A place where I fight to survive |
Jenna stretched and yawned. The sheets were wrapped awkwardly around her legs, again! From her sitting position, she bent over and unraveled the tangled mess. Why in the world, do I have so many mornings waking up like this? Standing up, she tried to stretch. Her eyebrows furrowed, and she swallowed hard. The color drained from her face. She felt like someone had beaten the crap out of her. Her knees grew weak, and her legs wobbly. Feeling like she might fall, she sat back down on the bed. What the hell happened to me? Hurting and hardly able to keep her eyes open, she climbed back under her covers and fell quickly into a fitful sleep. Jenna found herself in a swirling tunnel lined with darkness and light. She floated straight down the middle, heading toward a bright glow at the end. As she got closer, the glow turned into a light and grew brighter and brighter. As she entered the brightness, the tunnel disappeared behind her. Jenna found herself standing on the lushest, greenest grass she had ever seen. She inhaled the sweet smell of wildflowers. Turning around, her mouth dropped open, as she stared at the acres and acres of all the different kinds of flowers in front of her. Reds, blues, yellows, purples, the green of the foliage, it was a magical kaleidoscope of wonder and beauty. Walking toward the flowers, she was surrounded by little flying insects with the most dazzling wings, that shimmered in the sunlight. When one landed on her hand, she was shocked to see it wasn't an insect at all! She was staring into the illuminating face of a fairy! The fairies finally explained to Jenna what was going on with her. They told her she had entered into another realm. Another world, different from her own. As Jenna listened to the fairies, and explored this enchanted land, she learned that she entered into different realms through her dreams. But they were not dreams, but a reality. She found out that her astral body was traveling. Her dreams were interconnected with these realms, forming a complex world of alternate dimensions. Each dream world had its own rules and inhabitants. Some were friendly and others dangerous. This time when she woke, she had a wide grin and beaming eyes. She ignored the pain. The excitement of her life took on a whole new meaning. She was actually living two lives, the waking one, and the sleeping one. Now, she couldn't wait for bedtime to come. She wondered if she would travel tonight and if so, where? As nighttime fell, she jumped into her bed. Eyes wide, she kept glancing at the clock. Only five minutes later than the last time she looked. Jenna released an exasperated sigh, tossing and turning until sleep finally found her. She felt the magnetic tug in her abdomen, as she was pulled into a new realm. Jenna entered into a world of twilight, where floating islands drifted through the sky, and ancient ruins whispered of forgotten civilizations. There were doors carved into the mountains, where she assumed the inhabitants lived, but no one was around. Walking toward the caves, she noticed that there was no sound at all. Not even the sound of birds or crickets. The hair on the back of her neck stood on end. Her stomach jittered and grew heavy. A fear enveloped her. She quickly turned around in a circle, looking for any danger nearby. There was nothing there. But the feeling of dread stayed with her. The sky grew dark and foreboding. She knew instantly this was a place of great evil. Then from behind the rocks came two huge giants. They looked human but were much bigger, both in height and stature. They carried some form of strange weapons with them and ordered her to walk. They took her into the middle doorway cave entrance. The jagged gray rock walls had shadows dancing in a flicking motion from the fire-lit stakes hung on the wall. The giants ordered her down a steep staircase, carved out of the rock. As she traveled deeper down, the moisture on the walls was so thick, it almost dripped. When they reached the bottom, they threw her behind the biggest, thickest bars she had ever seen. She was so small in comparison, that she could easily walk through the bars. So, a guard stood in front of her cell, leaving her no room to escape. She tried to will herself to wake up, but it was of no use. She was taken before a malevolent King where she learned he sought to harness the power of her dreams for his own sinister purpose. He strapped her into a rusty metal chair, placing electrodes on both temples, her third eye, and several on her head. Then he flipped a switch. The hum was deafening and intimidating. She felt her head start to tingle, then turn numb. A strange energy seemed to engulf her whole being. Just as she was about to lose consciousness, a silver-illuminating light filled the room. The cave was filled with magical creatures, with her fairy friend, leading the army. A loud pop echoed off of the walls, and Jenna found herself free of the contraption and the chair. She jumped up and joined the army of magical creatures. They sentenced the King to life chained beneath the waters of Prison Island. With a flick of the wand, the darkness cleared, and a lit-up twilight returned to the realm, and sounds and smells returned. The inhabitants who were prisoners in their own country, were now freed. Joy rang through their enchanted land, and cheers with their never-ending thanks went out to the magical army. Jenna woke in her bed. The sheets tangled around her legs. (983 Words x5) 10. Write about a character whose dreams are portals to other worlds. |