Lucid

I arose to see the vivid colors of planets only yards away from where I stood. The flowers bloomed in various shapes, sizes, and colors; though I had never seen such beautiful plant life. A soft, warm breeze tangoed with my hair and brushed my cheeks. I saw no wildlife, nor heard any birds. It was very still and quiet.

The main thing that fumbled my mind about this breathtaking scenery was that it was three a.m. and it was late December. I felt calm and at peace in this bizarre place. Peering down, I found a soft green path leading every direction. Which way? I pressured my brain into giving me a decision; I would go left. Everyone went right in the movies, and were always led to horrible deaths or things that caused trauma.

The clouds twisted and turned with such grace around the planets and stars. To my utter surprise, the sky was pink; like that of a sunset. Glancing to my right, I found trees that had a shade of burgundy as their bark. Their leaves were chrome and glared back at me, daring me to come closer. Looking under them, behind the closest and largest tree, stood a very tall man.

He peered out of the trees at me, but took no interest in conversing with me, nor any interaction. I stopped to speak to him, seeing as how he was the only living thing I had seen so far. As I stopped, he began walking, then jogging, and finally sprinting towards me. It wasn’t until then, that I realized that he had no eyes. There were no holes either; just no eyes.

He ran in a weird fashion that startled me more than his appearance and I began running in the opposing direction. How did he see me without eyes? What is he? Why is he so tall? Why is he chasing me? My thoughts scrambled my brain. My heart pounded out of my chest as I moved my legs as fast as I could to get away from this mysterious man. I heard no heavy footfall behind me, so I turned over my shoulder to see if he was gone.

He stood back, from afar, and “watched” me run away. He grinned as a sly fox. I didn’t dare stop until I was certain I was far away from him. Still sprinting, I came upon a small, suburban area. It seemed to be out of the 60’s. There were tricycles and slides in almost every front yard. They were all nicely cut and trimmed near the sidewalk.

It seemed as though it was an occupied living space for a small town, but it also seemed untouched. As I made my way down the now paved street, a couple came out from each house and stood in the doorway to watch me. A thin woman in a tight red, classy dinner dress with blonde curls walked out of the third house to greet me.

She was petite and had rosy cheeks that matched her matte lipstick. Her red heels clicked on the sidewalk and clacked on the street. They came to a stop in front of me. She greeted me with a warm smile.

“Hello!” She said.

I almost responded, but stopped myself. There was a smell that hadn’t been there before. It was the smell of decay and rot. I almost gagged as I watched a maggot crawl out of the left corner of her diamond blue eye.

“Would you like a cup of tea? We don’t bite,” she offered.

“No, thank you. I really must be on my way,” I declined politely.

I began walking in the same direction I had first taken. I heard the click clack of her high heel shoes again, only instead of retreating into her home, they sounded closer; as if they were following me. I looked back to see her once kind face had turned to a sinister scowl. The rest of the townies watched my every move and mimicked her facial expression.

I started to walk in a fast pace and she did as well; only instead of hearing the click clack of her heels, I heard the screams from each home. Blood curling and ear piercing screams filled the air all around. The others began following me as well. I found myself running again. I reached the end of the world - literally. It really did exist.

I peered down into the black abyss and turned to face what was to come. There was nothing. No townies, no tall man, no screams, just another gorgeous flower blooming a foot away from me. I plucked the innocent plant from it’s roots and put it to my nose. It smelled of honeydew and reminded me of my mother’s home.

Another bloomed, but out of my hand. Another bloomed from my forearm, then my shoulder, and my chest. There was no pain; that was until I could no longer breathe. Flowers penetrated my nostrils and eyes, blooming all over. I grasped my face in agony and stepped back, slipping off of the ledge. I braced for the impact, but there was none.

Just my body slowly rising from the lucidity it had awoken from. They say that dreams are the windows to the emotion, the energy, and soul. I was all alone throughout my adventure. Sure, there were people and creatures, but I was alone. Isn’t it crazy how lonesome one can become before going over the edge?

-Malaney Evans