
A small gasp from the barn entrance startled Johnny, which in turn startled Sock. Sending the chestnut colored horse back into its stall.
In the entranceway, a girl in a yellow sundress stood. She appeared to look about fourteen. Her blonde hair cascading around her face and down her shoulders. Large green eyes stood wide open as she regarded Johnny. In a trembling voice she spoke, "Are you from Cor?"
What the hell was she asking him?
He stood, dumbfounded, with no real clue as to what he should say.
"Are you my wish from Cor, to send me a husband?" She asked as she stepped towards Johnny.
"Uhhh, I'm definitely a gift." He said, giving her his best smile.
She was holding a basket of eggs and she set them on the ground. Her smile widened as she stepped further into the entranceway and looked Johnny up and down.
"You're naked."
Johnny looked down and saw that he was definitely naked except for the duster and hat. "You're not wrong."
"I've prayed for so long that Cor would send me a husband to take me away from this wretched town. You're my dream come true!" She said as her smile widened.
"Look, I'm not sure what you're talking about. It sounds really cool and all but I'm probably old enough to be your dad." Johnny said as he took a step back.
She put her hand to her mouth and stifled a sob. Oh shit, was she about to cry?
"Hey listen, I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. I have money." He instinctively reached for his wallet and realized again that he was naked.
"Ok, I have money. Just not on me. My wallet...it's uh..not here obviously. I'm not even sure where here is, but if you can tell me where I am. I can find an ATM and give you money for clothes and whatever."
She looked baffled, and wiped her eyes, "ATM? Money? What are those words?"
What? How could she not know those words?
"You...don't know what money is? Like dollar bills. What you use to buy things."
Her eyes lit up and she smiled, "Are you a foreigner? Did you come on a boat?"
Johnny was so confused. How could she not know what money was and what boat? He needed clothes and he needed to know where the hell he was.
"Uhm, yes? It was a...big boat. With sails and stuff." He said as he adjusted his duster to cover more of himself.
"Ohhh, I've never met anyone from the Island of Fog. You don't look like the book words say. Your skin isn't gray." She said, continuing to look Johnny up and down.
"Gray? No, I'm tanned like a beautiful Greek God."
Her face scrunched up in confusion, "Greek God? Is that from your island? You worship a different God other than Cor, the creator of life?"
Cor? Who the hell was that? This had to be a dream. He tried pinching himself but it only hurt. The girl studied him with her eyes.
"Yes, all sorts of different things and stuff. Do you have any clothes I can wear? Are your folks around?"
She smiled broadly, "You want to meet my folks? Like a courtship?"
Johnny sighed deeply, this was certainly testing his patience. "Not like a courtship at all, sweetheart. Like a, I need some clothes on my body and shoes on my feet thing."
Her eyes immediately diverted to the ground and the look of disappointment was heart breaking. "Jamison isn't my father. He bought me for a handmaiden. He's not home but I can take you to his quarters. He has plenty of clothes and boots."
Wow, a handmaiden. This was like a tv show and he was living in it. If, in fact, he wasn't dreaming. Maybe he could get some answers by looking around this Jamison fellows room.
"Perfect. What's your name anyways?" Johnny asked as he began to stride towards her.
"Serenity. It doesn't really matter though. I know you'll just leave after you find clothes that fit. I'm always going to be stuck here. I just know it." She pouted and the downturn of her lips accented her sadness.
"I'm sorry sweetheart. Once I know what the hell is even happening here. I'll come back for you. I promise. Dolaire's always keep their word." Johnny reached out and set his hand on her shoulder and she seemed to melt under his grip.
"That's a fancy name. I've never read that name from the books." She said, looking up into his eyes.
"I'm pretty new." He said smiling down at her, "Can we go to Jamison's room so I can see if his clothes will fit?"
Serenity nodded solemnly and led Johnny from the horse barn. As he passed by Sock, the horse leaned his head out and gave Johnny a quick bite on the butt. Spinning around Johnny thought he saw the horse wink at him. "That...is one weird horse."
Serenity quickly regarded Sock with a side glance and shrug. "You can have him if you promise to come back. Jamison never pays attention to him anyways."
Once out of the barn the sunlight assaulted Johnny. The air smelled clean and fresh. The surrounding tilled fields were filled with orange and yellow leafed plants. It was like something from a story book. Things that seemed familiar but were just a bit...off.
"What are these crops?" He asked as they continued to walk between the fields.
"Mostly wraith fruit and yellow gobbers." Serenity said nonchalantly.
"What the hell is a yellow gobber?"
"It's a yellow gobber, not a red gobber or purple gobber. They're great for sweet breads."
Ok, something was definitely off with wherever the hell he was. Gobbers, wraith fruit? This was like being in a different dimension or something.
The two walked side by side for a moment as Johnny continued to be in awe of the landscape around him. The trees even looked different. Leaf shapes that didn't quite match what he had seen his whole life and..a second sun in the sky?
"Is that uhm...two suns in the sky?" Johnny said as he pointed to an orangish ball in the sky.
"Yes, silly. That's the Harvest sun. It rises first thing in the morning and sets at noon as the Seeker's sun rises." She said, pointing the white ball in the sky.
She turned to look at him with a cocked eye brow. "Are you really from the Island of Fog? We share the same suns, you know?"
They were approaching a white, manor style house. With red rocking chairs on the wooden wrap around porch and green shutters on all of the many windows. "Look, I'm gonna shoot you straight sweetie. I'm not from an island but I was deserted on one once. I don't think I'm even from whatever planet this is."
She immediately stopped in her tracks and spun on Johnny, her eyes wide. "Jamison said the same thing. Claimed he was from a place called Califoka on Earf."
Johnny couldn't help but bark out a laugh at her pronouncing of the words. "It's California and Earth. Exactly where I'm from. What do you know about this guy?"
Serenity studied him, perhaps judging if he was joking or not, "Claimed he was a traveler from different dimensions. That he was searching for.." She gasped and put her hand over her mouth.
"What?!" Johnny spun around looking for someone trying to get a drop on him. There was only farm fields and trees though. He turned back to Serenity, hand still covering her mouth.
"Richard Dolaire..." She said through her hands. "That's your last name too isn't it?"
Johnny's head spun for a moment, had she just said this Jamison dude was not only from California but also searching for his father? He rubbed his temples to calm the pounding flow of blood in his head. His heart was racing.
"That is my last name, and that is my father's name as well. I haven't seen him in twenty years, since I was twelve..." His words trailed off.
The two stared at each other for a long moment, neither knowing exactly what to say or do. Finally,
Johnny bound up the front porch steps to the white screened door and jerked it open.
"Where's his room, Serenity? I need answers!"