Just a Dream

In response to The Daily Post’s writing prompt: “Just a Dream.”

The darkness of the night calls for a quiet release to rest. A cold sweat envelops me as I appear to be in comfort, laying upon my bed.My eyes are closed indefinitely slightly swaying casually under my covering eyelids.My eyes wonder beneath my covering eyelids as if gazing upon a large unreachable image.The reality is the illusion that I now passively embrace.It seems I am caught in another realm of existence, a dreamworld. A dreamworld state that now swarms my senses leaving my body still and unresponsive.My breathing is slow and my heart within my chest beats in a steady fast repetitive rhythm.

My body movement has stopped still, but my mind flutters with grim images that alarm me to an horror filled entrapment.Vivid disturbing images of death and destruction appear before me that sends me into a terrifying fright accompanied by an overwhelming desperation to survive the chaos envisioned.

The flight or fight responses shimmers within the essence of my being as I search desperately to flee to safely. Images of infected human Zombies in pursuit, massive random explosions, randomly witnessing death by violence of others, and gazing upon multiple scenes of destruction of what appears to be beautiful places are some of the quick flickering images that pierce my consciousness evoking a ghastly response of sheer terror. Reasoning is repressed within me now limited to the confines of my nightmare.All the imagery seems true, real, and active. All this horror now becomes my new reality.In the mist of all the terror my senses response is to escape some how some way I want to run.Run Away! I shout to myself. Escape!

Suddenly, the terrifying images stop appearing before me. Silence instantly envelopes in the darkness. Slowly the darkness begins to fade as I behold a new image before me. As in a slight distance three darkly red colored closed doors appear before me. Side by side these three red colored doors with shinny round black colored door knobs. The three doors exist present around darkness.I walk slowly towards the doors.

Quickly, I realize as reason grips me again into the confines of the dream, I here a soft whisper, “Choose.”  Within me somehow someplace I comprehend I must choose which door to open. I ponder staring at each door in front of me I walk slowly towards the doors in awe. Gradually, I move towards the appearance of the doors.My eyes remain fixated on all three red doors in sight.

“Choose.” I hear again in a soft whisper. I ponder which one to open still. “What are behind these doors?” I wondered within. My hand begins to reach out towards one of the doors now. I decided to reach out and open the door on the right. Slowly, I extend my arm with my  hand ready to grasp onto the black shinny door knob. Reaching onto the door I turn the knob gently. Curiosity peeks within me as I wonder what is on the other side of the door. My hope is not to be hurt or to enter into a frightful environment. The door creeps open the sole noise of an old crackling door pierces loudly through the sea of darkness that surrounds me.

Swiftly a glimmer of bright light appears as I open the door wider.The light is so illuminating the door suddenly burst open as if the light carried such an intense power to swing the door wide open. As the light shines in a white beautiful glow emerges. I cover my eyes as I walk into the piercing bright light. Fully amerced now within the surrounding brightness the light casually breaks. A sole wooden table then appears. I walk towards the table that seems placed within in a fully white covered room. I stand gazing down at the wooden table too see three stone slabs placed together side by side upon the top of the table. I take time to read each slab each having an etched or chiseled word on them. I instantly understand the words… Use, Your, and Gifts. I ponder what seems to be a joint phrase. Then abruptly children enter the white filled room laughing and playing with each other running about not noticing without noticing my presence. I decided to casually walk beyond their play.My puzzlement at the images continue.

Then all at once the room disappears in a vapor like mist and I stood between two dirt paths. One path was rocky the terrain rugged and another smooth and seamless.

As I looked at both paths I turned to see and old man holding a rigged cane slumped over shuffling along towards the rocky rough path.So I run towards him and ask, “excuse me…excuse me. Where am I?”
The old man slowly turns his head towards me and smiled. “This is the valley of dreams my dear.”
“Valley of dreams?” I question, looking at my surroundings with bewilderment.
“Yes.” the old man replies with assurance.
“Where do these two paths lead?” I inquire with desperation to find my way.
“That smooth one there leads to nothing and no where, but this tougher one here my dear, there is treasure at the end a large crown.” The old man looked into my yes his face filled with glee.
“So why do you take this road now if you know that such treasure exists there at the end?”

With saddens the old man looks down at the dirt ground and slowly lifts his head up and says as if reminiscing a vivid memory.”…because my dear I walked that smooth easy path for many days, yes even years and at the end there is nothing.Now I’ve changed direction and want to take this more rougher path to reach the end, the I avoided in my youthful ignorance for desire for easier journey.Its worth it…I realize that now.” Smiling slightly the old man looked ahead at the rough path with delight.

Reflecting on the old mans comments I gently placed my hand on his shoulder smiling with a urgent inclination to offer words of comfort,

“well…better late than never.”

The old man looked up at me into my eyes and smiled with a tender warmth of a smile that also brought a comfort to me.We then both began to walk down the path cautiously navigating through the rough terrain.

With a quick breath. My head on my pillow. My eyes snap open.The morning light fills my view. I lay upon my bed in shock.I sit up quickly and look over at my nightstand. I am alarmed to see an unfamiliar object upon it, a small round rock. I reached out to grab and examine it. One word seemed to be painted in bright red as I held the small solid rock in my hand. Softly I whisper the word written in red upon the rock, Love.