AMBIGUOUS DREAM

"Who are you?" asked April

to the man standing at the window in the middle of the night facing outside he

was staring in the darkness. He was wearing a black pant and black shirt, his

feet were bare and bleeding. Other than his bleeding feet everything else

looked normal, his was like any other person. But this was neither his place

nor the right time to visit someone's place uninvited. He remained unmoving

regardless of her question.

"I am asking you, who are you? What are you doing in

our house?" after hearing her voice the man turned around and said

"You are here! I was waiting for you."What

do you mean?” she asked, before she can get the answer to her questions

suddenly everything went dark and cold breeze started to flow around her and

she quivered from the changes.  Nothing

seemed logical about this situation, what was happening?  A moment ago she was standing in her house

and in the next moment she was somewhere else!  After a moment there were lights again but she

was most definitely not inside her house and it seemed like the night went even

darker even colder than before.

She looked

around and not far away there was the same man she had seen before, she was

standing still in her place from the shock in her pajama’s feeling cold. Soon a

woman joined the man who was standing near a tree instead of window of her

house. It turned out that he was looking at the lake in front of him. Now she

remembered a conversation she had with her neighbor, her neighbor was an old

lady who was in her late seventies. She often mentioned that fifty years ago

the city was a totally different and how there was a romantic lake right at the

place our duplex house is, where she met her husband for the first time. That

was the reason why she decided to buy the house right next to where our house

was, in the memories of her late husband, she pestered me and my brother about

this story countless times.

Was this the

reason why she was here? Is it some strange dream? Why does it feel so real? As

she was thinking all these the man in front of her who was talking to the woman

screamed. When she looked alerted in their direction the woman held a knife in

her hand and was stabbing the man who was now fallen down in the stomach again

and again. April was horrified to see the scene unfolding before her. As she

tried to walk forward to stop that woman, she felt some one approaching her and

in the next moment before she can turn around her heart raced faster an unknown

fear had gripped her she started to feel breathless as a rope was tied around

her neck her throat unable to utter any sound and her body started to limp with

no air in her lungs. She felt that she can die in next second she was unable to

struggle against the force and fear gripping her body and mind. Once again

everything went dark and she found herself in her house lying on the cold

floor, her body sweating from the struggle and tears strained her cheeks. She

was feeling tired mentally and physically her eyes closed from all the

overwhelming struggle and fatigue.

In the morning

when Jason woke up and decided to drink some water from the refrigerator he

walked in the direction of kitchen. As he entered the kitchen corridor he found

his daughter lying in fatal position near casement window. He initially thought

that he is seeing things as he wasn’t fully awake. He rubbed his eyes in

attempt to see clearly. He then realized that he is seeing clearly and April is

indeed lying on the floor. He half kneeled on the floor next to her and slowly

shacked her “ Sweetheart, wake up!” After his few seconds of disturbance April

moved from her deep slumber and opened her eyes slowly. “Why are you sleeping

here?”  Jason said, while frowning. April

recalled last night’s incident and she felt a current of chill run through her

bones. Her face showed a mixture of emotions and blankness in her eyes. Jason

taped her head lightly and said, “Hey! I am asking you, did you fight with your

brother.”  Jason thought it was the most

likely situation, it was quiet normal as April and Rowan were always at each

other’s  throat and one of them ending up

miserable in their weird challenges.

April was

absent minded for a while, but soon she came to her senses as it was not her

first time having such experience. “No, dad I got irritated thinking about my

upcoming assignments and felt a like I needed to eat something, but before I

can enter the kitchen, I stopped by the window and lost in my thoughts I didn’t

even realize when I fell asleep.” It was not first time and Jason was probably

used to his daughter’s temperamental character. So without scolding her further

he told her to go back to sleep in her room as it was still early in the

morning. April nodded and went to her room upstairs. Jason suddenly felt

nostalgic as his daughter was so much like her mother in every aspect. Life was

the best it could be when he was with his wife and children but suddenly ten

years ago Amber his wife suddenly went missing. Leaving him and both their

child alone and worried. He shook all these thoughts out of his mind and went

on with his chores.

