Traveling to Waking Life
Matt and I are sitting in my driveway with our hands pressed upon the warm cement, relaxing in the late summer air. His arms are stretched behind him, supporting the rest of his body, while his legs spread apart on the concrete. He leans his head back and closes his eyes, taking in the sun. I lazily rest beside him in a similar fashion. Leaves fall from the towering trees surrounding us, and everything alive seems to be a golden brown. A particularly strong gust of wind quickly kisses our faces, and strangely, it seems to be carrying a faint male voice. I could swear...it is calling my name.
I stir, a bit unsettled. "Matt," I whisper. "Did you hear that...?"
He opens his eyes. "What, Collin?"
"I could have sworn...someone called my name..."
His eyes widen in mock horror.
"Really," I persist. "I heard it- listen!"
A breeze passes us again. Ever so quietly, the voice in the wind utters my name a second time. He hears it now, and smiles. "You were right," he admits shamelessly. "Maybe you're dreaming?" He doesn't mean it, but I quietly reflect on this statement.
I turn this idea over in my mind. Suddenly then, I jerk my head up. "Of course. I am dreaming!" I turn to Matt, who has closed his eyes again, and decide to leave him be. Besides, I want to find the voice.
I hear it again, and I begin on the road towards the direction of the wind. I have to strain to pick up any trace of the voice, but it's definitely there. Whoever it belongs to won't stop calling my name.
I begin to pick up speed. I'm running in the middle of the empty road, when something strange happens. It seems I'm running in place - I realize that I'm not moving anywhere, everything else is. All the world is flowing backwards while I remain in the same spot. The only thing that stays the same other than myself, is the wind.
Soon the "world" begins to fade. Everything around me is becoming increasingly dark. It's like a roll of film, almost - When there's nothing else to be seen, I'm left only with a black void. In this void all things seem to echo: my breathing, my footsteps, even my heartbeat. But driven by the voice, I am not afraid. It feels like I'm here forever, running.
Eventually, a new scene begins to form. Somehow, I know that I have gone through the process of changing worlds.
While contemplating this, I trip and land on my hands and knees. Looking up, I find myself in a crowded closet. Directly on the other side of the door I hear the voice, and know its source is there. I get to my feet and push the door, unintentionally phasing through and landing in a boy's bedroom.
He's about the same age as me. His bed is pushed into a corner, and he's sitting up against a wall holding his blanket so that it covers all but his face. His mouth slowly closes, as I suppose he was going to call my name again. We both stare at eachother, and he is the first to break eye contact.
He somewhat hesitantly looks me over, from top to bottom. I then begin to take notice of myself, and realize how differently I appear emerging from the darkness in between "worlds". I seem a spirit or a ghost almost, a sort of hologram. I didn't even think I would be tangible. I also notice that my feet hover about an inch above the floor. Looking back to him, I find it in myself to speak.
"What did you call me for?"
He doesn't answer, and I don't push him to. We stare at eachother with wondering eyes, until the dream fades.
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