Dreamland

Endless evergreen rows of pines were slowly painted pitch black, one by one. The sun has delved its final centimeters of light downward the west. Rich colors of blue, purple and orange have faded away under the mercy of the night, replaced with darkness. There was no sign of any light, real or artificial, but the dimness of silver moonlight above the treetops.

It was magical, tempting, mind-boggling in a way that made her crave it. She has never watched it this way before, never tried noticing the entire view the way she just did. The darkness was never so inviting to her than scary.

She let herself cross the road separating between the city lights and the forests, walking like she measured every step in great care, deep in thoughts. Her each sense seemed as if it had been doubled, powered up by adrenaline and endorphins. She reached the dark end, not entering yet, just staring at the long cypresses stretching in front of her.

A large breath filled her lungs, trying to calm the pulse under her ears. She started into the thicket, feeling the grass and small branches crackle under her weight. Foot by foot, she went on deeper, listening carefully to every whistle and whisper around her. Her thoughts kept telling her not to turn her head back and look, trying to cast the growing fear from gnawing on her stomach.

Her pace sped up as she realized she no longer was any close to the city. She halted instantly to fight the urge to run, breathing heavily, closing her eyes.

"I'll just... seat here for a moment," she whispered to herself, bending down under one of the trees. Her knees curled up, resting her chin on them and closing her eyes. She opened her lids again, but to find her heart fluttering in panic as a pair of eyes stared an inch from hers.

"Mind if I join you?" it whispered, getting closer and making her back away, pinning her to the wide trunk without a touch. A strong shout was building up at her throat, her veins pulsing with pressure. He saw that coming, laying a hand over her mouth and blocking the sound immediately. She could not hold back any fear now. Small whines escaped through his hand.

"I am not going to hurt you," he promised. "It is just so peaceful here, that a shout would be entirely inappropriate." he added with a slight smile. Being so close, she could see the beautiful features of a young man, around his twenties or so. She couldn't quite set which color his eyes were; some combination of light jade green and a tint of soft gray that was emphasized when light hit it. She nodded as an agreement to stay calm and he let her go.

"Who are you?" She demanded in a small voice, noticing they were still very close to each other. He had an unfathomable expression on his face. Something about him made her feel he was not so used to company. at least, not a human one.

"Does it really matter?" He asked with a smile. "I could be anyone you'd like.." He allowed, getting up in a swift, sudden move that made her a bit disoriented. He watched at his hands, charmed, his fingers waving slowly, as if he saw something she could not. "Just look, how light and darkness make everything look different.." He whispered in awe.

She got on her feet, not sure if she should be afraid or not. She was still contemplating whether this man was a Freddy Kruger in a mask of a loony or just plain weirdo.

"You know," He turned to her. "People never do pay attention to those things. It rather makes me angry." His brows puckered as he said that. "I mean, Have you ever just stopped at the middle of the night and just.. marveled at the sheer beauty of it?"

She smiled at the coincidence. "Well, you'd be surprised to hear that this is actually the reason I'm here." She admitted. "I was always afraid to be here at these hours.." She said and watched the dark spots around. "It's like in the movies, where you always fear that a pair of scary eyes would pop open and a monster would come out and eat you."

"Oh, nonsense, my dear!" He grinned and hurried to her, holding her hands. "There is nothing to fear. As soon as you realize the darkness is part of the beauty and not the opposite of it, you'd come to learn how magnificent this place really is!" He called in excitement. "I've always hoped to find someone intrigued by it..." He voiced in a low tone, staring down at her like a found soul-mate.

She smiled a little. His stare bore was so deep into her eyes that it made her look away. She released her hands gently. "I should.. go.." She mumbled.

"What is your name?" He asked, as if he hadn't heard her words.

"Uhh.. Juliet." She answered. It was not a lie, though it probably should have.

"Beautiful Juliet.. Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight! For I ne'er saw true beauty till this night," He whispered, quoting Shakespeare. Her heart couldn't but flutter in her chest. "Will I see you again, Juliet?"

"I.." She hesitated. "I don't know. I.. I need to go." She mumbled. Her head spun in confusion, turning quickly before she'd make a silly mistake. She started running, running fast, her heart beats and head twirls. She could still feel him whispering her name all the way back to the city.