I don’t know how long I sat here, unable to do anything. Truthfully, I don’t know much of anything. Although I feel like I should, is this amnesia? But then I should still be able to move or do something.

I think I used to be human, often I find myself trying to reach out towards the dirt that surrounds me. Now I am something else.

Truthfully, I no longer have eyes. I am some sort of rough gemstone, but I can feel the area around me. I sense when space is occupied and what that area is composed of. The domain that I can sense isn’t that large, a sphere a dozen times longer than my gem in diameter. My gem body is an irregular shape with a rough, dull milky white outside.

When I first came to myself my mental state was somewhere between an infant and a drunk. Over time I remembered generalities. Yet specifics elude me.

Until now there nothing interesting occurred, nothing changed. I simply waited, surrounded by dirt and bits of dead plant matter. More precisely, 523,712 individual bits of dirt that I can sense. Yes, I counted. Multiple times.

I try not to think about what I am. Up until now, I managed to distract myself from reality. Because I’m not evil. Maybe I used to be? But I don’t want to be evil.

However, reality rushed in to deny my bliss. Reality called a dying worm.

Some time ago a new creature entered my domain, a worm. At first, I cowered in fear, terrified the worm would hurt me. The creature seemed massive! I must be truly small. Instead, the worm reached the end of its life and curled up next to my gemstone to die. I can feel its body starting to shut down. Finally, the worm’s muscles relaxed one last time.

If I am correct about what I am, that means when the worm finally dies I will-

Aahhhhhh!!

Like a dam bursting, energy flooded into me. The bliss stunned me. This sensation differed from anything I felt before. I want more! In answer to my desire, the energy continued to stream into me. Before I never realized my emptiness. Now, I knew fullness.

However, my blissful stupor quickly turned into alarm as the energy did not stop. The torrent turned from pleasure to agony. I became too full. There’s no more room in me but it did not stop! I felt my gem starting to strain, I’m going to shatter!

Quickly, I instinctually shoved energy down the tunnel created by the worm. Releasing a stream of energy reduced the rate that pressure built up within me, but still increased! With my energy racing down the tunnel, my senses expanded with it. More and more energy rushed into my gem that I continued to funnel out. Yet I could not expel as quickly as my intake of energy. I knew that in moments I would shatter. Every bit of my being wanted to burst away from me. I felt a tiny crack appear deep within me…

The worm’s energy ran out.

Still, I continued to push out excess energy until I felt comfortable again. Stopping my outward push of energy, I simply sat there and mentally panted. That was too close to death for my liking. Simply too much excitement for a poor gem to handle! Literally nothing changed around me for ages and now suddenly everything is different! A worm appeared, died, almost killed me with energy, and my domain turned from a little sphere to a sphere with a long winding branch!

Worst of all, the worm confirmed my unacknowledged fear.

I am now a dungeon.