Robbie the mouse lived a very nice life. He had a very nice bed, where he slept from 9 to 5 every night. He had a very nice wife, who cooked him biscuits and eggs every morning. He had a very nice job, which allowed him to buy his six children exactly three presents every Christmas.
Every day when he got home from work, Robbie would kiss his lovely wife, ruffle the heads of his six children, and sit down at his writing desk in the corner of the living room. Robbie had a special notebook in this writing desk, where he wrote all of his personal and most precious thoughts.
Sometimes, he wrote about being happy, or being sad. Sometimes, he wrote about the rain and the lightning and the earth. Other times, he pressed pretty flowers between the pages, immortalizing their beauty. Every day, Robbie put something of meaning into this notebook. And every day, the notebook would give him a sense of happiness back.
One normal Wednesday afternoon, Robbie didn't have much to write at all. It was a very uneventful day, and he didn't feel inspired to write any poems or press any flowers. So, after writing "Today was today," he put his notebook away and went into the kitchen to help his wife with dinner.
That night, Robbie had a terrible nightmare. In this dream, everything was the same, but different. The furniture hung upside down. The apples tasted like oranges, and the oranges tasted like pears. Most disconcerting of all was that his wife and children were gone. He was alone in a world he didn't understand, with no idea of how to get out.