There was darkness. The man's body felt incomparably cold, almost as if he was freezing. Feelings of needles pricking at his skin happened simultaneously as his beating heart sped up. There was no concept of time and no sign of his heart rate slowing down.
After what seemed like an eternity, warmth flooded his body, mind, and soul, rejuvenating the very depths of his body in ethereal delight. His mood skyrocketed as he experienced something no mortal could understand. It was as if he was blind, and then could miraculously see. It was as if he was out in the freezing winter cold, a snowstorm around him, and then walked into his warm house, fireplace blazing, with a cup of hot cocoa in a mug, with a plate of cookies by a cozy armchair. It was as if he was mentally assaulted in public, and then he came back home, to find his family waiting for him with open arms, delighting that he had come back.
With all these thoughts swirling in his mind, he entered a euphoric state. Our protagonist was thinking about heaven and how wonderful it would be to bask in the presence of God. He thought, "It doesn't feel that bad to die. Ahhhhh, I can feel the cool breeze...." Breeze? He found that somehow, the cold darkness had transitioned into a feeling of him closing his eyes. He opened them and was momentarily blinded by the light. He stretched his arms out wide and found himself...looking at a furry brown snout.
"AAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!"
The figure rolled back to show its round body.
Huh? It's the bear cub. Whaaaaaaaaat? Confused, the boy looks around, only to find himself back where he started.
What the heck is happening? He was perplexed beyond words. Thoughts flashed through his head. A moment ago I found myself dead, but now, I'm not? And I'm back to where I started? Am I hallucinating? There is no explanation for this...unless somehow I revived/reset to where I was. But then, why is this the place where I revived. I don't understand..... Wait, if everything is the same as I think it is.....where's the culprit for my death?
Cold sweat formulated as he swiveled around, looking for anything that might have potentially caused his death.
He saw the steady stream, the colorful birds, the green grass, the vibrant trees, but nothing that could have killed him with one hit. Panic swallowed his thoughts. Stream, birds, grass, trees, stream, birds, grass, trees. Where is IT! Thump! Thump! THUMP! He felt a sudden pain in his chest, as his heart rate accelerated. His chest felt tight, he was breathing, but it felt like he couldn't get enough air. He clutched his chest and fell to his knees. The world swirled around with spots blotting out his vision. No, please, I don't want to die again. The man fell, fainted.
I want to sleep, I want to fall asleep forever, escape from this nightmare. What's that feeling? The man woke up to the cub licking his fingers. He smiled and said, "Little guy, my finger isn't your candy...." MUNCH! "OOOOUUUUCCCCHHHH!!!" The bear hopped backward, frightened, and plopped onto his rump. "Owwwww, don't bite my finger, alright? It's not food." The cub looked at him innocently. The man sighed. This cub was just too cute for him to be mad at it for long.
Right, where's the culprit?
He jumped up and swiveled around, looking for anything dangerous. He saw two eyes looking at him through a bush on the far side of the clearing. Gulp, the man swallowed his saliva, eyes opened wide, staring into those amber eyes. Is that it? Will I survive?