Ever have one of those days that starts off kind of weird but because it’s just “normal weird” you don’t think too much about how strange it might really be? No? I didn’t think so. Me, neither. In fact, it seemed like every day of my life just started to blend together, to morph into each other. Like, some days I wasn’t sure if it was Tuesday or Thursday. They both kind of seemed the same both equidistant from the weekend but I guess Thursday always seemed a little bit closer. Everything was so routine that sometimes I didn’t even notice a weekend passing by. Work, work, work. Go to the gym. Go to the store. Go home and make dinner. Pet the cat. Maybe watch some dumb TV or numb out, reading some stupid article online, or scroll through social media, like nothing mattered.

Really, it seemed like there wasn’t much that mattered to me. Every day was almost the same. But then, I had a strange dream. It wasn’t like any dream I’ve had before. It felt like I was in a movie. Mom and dad were there. Eddie, my cat, was there. My neighbor, Fernando, was there. Even my old girlfriend was there. Suzanne. Boy, that was a mess. But still, it felt like kind of a normal dream except when it didn’t. Everyone else was normal, but I was no longer ME. I was some kind of, I guess, superhero? I mean, I could walk through walls. I could turn invisible. I could fly. I was super strong and smart. But everyone else treated me like I was normal, like I didn’t have any superpowers. Like I was just average, plain, old me. Dave Winters. Car insurance salesman. Blah! And I was like, “watch how I can walk through this wall.” And they weren’t terribly impressed. Finally, I got fed up of no one, recognizing me for my true power, so I took off and flew away. And the whole earth seemed to disappear behind me. And it got really cold and dark. Suddenly, I couldn’t breathe right. That made me wake up. I sat up in bed. Early morning. Totally dazed and weirded out. I decided to get up and feed the cat, make some breakfast, and get ready for work. Back to my normal life. Thank goodness!

I was happy not to have any superpowers. Even when I burned the toast. Didn’t seem to matter much that I was just a lonely, single guy with a shitty job in a midsize city with no hot prospects. At least I had a job and a place to live that was nice enough. My parents were still alive. And of course, I had Eddie. My gray haired tabby. Just as normal as can be.

“Normal? Is that how you see me? Am I not rather magnificent?” A deep voice bellowed from below.

I stopped eating, almost choking on my burnt toast. I looked under the table, and there he was: Eddie.

Of course, I was just losing my mind. That would be OK. People lose their minds. That’s normal!

but this, this was not Okay. This was definitely weird.

“Well, what’s the verdict? Normal or abnormally fabulous?” Again - the baritone voice boomed!

I dropped the damn toast and leaned all the way down, stuck my head under the table — looking for.a smart speaker. Was Fernando playing a joke on me? He was always a practical joker but why was he in my place and what was this all about? God, please let this be something I can understand.

“Nope. You’re just going crazy!” The disembodied voice began to laugh maniacally. Seeming to read my mind and tease me at my own expense. I reached under the table to grasp for a wire or something electronic. But wound up grabbing the cat’s tail.

“Hey! Manhandle somebody else. You know I don’t go for that touchy stuff, unless I ask for it.”

The only other living thing in the room with me was the cat. But someone could hear my thoughts.

“Eddie?” I asked with total disbelief.

“Who else?” His mouth moved! He spoke! English!

I fell backwards out of my chair and rolled across the kitchen. What was going on? My cat just talked to me. I laid there for a moment, holding my face.

“Just going to lie there all day? I think you should go to work so I can have some ‘Me Time.’ By the way, breakfast was a little light today. Maybe drop me some dry food on your way out?”

It was Eddie. He was full of words. And a bit spicy. As soon as he let his wishes be known he curled up under the table, licked himself, and took a nap.

I just sat there — dumbfounded. My cat knew English!

What kind of world was I living in?

“Rift World. It’s a thing. By the way, now you have superpowers and I’m your magical Familiar. Dig?”

Eddie had one eye open and full command of the English language and sassy as a show cat.

And I was no longer living in a dream. I was living in… Rift World. Which I would learn was as much a part of reality as the so-called normal world I thought I belonged to. Turns out, I belonged to both worlds…