I woke up knowing I couldn't have been asleep very long. The portal I was in was rumbling and groaning causing me to as well. It was not pleasant. I saw fire surrounding the portico making it very hot. Please, turn it up a few degrees, I'm absolutely freezing (in case you can't tell, I'm sarcastic).

Then with a huge bang, my head snapped back as I hit something. The shuddering continued though not as violent. Then I came to a stop and all was silent. I rolled my head around to make sure I didn't break my neck (redundant, eh? Well, there are times when you just don't think straight). I was lucky. It would be pretty embarrassing to die right when I arrive on the planet, not to mention the whole world-saving thing would be cancelled.

I found the straps keeping me down and with some difficulty, unbuckled them. My whole body was aching. I rubbed my eyes as they filled with tears from the heat.

A cackling sound came from the small backpack. "Are you alright?"

I unzipped the backpack and found a small bracelet with little lights all over it. My name was brilliantly printed on it.

"How nice. A new bracelet for me? Why thank you!" I slipped it on.

"This is Earth. Are you hurt?"

"It's possible, but not enough that I can't do normal functions. Who is this?"

"It's Gabriel."

"Look Gabriel, I don't think this worked."

"What do you mean? According to our radar you made it there just fine!"

"Gabriel, I've only been asleep for maybe a few hours."

"You've been in frozen animation. Two months, four weeks, and six days."

"Ain't that somethin'?" I muttered to myself.

"Now, have you gotten everything in order?"

I rubbed the back of my head and took a deep breath. "No, Gabe. I just woke up."

"As soon as you put it together, call me."

"Yes, Sir," I grumbled as he clicked out.

The heat only got worse, giving me the feeling that I should leave right about sooner than now. I gathered up my backpack and turned to the exit. I struggled a bit with the small, metal handle until it finally opened. Cool air flowed in, the heat from inside rushing out in turn. I pushed the door all the way open and stepped out, not knowing what was in store for me.

It wasn't what I expected. I was on another planet after all so I couldn't really expect anything. I never read about what another planet would look like or what to anticipate. So you couldn't really blame me when I gasped so deep that something flew into my throat and I started to cough. For all I knew, what I just inhaled was poisonous and I would die in a few hours. Fine with me, I thought to myself as I continued to cough. I almost died once, why not again?

When I finally calmed down, I looked down with my watery eyes, yes down, not up.

Have you ever walked on water? I don't think I've ever known somebody who could. I could give myself this very moment the world prize of being the first creature of its kind to walk on water. Because that was exactly what I was doing. Water was the landscape all around. I looked at my feet. Ripples were expanding from where they touched the water. I expected at any moment to sink beneath the waves. I remembered the moment when I was staring into the peaceful lake back home. That was when a slimy hand had reached out and grabbed me. Was it going to happen again? I came closer to the surface, staring hard. I realized that there were creatures underneath the surface. I touched the water but it was not completely liquid. Ripples spread from where I touched it, but I couldn't go much farther than an inch. Interesting…

I stood back up. There was nothing, nothing above the surface anyway. Perhaps I was imagining things. I peered back into the water and saw moving unidentifiable objects. I grimaced at the thought of going down there, which would probably never happen. The organism-less world above, however, seemed much more inviting than below.

I remembered I had a radio. I sat down and zipped open the backpack. I pulled out the radio and flicked a switch.

"Gabriel? Are you there?"

After a moment's silence, he answered. "I'm here. What do you need?"

"Gabriel, the whole surface of this planet is water! There is no one around that I can see! I think I'm on the wrong planet."

"No, no, no. You're on the right planet. It must look odd to you over there, I expect?"

I won't repeat the language that I said at that moment.

"Everything is fine. Trust me," replied Gabriel, confident and undaunted by my words. "Do you have all of your equipment?"

"If you mean all of the stuff in the bag, yeah."

I heard Gabriel sigh. "You don't know about it all, do you?"

"Might as well be talking to me in the Old Tongue," I responded. "Your people expected me to know what they were talking about?"

"It doesn't matter now," Gabriel said, somewhat impatiently. "They are all in case of emergency anyway, so I can explain then to you later. Except for a few things."

"Emergency, gotcha." I was mildly surprised at my sudden sarcastic and know-it-all feelings inside. All of the fear seemed to have flown out of my body once I had opened the door to Dalshep.

"You can always contact me on this radio. I am guessing you know how to use it?" Gabriel asked hopefully.

"Oh yeah, got that covered."

Gabriel paused. I forgot he still wasn't quite used to earth jargon.

"Yes, covered…now you should look in your bundle for a box like device with some switches on it."

I unzipped the packet and searched for what he was describing. I pulled out a gray rectangular prism with one large circular button, a knob that went up and down, and a switch on the side.

"I got it."

"Yes, DO be careful with it, Promised One. That device is meant to be used when you are in danger. The side switch turns it on and the knob adjusts the power. Once you push the button, a bolt of electricity will shoot out of the front if you are pointing it at your enemy."

"I have enemies?" I surveyed the tool, careful not to accidentally press anything. I wondered what would happen if I pointed this thing at the planet, the water covered planet.

"Why, yes! I thought out of all things, you at least understood that."

I sighed. "I hate surprises. What am I up against?"

"I can't lie to you, Son of Paul. It is a greater evil than this world has ever known. There's only one way you can save this world, and that device will not help you."

"What do I do?"

"We do not know, but you will know when the time comes."

"Don't give me that!" I yelled into the bracelet. "You pulled me out of my world, you threw this mission on my lap, and now YOU have to tell me what I need to do!"

"But we have," Gabriel said in an assuring manner. "You weren't listening. It's as that one metaphor you beings have on earth." I could imagine Gabriel jumping up and down in excitement. "We have shown you the door, but only you can walk through it."

"I'm glad you're getting it, because I'm not. How am I supposed to find out what to do?"

"You will, Promised One. Have faith in yourself. I did tell you we didn't have as much time as we wished to show you everything, and I'm doing the best I can. I honestly don't know, and the computer wishes that this one be done by you. Showing you these instruments will surely help you in some way."

I was about to answer him when I felt a rumble beneath me. Ripples spread from where my feet touched the water and kept going until I couldn't see how far they went. Then, I felt like I was sinking, but very slowly, like quicksand.

"GABRIEL!!! WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?!"

"Calm down, Promised One! What is happening?"

"I'M BEING SUCKED THROUGH THE WATER!!"

"Oh, it's perfectly all right, Master, that's how things are --"

I wasn't able to hear anything after that. I had been submerged under the surface of Dalshep. Once underneath, everything flew out of my head from the sound of music. It was like a nightmare upside down. Blue swirled all around with small sparkles floating in the midst. It couldn't be plain music, like music was ever plain in the first place, but this was new. I couldn't tell what instrument was being used, but it was absolutely beautiful, even for my tone-deaf ears. Who said anything about saving the world? This wasn't my world, let someone else save it. I could've just stayed there forever.

But apparently, it didn't want me anymore and I fell through. The gravity pulled me down through the liquid and it seemed like forever before I hit solid ground. Like the first time I had been pulled through a liquid, I lost my breath and I tried to regain it by lying there for awhile. The soft dirt felt cool and comforting against my cheek, even though my coughing hindered things a bit.

The presence came. I opened my eyes and saw them.