Chapter 1
I open my eyes, expecting to see the ceiling of my room, but I see stars in the black sky. I am laying on the grass. I sit up abruptly, looking into a dark forest. I have never seen a place like this before. The trees are twisted into shapes that don’t look natural. Strange red leaves are covering the tops of the trees, making the forest look like a nightmare. I hear a faint rustling in the trees, and the hair on the back of my neck stands up. I have a feeling like I’m being watched.
“You are awake,” says a voice in the dark. “What a pleasant surprise.”
I feel a cold sensation go through me, and I shiver.
“Who’s there?” I ask, looking around, but I don’t see anyone.
“I am your nightmare,” says the voice.
I start to panic, my breathing becoming ragged. I am trying to keep it together, but I don’t know where I am, and I’m all alone.
I see a blue light in the distance, and I run toward it. I finally reach it, and I see a woman sitting under a tree. She has blue hair, and she looks familiar, but I can’t remember where I’ve seen her before. She looks up at me, and her eyes are glowing blue.
She stands up and walks over to me, and I get the same feeling again that I’m being watched. I don’t like it.
“Where am I?” I ask. “And who are you?”
“You are in a dream,” she says. “And I am your nightmare.”
“No,” I say. “This can’t be a dream. I don’t remember going to bed.”
She looks at me, and her eyes glow brighter. I feel like I’m going to pass out.
“This is a dream,” she repeats. “And I am your nightmare.”
“No,” I say. “I don’t believe you.”
I want to wake up, but I can’t. I would try to kill myself, but I wouldn’t risk it. “How do I wake up?” I ask the woman.
She smiles at me, and I feel like I’m going to faint again.
“You can’t wake up,” she says. “Not until you face your fears.”
I scream out in frustration, and then I look around the dark forest. “Where are we?”
“In the heart of your dreams,” she says. “The place where you are most vulnerable.”
“This is the worst dream ever,” I say. “I don’t want to be here.”
She laughs, and I feel like I’m going to pass out. “You have no choice. You are my prisoner.”
“I don’t like this,” I say. “Let me out.”
“Soon,” she says. “But first, you must face your fears.”
“What does that mean?” I ask.
She points to the forest, and I see a path leading into the darkness.
“You’re telling me I have to go in there? Y-you can’t be serious?”
She nods her head, and I look at the dark forest in terror.
“No,” I say. “I can’t.”
“You must,” she says. “You have no choice.”
“No,” I say firmly. “I’m not going in there.”
She turns away from me, and I feel like I’m going to pass out again.
“I have a feeling that you will,” she says.
Suddenly, I feel my body tingling, then, my body is being pulled under the ground abruptly and quickly. I scream for help, but the woman just stares at my body being pulled under. “Lydia!” Someone calls my name. “Lydia!” I open my eyes and see my mother. I look around, and I am in my room. I sigh, glad it was a dream.
My mother looks at me with concern. “Are you okay, Lydia?” She asks.
I nod my head, still feeling the tingling in my body. “Yeah,” I say. “I think so.”
“You were screaming,” she says. “I was worried about you.”
I look at my mother, who is wearing a robe. I know she probably just got up to check on me. “What time is it, mother?” I ask.
“It’s 3:00 A.M.,” she says.
I look out the window and see the sun isn’t even up yet.
“I’m sorry if I woke you,” I say. My mother strokes my hair.
“It’s ok, sweetie. I just wanted to make sure you were ok.” She smiles.
“I’m fine,” I say. “Just a bad dream.”
She looks at me with concern. “What did you dream about?” She asks.
“I can’t remember,” I say.
The truth was, I vividly remember it. I just don’t want to worry my mother. “You should try to go back to sleep,” she says, kissing the top of my head before getting up and walking back to her room.
Before long, it’s morning, and I am already headed downstairs. “Guten morgen, Papa,” I say to my father, who is getting ready to make the glass in the basement. “Ah, there’s my sweet little Wolkenbusch!” He hugs me. ‘Wolkenbusch’ has always been his nickname for me ever since I ran into a cotton bush at the age of four. Wolkenbusch is German for “cloudbush”, and Germany is my father’s home country. He still has the accent, in fact, never got rid of it.
“Do you want to help with the glass today?” he says, pulling on the gloves. “Dareen is sick today, so it’s just me. Your help would be appreciated.” I nod. “If it’s ok with you, then of course I’ll help!”
Hopefully that would take my mind off of the dream.
We eat breakfast before Mother opens the shop and customers start to come in. I put the jacket, apron, and gloves on before heading down to the scorching hot basement where the glass was made. Papa hands me the mask I need to do it properly before heating up the fire.
We go through the usual process. Melting the sand into glass, putting the glass on a platform, carefully molding the glass into vases, bottles, etc.
After a few hours we are done, and we place the glass on the shelves. I hear Papa calling me over. “Hey, wolkenbusch, could you go fill up the sandbags by the beach? We need more.”
I nod. “Of course, Papa!” I hug him before grabbing the bags, and heading out to my bike. I connect the small wagon to my bike and head out to the beach, which is ten minutes away.
When I reach the beach, I unload the sandbags and start loading sand into the bags. I am on the last bag when I see some peculiar-looking sand. Pastel, rainbow, sparkly. I scoop some up with my hand to observe it when I feel a pain in my head. I look up, and see the same blue woman I saw in my dream last night. It’s very quick, because when I look up, she isn’t there anymore. I shake my head, wondering if I was hallucinating. I pour the glittery sand into the bag and head back.
Well, I would have.
If I didn’t black out right on the spot.
woah!!!