6.0 - Wonderland

You wake up in a forest, but not just any forest. It's one without birds chirping.

You didn't realize how much forests depended on the birds until you can't hear them singing. A chill passes through you.

Walk along now, and you realize you don't know who you are. Where did you come from?

Does it matter? Does existence matter? What is matter? Matter is existence, isn't it? So does that mean existence matters?

What does consciousness mean? Are you conscious? Is that leaf lying on the ground conscious too? Perhaps...perhaps it was once a bird.

Maybe the birds in the sky all turned into leaves on the ground.

You may be thinking now that this line of thinking is ridiculous. But how do you know that? How do you know that up is not, in fact, down? And that down, is not, in fact, up?

What is sane? What is insane? What does it mean to grow old but not grow young? To grow up and not down.

Is it possible not to grow up? I can't grow up. That's why I'm asking you.

It's funny what thoughts come into your head when there are no birds to snuff them out?

WhooOoooo aRee YyoUuUu?

I ask this again. No. Not the caterpillar. Not the cat grinning on the treetop staring down at you. I'm asking you. Who am I?

Well, who are you?

Oh, a pity. I've lost track of the time.

What are you doing? Quick! Go catch it! I've said I've lost it! Go! Go! Go!

Everything is nonsense until we think about it. But then it only becomes not-nonsense in our heads when its real state is truly nonsense. Just a bunch of bouncing bumbling bubbles we call molecules that all spin together to create---

Is that a face? There? In the leaf!

It looks like a face, but is it a face? Can we trust it? If we can't trust our senses, why do we keep trying to come to them?

There it goes! The time!

Run! Catch the time! You're late! You're late! You're late!

Hop on it and you'll be on time!

STOP.

Tick.

Tock.

Tick.

Tock.

Hehehehe. I've got you. And I'm never, ever, letting you go.