Just Another Day... Or Is It?

I tumbled out of bed just as I usually do every morning when the alarms on both my digital clock and my cellphone go off. Sitting on the edge of my two-twin-mattresses-pushed-together makeshift of a bed, I waited for the last little bits of grogginess to clear. Then, with a groan, I set about my daily business; morning shower, breakfast and eventually running like a mad woman to catch my bus.

The day was starting off with quite a chill. I was beginning to regret leaving my bomber jacket behind. Crossing my arms over my chest in an attempt to keep the chill away, I gazed out the bus window. The sun was just starting to peak out over the horizon. I hope it'll be warmer later today..., I thought. On the plus side, at least it didn't look like it was going to rain.

The bus came to a stop at the train station. Everyone hastily left the vehicle and made a bee line to the train waiting at the platform. I scrunched up my nose and made a face, not really feeling like going to school today. Everyday was the same old routine, with very little variation in between. I wish something out of the ordinary could happen. This I chanted like a mantra in my head just as I did almost every morning as I boarded the train that would take me to the academy. Little did I know what kind of power those words had.

` ~. *** .~ `
Three lectures and a group study session later, I was on my break. Finally. My next lecture wasn't for another three hours. The day had warmed up generously during the time I was inside. So I decided to go for a walk.

Feeling a little adventurous I deviated from my usual route and took a path that led to the back of an older building than was scheduled to be torn down within the next few months. No one was ever in that area any more. The classrooms and the space around the building had been neglected for weeks now.

I smiled to myself, Finally, some down time. Maybe I could find a good spot to just sit and nap for a while.

Funny enough there it was. A large oak tree where the grass within at least a two meter radius around its base had not been over run with weeds. Perfect! I sat myself down with my back against the trunk and closed my eyes.

Psst!

Psst!

Hey you!

It had gotten a bit warmer and rays of light were filtering through the tree's canopy when I opened my eyes. Was that voice part of a dream? I checked my watch to find that I had only been asleep for twenty minutes.

Psst!

Okay definitely not a dream. I got up, gave a little stretch and looked around.

Psst! Come here.

I didn't recognize the voice so I thought that maybe it was one of the younger kids playing a prank on me. I followed the voice further into the forest (or at least it looked like a forest from where I was standing).

"Hey where are you?" I called out.

Over here!

I continued to follow the voice. The further I ventured into the forest the thicker the foliage got. It was becoming harder and harder to see where I was walking. Until the next I knew I was screaming and sliding down a steep slope. I knocked my elbows a few times on what I assumed to be roots or rocks.

I soon came to a halt, lying still while my body complained. That's going to bruise later. I forced myself onto my feet and checked for any cuts. Surprisingly, there was none. I looked around. There didn't seem to be any easy way to get back to where I was. I couldn't very well climb the slope. I wouldn't want to risk falling back down. My best choice seemed to be to take the path, which I did not notice at first, and hope that it eventually led back up somehow.

Psst! This time I saw the silhouette of a small boy just a few meters in front of me. I took off at a jogging pace and follow the boy. "Wait up!" I called out, but the boy just kept going.

Follow me! I picked up the pace.

Eventually I broke through the cluster of tress into a clearing. What the... Where am I? were the first thoughts that ran through my mind. In the clearing there was a giant bright pink and blue brick house with equally giant sunflowers growing around it's perimeter. I quickly looked around for the boy but saw no sign of him. Maybe he had gone in the house?

As if drawn by some invisible force, my feet began moving of their own accord towards the neon house. Yet I felt no fear. In fact, I was curious. Curious to see who lived in such big and brightly colored house. Curious as to why the sunflowers were twice the size of normal sunflowers. Curious as to why I was brought here. Eventually I reached the front door, which opened just before I was within arms length of it.

"Hello? Any one home?"

I took a step forward as I heard the door close behind me. Everything in this house was bigger than normal. It felt like someone had thrown me down the rabbit hole and now I've somehow ended up in wonderland. Still this beat being back in the classroom. So I took the opportunity to explore the house. There were objects that moved on the own, like the broom and the mop in what I assumed was the kitchen. There were numerous paintings of a black cat with eyes that seemed to follow me to every corner of whatever room I happened to be in. And during that time there was still no sign of the little boy I had seen earlier.

Near the back of the house was a set of stairs that led down to the basement. Oddly enough the stairs felt normal. It didn't seem to match rest of the house where everything else was large in proportion.

At the bottom of the stairs I found myself in a workshop. There were all sorts of contraptions and tools scattered on the table. However, of all the odd assortment of gadgets a golden key about the size of palm, from write to the tip of my middle finger, was what caught my eye. It had a single emerald encrusted inn its handle. I studied the key more closely, wondering what it opened. That was when I noticed a door at the other end of the room. There was a light glow from under the door.

I walked towards it, key in hand. Imagining all sorts of things that could be behind the door, I felt a pang of excitement. To my surprise the key was a perfect fit and with a small twist to the left the door creaked open.

