A Curious Orb

Go back in time - to another world. Daniel  Shaw is transported to another world by accident. One second he is safe at home, and the next he is in a dark, alien jungle. What concerns  him the most? He does not know how to get back. In the morning his mother finds the imprint of his body on the bed, with an empty wooden box and a delicate silver pedestal on his nightstand. Her son, and the contents of the box, are nowhere to be found.
Daniel's trusty Labrador was the only witness - and he isn't talking.