@12
At first, the portal in front of your hand appears to be nothing more than a large, gravity-defying mirror. A doorway not to some other, separate existence, but to a mirror image of this world. Even as your sub tosses and turns, torn between the currents of the ocean, and the pull of a titanic crab, it seems to remain still, exuding some sort of unearthly silence. Even you, someone born as a traveler between worlds, do not know what that silence signifies. Some say it is a product of the Void, others of death itself. Right now, it's really just a side-effect of your escape route.
Only now does the portal begin showing its more unique qualities. A glowing, ill-defined mist has risen from its surface, popping with swirls of a thousand different colors. While you would gladly wait for the window to clear, signifying a stable, safe connection, it appears you will be denied that luxury. The crab has turned away from your distraction, and begins to crush your sub. Bidding a silent goodbye to your craft, you jump into the portal, hoping against hope that you will arrive safely.
Transit seems different than it has been before, which, you suspect, is largely due to the hasty creation of your portal. Instead of an instantaneous, seamless journey, you travel for several minutes, glimpsing in the rift between world things you can barely remember or describe. The vision of a thousand worlds, different from any you have seen before, is practically seared into your skull.
Finally, you arrive in your destination- the Dreamscape. You are safe and sound, if a little unsteady from your journey. It might not be the best idea to travel on the spot- it will do, in a pinch, but you imagine there's only so much your brain can take.
Looking around you determine that you are in a field, not of grass, but of gravel. It isn't what you'd call a large place- only twelve feet across, and surrounded by what, upon closer inspection, seem to be trees, made entirely of some graying stone. The sky above is overcast, and an aura of depression or loneliness seems to hang over the entire place.
As you look toward the center of the field, you find something completely unexpected. There, sticking out like a sore thumb in the midst of all this gloominess, is a Christmas tree, lit brightly and festively for a holiday that, as far as you know, won't be coming to the Dreamscape for at least six months.