There was something about the room that I couldn't quite describe. Actually it was more like a feeling. It made me feel curious, scared and overwhelmed all at the same time. In that instant I knew that there was some sort of magic in the room.

Within the room were more trinkets; bangles than seemed to have an ethereal glow about them, cloaks that seemed transparent, small glass bottles filled with what I assumed to be potions, as well as a pair of worn out brown leather boots that were walking across the floor all by themselves among other things. In the center of the room, hovering above a platform that was probably a foot or so wide, was an old wooden staff covered in engravings. These engravings were in a language I couldn't understand. A single gem about half the size of my fist adorned the top. In an almost trance like state I walked over to the platform. My hand reached out and grabbed the staff. It was light, almost as if it was not there. I felt a strange feeling come over me. Somehow it felt as if I had made a connection with the staff. I felt its power; dormant waiting to be unleashed.

Sadly I never found out just how much power the staff had and what I could do with it. At that point I woke up from a dream.

In My Pocket

I was walking down a luscious green forest teeming with tall trees. They were skinny, however, and their canopy leaves grow far above my head, away from sight, letting in only a few rays of light to shower the forest in an emerald hue. The place felt of a nostalgic comfort even if I know that I have never been there before. 

I continued walking down a smaller path as I scoured the forest bed for an item -an item that I knew I had to find. Using a wooden stick that I've picked up from somewhere, I searched bushes and turned over leaves which remained vivid green whilst having fallen already. I kept doing this as if it were routine, and ALAS! I found the item I was looking for. Underneath a pile of green leaves was a small circular nest about the size of a grown man's fist. I felt the excitement rushing through my veins, but it wasn't the nest that I was excited for, I was more interested in what was in the nest. My eyes gleamed as I slowly knelt down to look closer at the oddity that is now staring back at me. 

A dinosaur nest! I heard myself screamed inside my head. It wasn't just any nest either, it had a little green baby dinosaur in it.

The creature opened its mouth and let out a familiar sound, kind of like a gecko's sound. It stared back at me for a few moments and went back to sleep. The thought of it lowering its guard down and trusting that I wouldn't hurt it made me smile. My eyes however fell down on another curious object to the side of the dinosaur -an unhatched dinosaur egg. It was just about the size of a quail's egg and tinted with a light green colour. I unwittingly took the egg which fitted perfectly between the grasp of my index finger and thumb. I turned it up into the sunlight to observe its magnificence. 

It wouldn't hurt if I take one, right? I thought to myself as mixed feelings run rampant inside my chest. In the end, I took the egg and placed it carefully inside my jean's left pocket.

* * *

At the end of the day, I found myself back,  walking down the concrete streets of the city. I had accomplished something great today, I thought to myself. I placed my hand over my left pocket to feel the dinosaur egg. However, instead of a solid object, I felt something more organic... and cold. Shivers ran down my body as the thing inside my pocket slithered, hitting the skin of my leg with its cold body. 

The egg must've hatched. However, it didn't feel like a dinosaur. It seemed to not have any limbs at all... more like a snake. 

I didn't bother reaching my hand down my pocket to check. The thought of having a snake inside my pant's pocket was too terrible a thought I started squirming, running fast to reach the privacy of my home so that I can remove my pants and throw it somewhere safe.

I didn't reach home though, I woke up from a dream. 

Military Experiment? Part 2

I woke up with a pounding headache only to realize that I was no longer on the bus. The events from the previous night were a blur and it felt like it happened ages ago. 

The late morning sunlight filtered in through the only window in what seemed like the living room. I stood up and looked around. There seemed to be no sign of any one, even the men from last night, within the house.

Slowly and carefully I made my way to the front door, worried about what I might find in the world outside. I stood in a bizarre sense of awe as I found myself looking at what seemed to be a regular neighbourhood in some small town. 'Where am I?' I thought with a frown, 'Where's that other girl?'

Pushing those thoughts temporarily to the back of my mind, I stepped out and began walking down the street. Apparently someone had changed my clothes because I was no longer wearing my camp shirt. Instead I was wearing a comfortable pair of cargo capris, a blank tank, a cropped bomber jacket and sneakers.

I passed by a group of children who were playing street hockey and a woman with her child walking their dog. Everything looked and felt, well, normal. Yet I still had the same feeling of dread that I had the previous night and it was high time I found out what was going on.

'Where do I even begin...?' Even as I thought this my feet seemed to know where they were going so I just kept walking. No more than four blocks from the house I woke up in I spotted a house that was not very well kept. Funny enough my body seemed to gravitate towards it.  
No sooner had I entered the gates in the front yard that someone or something jumped out of no where and attacked me. Thanks to instinct, I suppose, I manage to avoid most of the impact when I stepped aside. Still, I stumbled and ran into the stone fence the gate was attached to.

I looked up to see a boy, around my age, dressed in a beat up pair of jeans and shirt. He narrowed his eyes as at me then prepared for a second lunge. This time I was ready for him. It was a shock to me that I was actually fighting the guy, since as far as I was concerned I had never actually fought with anyone before. I simply told myself it was all instinct.

