To keep my mind in check, I made it a habit of walking every day after work. I’d pop in my earbuds, blasting tunes that lifted my spirits and drowned out the noise in my head. Lately, though, my mind had been taking me on a wild ride. Vivid dreams flooded my nights, each one like a glimpse into a different life I’d lived before. I’d be someone else entirely—different age, gender, speaking a whole new language, living in far-off lands. It felt real, yet not quite.

As these dreams became a nightly occurrence, I couldn’t help but notice a common thread: danger lurked in every one of them. It was like some ominous event loomed over me, waiting to pounce. But then they took a darker turn, focusing on accidents and death. One dream still gives me chills—a woman desperately trying to stop her boyfriend from driving, only for them to meet a tragic end in a car crash. It didn’t scare me, though. I was too busy pondering the possibility of crossing dimensions.

Then came November 30th, 2021. I left the house for my usual walk, planning to pick up my kids from school. Winter was creeping in, so the days were turning dark sooner rather than later.  When I reached the corner near the school, everything went pitch black. Strange sounds echoed around me, and out of nowhere, two wooden doors emerged, I felt like life had paused in that moment. But before I could react, a force pushed me through one, and I crashed to the ground.

When I came to, the world was a blur of voices and movement. I felt a warm ooze trickling down my face, and the school’s security guard’s panicked voice reaching me as she rushed over. But amidst the chaos, my mind fixated on those wooden doors. The school’s security guard told me I’d been hit by a car, but all I could think about was who—or what—had shoved me through those doors.

The whole experience felt like a scene from a movie, yet I was both actor and spectator. I felt the pain and confusion, but also a strange detachment. After hours in the hospital, I was finally able to return home. However, for the next few weeks, only the image of those doors haunted me. Little did I know, they were the first step on a path I never knew I needed to take.