have a little faith | janthony

chapter five: dream

After falling asleep restlessly in her own bed, Jasmine landed in a much more tranquil environment. Blades of grass tickled her back like a shaggy blanket as a gentle warmth washed over her face.

Meanwhile, Anthony had crash-landed into the same nightmare as usual, with some distant light that he'd set fire to his lungs to reach. This time though, he felt a warmth building inside of him as he ran. It wasn't the usual scorching pain, but rather as if he was basking in the sun on a mild but pleasant summer day. Whatever it was, he was instantly addicted, and his legs kept pumping like his life depended on their endurance. And perhaps, it did.

For Jasmine, that warmth was rolling in like an ocean wave, then ebbing away all the nagging thoughts that had left her mind fried and defeated. That subtle roar was tugging at her restraint, trying to ease her eyes open so she could immerse herself in whatever domain had invited her in, but as always, she resisted. Is this a light from heaven that I'm supposed to run from? If it is heaven, do I want to run? Or is this just a beautiful dream? If I let myself feel this peace, will it become even harder to go back to my own life?

Finally though, the temptation overtook all those questions, and she pried her eyes open just enough to squint up at the blazing, cloudless sky. She slowly turned her head back and forth, but there was nothing much to dwell on. Her eyes struggled to blink away the glow that seemed to be coming from every direction, but eventually she realized she was entirely engulfed. It didn't strain her vision though; it was simply illuminating in every sense of the word. Her senses told her now that she was fine here; she could rest and be free with, for once, nothing to stress about.

The passage of time seemed wholly insignifiant, as Jasmine settled into a meditative state where only the melodies she hummed connected to her surroundings. Moment by moment, the warmth grew stronger although it never threatened to burn. Rather, she felt it seeping deeper inside her until her entire being felt cozy. She couldn't shake the feeling that something was growing, and eventually a shape formed in the beams of light around her.

"Hello?" She called out weakly. The figure was growing but as it became more visible, she found it harder to focus, as the warmth in her chest turned into a tingly sensation that sent her heart fluttering and her ears ringing. "Fuck, I need to wake up," she muttered under her breath. This wasn't right. Something that felt so comfortable was either fake, or designed to make her hurt more when yanked away.

At this point Anthony was preparing himself for the inevitable: a collapse into the ground, a buckling of his knees, a shooting pain through his chest; something to align this nightmare with what he knew. But the closer and closer he came to his target, the more he realized that no amount of pain or exhaustion could stop him now. This was different; now that he knew that he was so close to this goal that could actually mean something, giving up would hurt so much more than any physical struggle.

His chest did pound as he progressed closer, but something else was flooding in as well. Some type of relief was counteracting all the exhaustion and failure he'd grown accustomed to, and it felt like salvation. The shapeless light that was drawing him in like a magnet was right there, and suddenly, all that desperation melted away and something entirely different persuaded him to slow down. It wasn't the usual force of fatigue, but instead a comfort telling him to just embrace the moment.

As he slowed to a walk, a clearing emerged that he stepped through with no hesitation. He was overcome with something indescribable. The sound he heard was simple, with just a voice calling out a questioning "hello" every few seconds, but to Anthony, it was music with the most pure, sweet, and rich timbre he'd ever heard. His vision was obscured but even still, he could sense the most vivid colors his eyes had ever been granted, and could not imagine the extent of the beauty he could be seeing if he were awake.