The Enigma of Time

Wakeful Nightmares

As I bolted upright, my heart racing and my body drenched in a cold sweat, I tried to shake off the remnants of the nightmare that had just invaded my mind. The memory of my parents' mysterious disappearance was still so vivid, even after all these years. I remember the strange way they vanished without a trace, with nobody even remembering who they were, leaving me with a void that I've struggled to fill ever since. The fear lingered, making it impossible for me to find solace in sleep, so I got out of bed and stumbled towards the kitchen. The sound of the rain and the rolling thunder outside only added to the eeriness of the night, fueling the fear that was already consuming me. I brewed a cup of coffee, hoping the warmth and comfort of the familiar ritual would distract me from the thoughts that were haunting me. But, as I sat there in the quiet darkness, I couldn't help but feel like I was being watched, like something was lurking just outside the reach of my understanding..

As I took a sip of my coffee, I heard a faint knocking sound on top of the thunderous rain. It started as a light tapping, but grew louder and more insistent with each passing second, until it felt like it was pounding against my skull like a jackhammer. Suddenly, my head began to ache with a vicious intensity and I saw bright, flashing lights. I closed my eyes, and in that instant, I was transported to a vision. I saw a group of people in robes, running for their lives from some unseen terror. The screams of the fleeing people filled my ears with a piercing, hair-raising wail, and I found myself joining in their chorus of terror. I look around and see a logo on top of a doorway, it's an hourglass, with eyes overlapping all around it. Then, just as suddenly as the vision had taken me, I was shaken back to reality by Lily, who had broken into my house after sensing something was amiss. But the vision was not entirely gone. It lingered in my mind like an echo, refusing to fade away. The symbols and faces I saw in my vision were hazy and unclear, but I could still feel the fear and urgency that had taken hold of me in that moment. The sound of the thunder continued to boom in my head, adding to the confusion and disorientation I was feeling.

Lily's voice was muffled and distant, like she was speaking to me from the end of a long tunnel. I tried to focus on what she was saying, but the images from my vision kept flashing in front of my eyes. The sight of the hourglass with eyes was burned into my mind, and I felt an inexplicable pull towards it, as if I was meant to understand its significance.

I shook my head, trying to clear the fog that was clouding my mind. I looked up at Lily and saw the concern in her eyes. I didn't know what was happening to me, but I knew one thing for certain: I needed to find out more about this hourglass symbol and why it seemed so important. I didn't want to rope Lily into this though.

"Lily, what are you doing here?" I asked as she shook me awake, her face filled with fear.

"Jackson, what's wrong? I sensed something was off and came over as quickly as I could," she replied, her voice shaking.

"I don't know, I was just having a cup of coffee and then I started hearing knocking and my head started to hurt," I said, feeling disorientated. "I don't know what I just saw, it felt like a dream, but I was awake. What's wrong with me?"

"That's not normal, Jackson. Can you try and describe it?" Lily asked, her brows furrowed in concern.

" I've never had anything like that before," I answered, still feeling dazed. "It was like I was transported to another world, but I couldn't make out what was happening. I just heard screams and saw people running."

Lily looked even more worried. "We need to find out what's going on, Jackson. This isn't normal and it could be a sign of something serious."

"I know, but how do we even start to figure it out?" I asked, feeling overwhelmed by the situation.