The Meadow of Forever

The meadow stretches endlessly, a golden sea of daisies swaying in a rhythm that feels made for me. The sky above is the softest blue, a canvas so pure it looks untouched by storms. The air is light and warm, carrying a sweetness like honey on the wind.

I close my eyes, let the breeze kiss my skin, and laugh softly to myself. “This is perfect.”

Everywhere I look, the world blooms. White petals glow in the sunlight, golden centers turned upward like a thousand tiny suns. I bend down and brush my fingertips over the blossoms. They’re softer than silk, cool against my skin. When I pluck one, another immediately blooms in its place, fresh and unbroken. I giggle in disbelief, twirling the daisy between my fingers.

No weeds. No bugs. No decay. Just beauty.

I lie back in the grass, staring up at the endless blue sky, and for the first time in what feels like forever, I feel completely at peace. No rushing thoughts, no worries, no pain. Just the meadow, and me.

Why would I ever want to leave?

The longer I stay, the more the meadow seems to fold itself around me like a blanket. I imagine building a little cottage here, living among the daisies, breathing in this sweetness every day until the end of time. My heart slows, my body melts into the ground, and a thought settles heavy in me: This is where I belong.

And then—

“Lila…”

The voice is so faint, I sit up instantly, my heart leaping. I glance around the meadow, scanning the endless waves of white and gold. “Hello?” I call, my voice soft but uncertain. “Who’s there?”

Nothing.

Just the daisies swaying, whispering secrets I can’t hear.

I laugh nervously, brushing grass from my skirt. “Must’ve imagined it.”

But when I lie back down, the voice comes again—clearer this time, trembling with tears.

“Lila, please… come back to us.”

I freeze.

That’s my mother’s voice.

I sit bolt upright, my hands trembling. “Mom?” My voice cracks in the air, but the meadow only smiles back at me. No mother. No one.

And then I hear another—deep and rough, breaking at the edges. My father.

“We’re right here, sweetheart. Fight. Please.”

The world tilts. The air that was once sweet now feels too thick, too heavy. I stumble to my feet, my chest tightening. “This… this isn’t right.”

The daisies lean closer, swaying faster, as if to hush me. They look too sharp now, their petals like teeth. I back away, my throat tight.

I don’t remember coming here. I don’t remember falling asleep.

And suddenly, I know. This place isn’t real.

The thought slices through me like ice. The meadow isn’t paradise. It’s a cage. If I stay, I’ll never see my mom or dad again. I’ll be trapped in beauty until the beauty rots away.

Tears sting my eyes. “Please,” I whisper. “Someone wake me up.”

Machines beep frantically in the hospital room. Lila’s body lies motionless on the bed, her skin pale, her chest rising and falling only with the help of the machine. Her mother clutches her hand like it’s the only thing anchoring her to earth.

“Please, baby, please come back,” her mother sobs.

Her father strokes her hair, his face carved in worry. “She’s slipping.”

The doctors whisper things neither of them want to hear. But then the door bursts open, and someone rushes in.

Ethan.

Her fiancé.

His face is wild with fear, his eyes locked only on her. He drops to his knees beside the bed, grabbing her other hand. “Lila, it’s me. I’m right here. Please… don’t leave me. You promised me forever.” His voice cracks. “Don’t let forever end like this.”

I fall to my knees in the grass, sobbing into my hands. “I can’t get out,” I whisper. The daisies are swaying violently now, bending toward me like they want to smother me in their endless bloom.

And then—footsteps.

I look up, and my breath catches. Ethan. He’s standing there, solid and real in this place that shouldn’t be able to hold him. His dark hair is messy, his eyes wet with tears, but his smile—his smile is steady.

“Ethan?” My voice is a gasp, disbelieving.

He kneels in front of me, cupping my face in his hands. His touch is warm, too warm to belong in this cold dream. “You don’t belong here, Lila. You have to come home.”

“I can’t,” I cry. “It won’t let me go.”

“Yes, you can.” His thumb brushes away my tears. “Trust me.”

The daisies close in, their petals sharp, the sky dimming to gray. The meadow shudders, fighting to hold me.

Ethan leans closer, his forehead pressed to mine. “I love you. I’ll never stop fighting for you.”

And then his lips are on mine.

The kiss is fire and thunder and light. It rushes through me, burning the meadow away petal by petal, root by root. The daisies scream without sound, the perfect sky splits open like glass. The sweetness of the air rots to ash.

And then I’m falling—

My eyes snap open. The hospital ceiling looms above me, pale and real. Beeping machines ring in my ears. My mother gasps, covering her mouth as tears stream down her cheeks. My father grabs my hand, his relief breaking his voice.

And Ethan. Still holding me. Still here. His forehead pressed to mine, his lips trembling with a smile.

“You came back to me,” he whispers.

I breathe in, and this time the air doesn’t taste like honey. It tastes like life.

The meadow is gone. The daisies can’t touch me.

And I am awake.