Out for a late-night bike ride, I go. Finally a night to myself. A night to be at home inside my own head, while being out and about.

The park is my first tour. As I slowly pedal along the sidewalk, the wind brushes against my face. A nice, cool, soothing wind. I smile and wave, there's Simim, and Lisa as well. Nearby I can see myself, only much smarter, trying time and again to impress the girl of my dreams.

In fact they are all here, Austin, Justin, Robert and even Simim's sister and parents. Hanging around the lake, sitting on park benches, playing guitars, filming short movies, doing everything they enjoy doing.

But one can only stay in a park like that for so long, so I take a detour, through downtown, where I see the building where I live, hang out with my friends, run my business, free to do as I please because I finally have a place to call my own.

I see my friends, my family, my co-workers. They wave and smile, knowing how much I enjoy this time to myself, happy to let me be for the moment.

But such a tranquil experience can only last so long, so it's to the college campus I ride. I am greeted by machine gun fire, mortar rounds, yelling, screaming, and armies from all over the world. I see men fall, I see men survive. I see Private Samuels and his company, I hear generals barking orders. Planes roar overhead, bombs shriek through the air, blowing debris everywhere. Chemicals are covering the battlefields, infecting the soldiers with toxins and disease. All around me is destruction.

But such grotesque violence can only be tolerated for so long, so as the smoke and fog and chemicals clear, I can see my street, my house, not far ahead. I'm glad to be home. Glad I still have time left to myself so that I can put everything I've seen, everything I've heard on paper. Glad I still have time left to dive deep into my own head at least one more time, so I can live in every way I can imagine for just a little longer.