As April

entered her room she opened the lock of her study table and dug out her red

colored diary from the pile of books inside her drawer. She tried to recall as

many details as she could from her dream last night. Maybe it was a dream and

maybe it wasn’t. She stared to have all this random visions when she was nine

it was the same night her mother went missing. At the start she was so

frightened and wished that all these creepy things can go away from her but as

she grew up she realized it was more than just some random dreams. She became

sure of it when she found her mother’s diary with somewhat similar experiences.

Her mother has even written that even if it didn’t made sense what she had seen

was something from the past which can drastically change the present and future

and nothing to be taken lightly. With the help of her mother’s diary she became

better at controlling her fear and started to find meaning behind those visions

and dreams. She even believed that her mother’s sudden disappearance was also

related to this intervened struggle of the present and past. There was

something in the past or someone in the past that refused to be buried and

forgotten. It was her mission to find it out at any cost even at the cost of

her life.

As she

willed herself with determination and wrote down all she can remember, she

decided to dig further into this matter. In the time she got ready to go for

college she decided to stop by her old neighbor Belinda. On her way to

breakfast she knocked her brother’s room door.”Rowan, Rowan wake up isn’t today

an early sports practice in your school? You will be running late, don’t

blame me for not reminding you.” She shouted at top of her lungs , it was a

massive task to wake her brother before 10 in the morning and it was only 8 so

there were  no  chances for her success today, she tried

anyway. When she went to dining table her father was still busy in the kitchen.

She greeted her father,” Morning dad!” Jason greeted in return “ Good morning

sweetheart, is your brother awake yet!” April whined and said “ Dad I can’t

wake that pig, I will hand over this national burden to minister Jason

then.”  April said while she bowed in

exaggeration. Jason laughed and said “ Okay, you over actor , your juice is

ready finish it quickly and go before you run late.”

April

stepped out of her house and walked several steps towards right side there

stood a house same as her own yet different it wasn’t only the paint and

interior was different the vibes about this house were also different. There was

a name plate outside the house in there was a old and rusty name plate in a

tree shape which stated Mr.& Mrs. Fernandez. Everything about the house

looked normal only until you are outside. She was hesitating if she should go

or shouldn’t go, as she wasn’t someone who would go to visit neighbors now and

then. She tried to remember when has she last went inside that house. It should

be more than two years as far as she remembered. It was probably when Belinda

had invited her and Rowan with all the other neighborhood kids to celebrate her

grandson’s birthday. In the end she decided to go as she had a reason that she

still has to go to college to leave early after asking what she wanted to ask. That

old lady can be considered as quite talkative and once she starts talking with

you may spend your whole day unwillingly listening to her gibberish.

April stopped

the train of her thoughts and plastered a sweet girl smile on her face before

ringing the doorbell. To her surprise no one opened the door even after several

minutes. It was quiet suspicious because that old lady never left her house

indeed never. On several occasions and festivals her only son visited with his

family. Other than that she lived in complete solitude. She visited our house and

one or two other neighbors but she visited mostly in the evenings and in the

morning you can she her watering the flowers and plants in her front yard every

single day no matter what!

April did not

gave it further thought maybe she had slept in! After all she was getting old

by the day. It was odd but many more odd things can happen, she herself was a

great example. She started to walk in the same direction as her college was not

much far from her house. Her college and Rowan’s school both were nearby. Then she

suddenly remembered that possibly a drama was waiting to unfold in the college

was even more interesting then wildest things she can imagine. It might sound

overly stretched but it was not. Old Series college was as the name suggested,

very old, even more popular till the date, biggest college in  the city, and there were even super rich kids

in the picture, you guess is it possible not to have some episodes at a place

like that?

She was

wearing white shorts, red T-shirt and red shoes brighter color than her own

personality. With headphones on her ears she was going in her own way, when she

suddenly heard a voice calling her name. How could it be possible when the

music was so loud in her ears how can she hear someone’s voice from the

outside? Then she heard the voice again and the air went colder or it was only

her that was feeling cold and air has nothing to do with it! She looked around

but on the path she was walking there was no one around except tall trees and

some birds. April then spoke ”I  know

what you are trying to pull, come out Eiden.” But there was no reply to her

call and it became so quiet even the music from her headphones was nowhere to

be heard.

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