The alarm clock drums loudly. The boy climbs out of bed and slips onto the floor, which stretches out like a vast wooden plain.
He tries to climb the mountain of blankets to reach the door. He scrambles and slides back down. The hallway looks like a tunnel.
A rumble shakes the floorboards. The boy looks up and sees the orange cat coming around the corner with huge yellow eyes.
The cat sniffs the boy once, then gently picks him up by the back of his shirt. The boy's feet dangle as they move.
They pass giant slippers and cross thresholds like rivers. The boy holds on tight as the cat navigates the vast house.
The cat drops the boy softly onto his pillow. Then the cat walks away, tail high in the air.
The boy pulls the covers up to his chin. He thinks the room feels different, though he cannot quite say why.
His shoes sit on the floor like giants. His toy truck rests by the bed, waiting for him to play.
The boy looks at his alarm clock. It is just a clock again, quiet and still on the nightstand.
The room is back to normal. The boy smiles and climbs down to start his day.