The wind howled as it brushed each blade of grass as vigorously as a blender. Petals held onto flower stems for dear life. There had not been a hint of silence in what felt like an eternity.
A piercing ray of sunlight revealed a dark figure. As she walked forward, the shadows quickly traveled behind her back. Gasping for air and nearly inhaling a bunch of grass, she lost her foothold and fell on her stomach.
"Hey, you!" she hollered to the wind.
Grabbing a stone from the ground, she chucked it towards the sky.
"Eat this!"
Suddenly, as if the stone lost its weight, it boomeranged straight back. The wind continued to howl as it pushed the stone right back to the figure with no remorse.
Just as she was about to get a major concussion, the whole world went black. It was like she was floating in the abyss, except she was a part of the nothingness as well.
***
"Poof? Poof! Get up! What in tarnation are you doing still lying there?"
Poof slowly opened her eyes from slits to perfect circles. It was her friend, leaning on her bed right up to her face. She caressed her forehead with the palm of her hand. Eh? Where did that giant hole in her head from that stone go?
"Miss ma'am, I ain't got no time for you to facepalm at me. Y'know why? It's because I should be the one facepalming at you instead!"
Poof tilted her head aggressively and scowled. "Stop, Dili. I just had a bad dream. Now, get out of my face."
Dili turned away and chuckled. "I thought nightmares were for little babies."
Poof sat up, pushing her head through her chick hoodie that she wore everyday, almost like a religious practice.
"Enough is enough."
The two of them headed toward the exit of the room. All the walls were painted as yellow as Poof's skin. There were several picture frames, all holding memories of the same people - Poof, Dili, and three other friends with strangely colored skin and animal hoodies.
Dili always said he wanted to be a lifeguard when he was older. No- he claimed he already was a lifeguard. Poof always thought that idea was absurd; she didn't think someone like him could ever take on a role as serious as that. She had only seen him swim once.
"I made breakfast for us," Dili mumbled, almost tripping down the stairs. "It's popcorn with marinara sauce and vanilla frosting."
Poof made a strange face. "Popcorn with what now?"
"Trust me," Dili said, smirking as he fumbled down the last steps. "You're gonna absolutely love it. Did I mention I also added women's perfume? Hey, don't make that face at me again!"
Poof skipped down a total of two and a half steps, while Dili skipped down four. As they entered an area of the small abode that resembled a kitchen, a foul odor filled the air. Dili continued to bear a wide smile, while Poof desperately looked for something to clog her nose. As Dili opened the oven, his bright pink skin glowed neon because of how dark the contents of the oven were.
Poof pursed her lips. "Is that even good to eat?"
"Of course, baby!" Dili exclaimed, digging his face into the popcorn. It was as black as Poof's field of vision when her nightmare ended, and it smelled absolutely horrendous. Marinara sauce and vanilla frosting smell great on their own, but together...? Poof was about to vomit.
"Hey, you know what, master chef Dili? I think I'll skip breakfast for today."
