I came across a desert toad. I knelt down and took the toad into my hand.
From nothing came a sphere that morphed into the shape of an octagon. From a centerpoint, a Kaleidoscope symmetry of swirling colors. An infinite
fractal emerged from the polygon encompassing my vision.
Reflected in each pane was a divergent scene. My eyes fixed to one.
I saw the faceless toiling. They were working in the most menial way. The mechanization of their existence ran machines of pointlessness, and they
were compelled to slave away without expression.
The air surrounding them was industrial filth. Blackened by soot, sunlight could barely seep through.
I saw it sprawling for the endless miles.
The radial reflections of many scenes retracted, it rotated counter-clockwise to a pastural one. The green grass and the rural farmhouse. The clear
blue skies. But the faces were still expressionless and their bodies were still toiling. The sun beat down.
A fence lined the pasture. It extended for what seemed like infinity. My view followed the fence.
But a repeating frame starting passing as I follow along. The farm kept disappearing, reappearing, and changing each time.
I could fast forward through its several incarnations. As it progressed the farm turned more into the industrial hellscape which each successive
variation.
Then it reversed back and spun to another pane.
The land was lush. I progressed through an infinite rainforest. Much like the farmhouse, the landscape followed an endless scene, an endless river.
Each bank high in the sky with impressive foliage. As you followed along the trees lining the periphery began to dissappear. Replaced by pallets of
goods for shipping. From nature to loading dock.
Then it transitioned to its final scene.
The ground was cracked and the plants were gone. The cracks of an arid endless playa came into view.
They sky was a hazy shade of orange.
There were no more faceless toiling.
Just the cracked ground going on forever.
I followed along without any deviation to be had.
At that point the progression stopped. It quickly rewound all the way back through all the viewed landscapes.
Then reality.
I was back with the desert toad. The landscape was most normal looking once more. I set the toad down and let him hop along its way. As he moved out
of view the toad stopped and turned, and I could hear his thoughts, "Why the hell did you just lick me and drool for 15 minutes? It's gonna turn you
into a hippie."
edit on 17-9-2023 by Degradation33 because: (no reason given)