"Garrett, stop." at the voice we both stopped mid-fight; my right leg up, positioned for a kick, while he was coming in for a hook from the right. Over at house's front porch was a girl similarly as Garrett. She neither smiled or frowned. Her expression remained blank, but there was an air of authority about her.

[... Unfortunately everything here, in between, happened in a blur and I don't remember any of it... The next thing I remember...]

I was standing outside the fence, wondering where Garrett had disappeared off to. Allana (the girl who stopped Garrett and I before) was also no where to be seen. The shadow of the creature loomed behind the windows of the house, which was now missing part of its roof. I still had no idea what the creature was, where it had come from and what it was doing here. The only thing I was sure of was that if it was not stopped soon the town would cease to exist and I would never find out how and why I came to the town in the first place.

Military Experiment? Part 1

The night sky was clear. Too clear in fact. There was not a single cloud or star in sight. 'That's strange,' I thought as we all gathered in front of the camp fire. The camp itself was constructed to resemble a children's summer camp; with cabins and a dock leading out into the lake on the far south eastern side. The only difference was that all of those in attendance seemed to be in their late teens or early 20's. 

As I sat there listening to Kris animatedly recount the events of the day, a strange, unpleasant feeling washed over me. It was almost like a mixture of confusion, fear, and dread. Then I suddenly realized that I did not know why I was even at this camp or how I got there. I looked around, watching all of the orange-tinted faces, but it didn't seem like anyone else felt the way I did. Until I saw the face of a girl, maybe a couple of years younger, staring back at me from the opposite side of the fire. She seemed to have sensed the same thing I did. Her eyes, clouded with fear, locked with mine and instantly all the warning bells in my head went off, but I had no idea what I was supposed to do.

Off in the distance a soft bang echoed through the valley, but no one else, besides myself and the other girl, seemed to notice. Suddenly the temperature dropped. A shiver ran through my body despite the fire. That was when I noticed the fog rolling in. There was something about it that felt ominous and threatening. When I tried to stand, I found that I couldn't move. It was as if I was paralyzed. I looked around frantically to see if anyone else had noticed but everyone still continued chatting like they had been for the last few minutes.

With every passing moment that the fog grew thicker, my body grew wearier. It felt like I was ready to pass out and go to sleep, but my mind refused to shut down. I no longer felt paralyzed but the feeling of weariness weighed me down. I could feel a sense of panic settling in and there was nothing I could do. 

Everyone else seemed to be growing tired as well. Many of the other campers were yawning and positioning themselves to get ready for sleepy. 

'This isn't right... Something's going on.'

I willed my body to move. It took immense amounts of effort but I was able to stand from my perch. Then, to my surprise, a voice took over the intercoms that I didn't even realize the camp had. The voice, deep and sultry, spoke in a language I was not familiar with. It seemed to be giving instructions because everyone began moving in a uniform fashion away from the camp fire.

'What is going on?' I then realized that I remained standing. Despite the slight paralysis my body seemed to be experiencing it was not doing what everyone else was doing. I looked across the fire and found that the other girl had remained where she was as well. We looked at each other, both of us realizing that whatever was happening to everyone else was not happening to us.

We need to get out of here. The silent message passed between us. We were both about to take a step in the opposite direction that all the others had gone when we noticed masked figures stepping out of the fog. They were all clad in black uniforms. Many of them were carrying equipment that I did not recognize. Some were carrying guns. I was able to look at the other girl one more time before a couple of men came and seized us. I felt a sharp pain on the back of my neck and shoulders. One of the men must've hit me. That was when I blacked out.

When I came to, I was in what looked like a bus. The girl from the camp was next to me, still out cold. My wrists had been bound behind my back. I tried to wriggle free but that only alerted the masked man beside me. He shook his head as if to say, 'You're not going anywhere.'

"Where are we? What's going on?" I was surprised by my own voice. A different man walked down from the front of the bus. As I watched him, I realized that there were others. All of us were wearing the same camp clothes, all bound. Some were awake, the others unconscious. What confused me was that I don't recall seeing any of them from my camp.

The man took out a suspicious looking object from the breast pocket of his jacket. It sort of looked like one of those high tech needles they use in testing labs. He nodded at the guard beside me, who then released my wrists from their prison. 

"Who are you? Where are you taking us?" as before I did not get a response. Instead the man grabbed my left arm and injected something into it using the high tech needle. A sharp pain ran through my arm, into my chest then up to my head. I groaned and stared up at the man. My face probably showed a look of disgust and defiance for the man stabbed my arm again. I opened my mouth to scream some profanities at him, but no sound came out. And for the second time that night I blacked out.

Explore the Worlds Unknown!

Hello and welcome!

This is a collection of short stories and retellings of our dreams.

Our dream bloggers: 

Bon, Riane, Riah, David, and Javier.

Join us as we dive back into the world of our unconscious!