...what?

I am but a…what?

Something is very wrong.

The once beautiful green expanse along the light blue backdrop had been slathered with a dark gray brush. No matter what direction I looked, everything was the same. It was sort of nostalgic in a way – one I had no desire to suffer through again.

I should be more specific. Although unchanged, the gray seemed to ebb and flow depending on my movements. Not only that, but each motion sent an electric shock running through me, similar to lightning. It wasn’t enough to cause harm – only a slight twinge of discomfort – but that was weird within itself. I felt something, which should’ve been impossible, at least from what I understood about my form.

However, there was a greater concern to deal with. My thoughts were growing cloudier by the second. It was hard to describe this sensation. A person wringing out a towel? Or maybe a…belt, was it, holding up a pair of pants? Regardless, it was suffocating.

As annoying as it was, the feeling was somehow…familiar, like I had experienced it once before. I couldn’t remember where though. Still, as I continued contemplating, the irritation started to fade, as if by instinct. My form expanded and contracted, cycling the surrounding air. The fog disappeared, returning the brilliant light.

…huh? An unexpected view flooded my vision. Instead of a bright blue sky, I saw a mix of green and reddish-brown to my left. The closer blades were sharp, blurring into an indistinguishable sea. Brown stumps vanished off to the right along with a few oddly placed rocks here and there.

I had no idea where I was. If I had to take a guess, this was the forest floor, but what was I doing down there? The last thing I remembered was hovering over the golem. Did I fall? But how could a cloud even fall? It was way too confusing.

Well, remaining put wouldn’t get me anywhere. I needed to investigate and understand what happened. The golem was somewhere nearby, so I would start there. I flew up…?

What in the world is going on? With a bit of stiffness, my entire form lurched forward, moving the green plain beneath me in a vomit-inducing manner. I was barely at the height of the lowest tree branch before I stopped ascending. Normally, the wind would lift me higher, but it only gave me a light chill. It felt impossible to raise any further.

Let’s try the other directions then. When I tried heading left and right, my perspective swiveled over, revealing the feet of the golem. My vision then bobbed up and down, moving closer before the only thing I could see was the yellow-tinted rock.

Bonk! “OOHHH”

…

What was…was that…me? A dull pain throbbed near my mind as something reverberated inside my form, creating a high-pitched sound. But…how? Clouds couldn’t make sounds. The only way that’s possible is if…

I imagined myself looking downwards to great success and horror. Two shapely mounds covered up the ground below. Red tufts of hair parted along the outside while two arms loosely swayed from the breeze. When I thought about moving the arms, they flailed wildly. I had to refine my mental picture to move them with some degree of normalcy, though it looked rough and mechanical.

I didn’t want to believe what I was seeing; however, each step and gesture threw away my doubts. At this point, there was only one conclusion I could come to:

I was a cloud, now masquerading as a human.

…

…

…

“AAAHHHH–”