Dreamchaser

Dreams And Nightmares

It was a full moon and the bright light illuminated the garden around me. Neatly kept hedges and concrete statues of delicate women in flowing tunics bordered the dirt path I walked down. Blooming flowers littered the ground in an array of colours, some almost glowing in the moonlight.

The sky was clear and full of stars as I breathed in the crisp air and could feel the ground beneath my shoeless feet. The total stillness of the garden was eerie, but it didn't stop me exploring further.

I made my way through the maze of tall, never ending hedges. As the pathways widened leading to an opening with a sprawling mansion nestled in woodland. Muted red brick walls, weathered with ivy growing wildly, stood out against the dark, haunting backdrop.

A shadowy figure stepped out of the tree line twenty feet away and I felt my heart falter. The only place with cover was back into the hedge maze and that seemed to be horror movie death 101. I tried to regain control of my breathing as the figure strolled closer, surely if it was a serial killer they'd be running right now. A wave of calm washed over which only worried me more at the unnatural feel of it, I knew I was panicking but my body disagreed.

The stranger was five feet away before my eyes adjusted to the darkness and could make out his features, a mop of black hair and probing blue eyes that looked like home. His smooth pale skin enhanced in the moonlight, much taller than me by at least four inches I guessed, I never was good at math. He was dressed in what looked like a dark suit and overcoat which made me realise just how cold I was in only pyjamas. I folded my arms around myself trying to keep warm as he stopped beside me.

"Hello, Aera." He said with a sly smile. So this was a dream and he'd returned, hopefully not with any more looming threats.

"Hello... you." Unsure of how to address him since I'd never known his real name, if he even had one. He gave a low chuckle as he looked around the area.

"How do you know this place?"

"I don't, at least I don't think I do. It's beautiful though." I smiled, the whole place felt as if I'd pulled it out of a book and painted it in my mind. I shivered as the cold crept through the flimsy pyjamas, cursing my own mind for not dressing better.

"Cold?" He raised an eyebrow as he looked me up and down.

"I was hoping for more hot beach and margaritas than creepy forest and haunted house."

"Ah yes, everyone at the beach wears frog pyjamas, I must've missed the memo." His hands slipped into his pockets and started to walk towards the house. I took it as a cue to follow, he may be a stranger, but I felt safer with him than alone in the dark.

We walked silently for a while as I thought really hard about a coat magically appearing, maybe even squinting a little. I caught him side eyeing me a couple of times before sighing and removing his jacket, draping it over my shoulders gently.

"It's okay, I'm fine I-"

"You'd think you would have more control over your own dreams." I frowned, deep in confusing thought. Did he know he was in my dream? Was it normal for made up characters to be self-aware? Maybe this was the start of the robot uprising through my thoughts...

He laughed as if privy to my crazy thinking. Maybe he was... I shook my head as if it would help the descent into madness and we finally reached the front of the house. It was even bigger close up, large stone columns held up a third-floor balcony overlooking the whole estate with floor to ceiling windows and dark wood shutters.

He paused as if debating whether or not he should enter. "And you're sure you don't know this place?"

"Definitely not. Do you?" He didn't answer but seemed like he was familiar with the looming building. Since when did dreams have such elaborate backstories? He was always dark and brooding, never giving away too much but still a kindness when I needed it, I couldn't imagine a little version of him playing in the trees and enjoying life. I must've been pulling a face because when I came to, he was staring.