Dream Of Eyes
Eventually, the atmosphere turned haunting. Meera's eyes darted around the room, her instincts always one step ahead of logic. She wasn't the loudest, but she noticed things-the flicker in a shadow, the breath that didn't belong. Aman heard frightening sounds, and they faced one spooky encounter after another. As the main door refused to budge, panic rose like smoke in a sealed room. Nikhil banged on it uselessly while Tara's breath quickened. Aman clenched his fists, his voice tight: "We're not alone in here."
Amidst the fear, while the others panicked, Rhea sat down cross-legged, eyes scanning the wall. "There's always a pattern," she murmured, more to herself than anyone else. "And patterns reveal answers." Rhea noticed a message on the wall: "THINK WHAT YOU WANT TO SEE." Tara stepped forward, her eyes bright with fear-but also fire. "We don't panic. We think. We choose what we see." Her voice snapped them back to clarity. Following Tara's suggestion, they collectively imagined a peaceful place, transforming their surroundings into a beautiful setting. Enjoying this newfound environment, they were reminded by Nikhil that finding an exit was crucial.
Searching the house, Aman discovered a suspicious door, but it resisted their attempts to open it. After an extensive search, Kiran found a book titled 'DREAM OF EYES'. Kiran held the book like it was sacred. His hands were steady, even when his heart wasn't. "We'll read it all," he said, voice controlled. "No guesses. We'll think this through." The pages were old, brittle, and smelled of time itself. As Kiran read aloud, the words seemed to echo-softly at first, then louder, as if the house was repeating them in a voice not his own.
"If you're reading this, you're stuck in the realm of dreams by the painting of Dream of Eyes. Your body lies unconscious in the real world. Created during King Vikramaditya's rule, this painting served as a magical means to punish prisoners. The king instilled fear of ghosts, then exposed them to the painting, trapping them in the dream. If one remains in this dream for over a day, death awaits."
An air of panic filled the room at the revelation. "Okay, cool," Nikhil muttered, pacing. "We're just trapped in a haunted dream house painted by a sadistic king. No big deal." He laughed nervously. No one else did.
Continuing, they discovered, "The sole escape is encountering Betaal, present in this house, and answering his three questions. Betaal resides in the locked room, the key to which lies on the last page of this book." Swiftly, they turned to the final page, uncovering the key.
They opened the locked door using the key. Suddenly, they heard a voice saying, "WELCOME TO THE DREAM OF EYES." They began searching for the source of the voice. Aman instinctively moved to the front, shielding the others as if it were his duty. "Stay close," he said. Not loudly. Not weakly. Just firm, like a commander during a storm. The voice continued, "I am Betaal, and I will ask you three questions. If you can answer all three correctly, you will be free from this dream."
Betaal then asks the first question:
"A young girl was found murdered on the first day of school. Police suspected four teachers and questioned them. They were all asked what they were doing at 8:00 a.m. when the girl was killed.
Ram: I was driving to school and I was late.
Vikram: I was checking English exam papers.
Radha: I was reading the newspaper.
Anjali: I was with my husband in my office.
Who was the killer and how did the police determine who it was?"
They started to discuss among them, and Meera came up with an answer: "The police arrested Vikram, as he would not be checking exam papers on the first day of school."
Betaal appreciates and asks the next question:
"A man is found murdered on a Sunday morning. His wife calls the police, who question the wife and the staff, and are given the following alibis:
The wife: I was sleeping.
The butler: I was cleaning the closet.
The gardener: I was picking vegetables.
The maid: I was getting the mail.
The cook: I was preparing breakfast.
Who was the killer and how did the police determine who it was?"
This time Rhea answers: "The police arrested the maid, as there is no mail on Sunday." And the answer was right.
Betaal moves to the final question:
"A wealthy man lived alone in a small cottage. Because he was in a wheelchair, he had everything delivered to his cottage.
The mailman was delivering mail one Thursday when he noticed that the front door was ajar. Through the opening he could see the man's body lying in a pool of dried blood. When a police officer arrived, he surveyed the scene. On the porch were two bottles of warm milk, Monday's newspaper, a catalog, flyers, and there was unopened mail in the mailbox. The police officer suspects it was foul play. Who does he suspect and why?"
After a long talk, Tara answers the final question: "The police officer suspects the newspaper delivery person because the absence of Tuesday's and Wednesday's newspaper indicates that the delivery person knew no one was going to read it." All of them were now nervous to find out if the answer was right.
Suddenly, they woke up inside the house the next morning, finding the door open. Though relieved, they remained unsure if their experiences were real or just a dream.
I really enjoyed reading your story, it’s rich, immersive, and full of feeling. The pacing, tone, and character moments all worked together perfectly, creating something that feels alive and cinematic. It actually gave me a few visual ideas while reading, would you be open to exploring how it could look in that form?