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pearl-coloured buttons and faded green pants that were tucked into a pair of felt boots. As Charlie began to focus on the room, it became clear that he was in a log cabin of some description. The house comprised of one room with a lofted ceiling. This was supported by one large beam and four cross beams that stuck out from its length like fish bones. There was a large selection of walking sticks and staffs, which sat in a sculptured box by the front door and the kitchen table sat beneath a hanging rack of pots and pans, which had been cleaned so thoroughly they shone like large Christmas decorations. There was another bed at the other end of the cabin, which sat on a mezzanine floor above the rest of the room. The space this created beneath it was the old man's study. In this little nook sat a beautiful carved desk, which was pushed right up against the wall, with a worn leather chair tucked halfway underneath it. Little sketches and handwritten notes covered the wall in front of the desk, yet somehow, like the rest of the cabin, it looked organised and functional.
    "Hello there," whispered Shamir. "Before you try and speak, you are quite safe. You are somewhere you will not recognise, but you are in no danger. My name is Shamir. I won't try to explain anything yet, but feel secure in your bed and we will talk in a while. Here now, Charlie, drink this special tea I've made and it will make you feel more comforted," said Shamir, as though he had known his name all his life.
    "Mm," said Charlie, "I don't know how much longer I can lie here. My muscles are aching and I really feel like moving around. Is there any reason that I can't? I'm not dead or injured or something, am I?"
    "You are certainly not dead, Charlie. You have moved, but you are certainly very much alive. If you feel like getting up, that is exactly what you should do. But remember, your body might feel a bit weak as it has had quite a jolt," said Shamir.
    "What do you mean I've moved?" asked Charlie, lifting himself up onto his elbows.
    "I was going to explain everything to you when you had settled in a bit more, but since you wish to know, I will try to make things a little clearer. You see, Charlie, you've had an accident."
    "Yes, I can remember that. I came off my bike riding down Flexford hill with my girlfriend Marie. But then it all goes blank."
    "Well, in that crash, your physical body and your soul body have become separated."
    "My physical body and what. what the hell are you talking about?" demanded Charlie.
    "Charlie, I don't mean to patronise you, but if I try to explain that to you now, it will only sound confusing. The experience of life is far more diverse than humans are able to understand. Much that happens in our lives, which seems unexplainable, is in fact a piece of a jigsaw that fits perfectly, if only we could see the whole picture.
    "You mean, I've left Earth?" asked Charlie.
    "No, you are still on Earth, but you have come to a place that humans haven't discovered yet. It is a valley that has been hidden from view for hundreds of years and, for some reason, you have been brought here."
    "But why me?" said Charlie.
    "I don't know, Charlie, but I promise everything will become clearer to both of us in time. Just try to go along with things for now, if you can," said Shamir gently.
    "I'll try, but it all seems pretty freaky to me at the moment," said Charlie, looking quite concerned.
    "Tell me, Charlie, are you afraid of me?" asked Shamir.
    "No, not at all."
    "Good, well at least that's a start. I wish I could explain it in a way that made everything clear, but I can't," said Shamir scratching his head.
    "Okay, I can tell that you're trying to help me, but can I ask one thing?"
    "Yes, of course, ask anything you want to," said Shamir.
    "Will I ever be allowed to leave here so I can see my parents and Marie again?"
    "That's such a difficult question to answer, Charlie. You see, only two people have ever survived the transit into this valley out