White Room

White Room

It was late into the night when they came to me in a dream.

Of course I did nothing productive beforehand. I just sat at my desk, hoping the internet could entertain me for however long it took to get me drowsy.

I wouldn't call myself an insomniac, but most nights were like that. I'd never want to curl up into a ball under my comforter and dream. Night time just felt best suited for me awake. The peaceful quite of my house, and the low rumbling of cars cruising down my street was like heaven on earth. I could get work done if I wanted to, but I'd never have the tolerance. I'd stay up 'til the crack of dawn and feel refreshed. Like sleep itself was restricting me from viewing my real creativity.

Sleep was something I wasn't meant for.

My family always worried for my health, thought that my lack of sleep would cause some kind of brain damage. They were probably right, but I never listened. The energy I'd have was limitless. Even if I hadn't slept for days at a time, I was never fazed. The feeling of fatigue never came over me.

But it wasn't like I never slept.

I did sleep, but on rare occasions. Though it was forced. My eyes would feel uncomfortable under my eyelids and with every method I tried to get me sleepy, nothing worked. On a good night it'd take me a few hours just to feel something. On others, I didn't even sleep at all. When I'd finally dose off, my nightmares greeted me.

When I'd dream, I would only see blackness. I knew it was the backs of my eyelids I was staring at, but there was an uneasiness to it. Like I wasn't really looking at my eyelids but at something much darker and deeper. I'd get the feeling of being observed. Some other presence would be with me. Waiting, and watching. When I'd wake up the uneasiness would be burrowed within me and I wouldn't be able to shake it off for days. Sometimes I'd wonder if that was my reason for not sleeping.

I was afraid of seeing what was in the dark.

That in mind, I'd simply forget. I didn't want to remember, because I knew that would interfere somehow. I wanted to sleep when it was necessary. I knew if there were complications to go along with it, I'd never sleep. Ever.

But this one night was different.

I'd been having a bad day. I failed an English test, I spilled chocolate milk on someone, and my parents punished me for not taking my little sister to her dance class on time. I thought that maybe tonight was a night to rest, to think things over not while in front of a computer screen.

I turned my ceiling fan on full blast, tucked myself in, and closed my eyes. Again I met the blackness. I anticipated the uneasiness I felt from previous nights and I waited for the presence to return to me. But in the blackness, I saw something.

A light.

It was strange to see something as contradicting and clichas that. For a moment I thought my eyes were still somewhat open, but the only bright light in my room was the tiny blue bulb in my speaker. Whatever I was seeing meant I was truly dreaming.

I imagined myself walking towards the light, and just like that I was. I came closer and closer, until I entered a room. It was as white as the light itself. When I stepped inside, I felt a sense of familiarity, as if I had been to this room once before. Maybe I had. A place like that could be easily forgotten.

There was nothing special about the room. It was plain, no doors or windows, but the light made it glow. The purity of the room made it almost blinding. If I stared at an area for too long, my eyes would sting. Maybe it was because of color.

Without thinking, I had brought myself to the center of the room. When I reached it, I felt a heaviness. This scared me. I tried to move my body, but I could no longer control it. I wondered if I would wake up. I tried to scream for help, but my voice would only bounce off the walls and yell back at me. I was helpless, I began to cry.

Then, they showed themselves.

A being I had never seen before. I couldn't properly describe their appearance. My mind hadn't really registered them. But, I felt something. Something terrifying, like a thousand eyes and a thousand faces were staring back at me. Though I could only see one person it felt like they were a multitude of beings.

They laughed, they cried, they screamed, they begged.

Their body as white as the room before me, their eyes, I could not tell you. Every time I blinked, the color would change, or they didn't have eyes at all. I was seeing several different faces, all inside one body, and they watched me. Whether with a smile, or with a gaze a pure sadness. I did not understand.

Just what was I looking at?

The being, it came towards me. I screamed, fearful that it might take my body.

Do not be afraid, a thousand voices spoke, we have come to witness you.

And like that, the dream had ended. I woke up, only to find a few minutes had passed since I had gone to sleep. Though, the dream had felt like hours, maybe even years took place. My heart was racing, my body felt numb. Though I could move, I was weak. That dream had taken a sum my energy. If I had stayed any longer, I would've died.

I could not produce tears, I could not feel anything. My reaction towards this horrifying nightmare was neutral. Had I really dreamed? Or had I finally gone insane?

I did not know. I laid in bed for the rest of the night waiting for the sun to rise, waiting for the next day to come. From then on, I no longer slept. I stopped sleeping altogether. I knew if I dared close my eyes again, I would be greeted by the being.

By them.