The man saw Adam's confusion. He saw the blank stare. He saw a boy who did not comprehend the situation. He stepped forward. He spoke gently. His voice was calm. "Child don't you understand what I'm saying?"
Adam heard the sounds. He did not grasp the words. They were a foreign stream of noise. He could not find any meaning in them. He started to think he had ended up in another country. A very remote one. One with a language he had never been exposed to. He looked at the man's simple clothes. He looked at the endless fields. This place was far from any city he knew.
The man observed Adam. He saw the confusion. He saw the dust covering his clothes. He saw the pure bewilderment on his face. The man seemed to realize something. The boy was not from around here. He was lost. He gestured to Adam. He pointed down the path. It was a clear invitation to follow him.
Before Adam could say anything the man turned. He began walking away. Adam felt a surge of panic. He was being left alone again. He opened his mouth to protest but no words came out. He realized the man was not listening to him. He could not understand him anyway. Adam sighed a deep heavy sigh. It was a sound of complete resignation. He followed the man reluctantly. There was nothing else to do. Around them fields of crops stretched out in every direction. The plants were a healthy green. They swayed gently in the breeze. The two walked silently ahead. They passed by the fields one after another. The silence was heavy between them.
Adam trailed behind the man. His feet made soft sounds on the dirt path. His mind was racing. He was trying to find a solution. Then a thought struck him. Wait a second. I could use my mobile phone. I can use it to translate whatever this man is saying. It was a simple solution. A brilliant one. Hope surged through him.
Immediately Adam reached into his pockets. He fumbled inside his pants pockets first. His fingers found nothing but lint. He checked his back pockets. They were empty. His heart sank. He patted his jacket. The phone was nowhere to be found. He stopped walking. He stood still on the path. He glanced back toward the crater.
He could see the disturbed earth in the distance. Adam realized what had happened. My phone got lost when I fell. It must have flown out of my pocket during the impact. The thought was crushing. His one link to his world was gone. It was lying somewhere in that field buried in dirt.
At that moment Adam heard the man's voice. He was calling out to him again. Adam turned around. He saw the man standing a short distance ahead. He was still gesturing silently. He pointed down the path again. His expression was patient. It was a clear command to follow.
Adam felt a wave of defeat. He had no other option. He started walking again. He continued after the man. As he walked Adam stared at his hands. He flexed his fingers. They were his hands but they felt different. They felt stronger. I don't understand anything. His thoughts were a confused mess. First I got sucked into some strange portal. Then I fell from the sky and survived. That itself is astonishing. It should be impossible. Now I've met someone speaking a language completely foreign to me. He was lost in his thoughts. He walked on autopilot. He was so deep in his confusion that he suddenly halted in his tracks. He stopped without meaning to.
Adam gazed at his hands again. He looked at the faint lines on his palms. Then he slowly lifted his eyes. He looked toward the sky. What he saw astonished him. The sun was not yellow. It was not white. The sun was entirely blue. A deep vibrant blue. It was the color of a perfect sapphire hanging in the sky.
He was frozen in disbelief. Adam stared at the surreal sight. It was wrong. Everything about it was wrong. The man ahead noticed Adam's pause. He turned back. He saw the boy standing there staring at the sky. He shouted. "Hey kid!" His voice was louder this time. It was tinged with impatience.
But Adam remained unresponsive. He was captivated by the blue sun. It was the final piece of the puzzle. It was the one piece of evidence he could not ignore. Everything clicked into place. The portal. The fall. His new strength. The strange language. The blue sun.
Finally Adam cried out. The sound was raw with anguish. "So I've come to a completely different world!" He clutched his head in frustration. His fingers dug into his hair. The reality was too much to bear.
The man did not understand Adam's words. He only heard the pain in his voice. He saw the distress and confusion on his face. The boy looked broken. The man's impatience vanished. It was replaced by concern. He approached Adam.
Adam sank to the ground. He sat down hard on the dirt road. The fields of crops surrounded him on both sides. He kept his hands clutched to his head. He wanted to block out the impossible truth.
The man knelt down beside him. He moved slowly. He did not want to startle the boy. He placed a reassuring hand on Adam's shoulder. The hand was warm and heavy. It was a comforting weight. He spoke gently. His voice was low and soft. "Don't worry child. I don't know where you come from. I don't know what language you speak. But no one here will harm you."
Adam did not understand the words. But he understood the tone. He felt the kindness in the man's touch. He looked up from his hands. He saw the farmer's worried face. In a world that was completely alien this one man was showing him compassion. It was a small anchor in a sea of chaos.