Excerpt: Of Every Kind of Tree

I open my eyes to mist and silence in a field of tall grasses. Behind me a tree rises, unlike any tree I can remember. Its branches sprawl in every direction, covered with thick, flat leaves that look as wide as I am tall.

A gust of wind rustles the leaves as I get to my feet, shaking a little. I am dressed in loose white trousers, but my clothing is covered in earth and small pieces of grass. Where am I? Where had I been before? These things roll through my head, but I can barely manage to concern myself with them as I look around.

The world is green and gray as far as my eye can see. Outside the sheltering circle of the tree, a heavy rain beats the grasses down. There seems to be almost nothing else around besides the tree, grass, and mist. No people, no buildings, no animals, even. It is an empty world, and I stand in it with no idea how or why I am there, or even who I am.