Shift

Dream World

The moon peers through my bedroom curtains, lighting up my room. It's time for bed, so I give this shifting thing an honest try. I flip through the book pages and skim through the instruction manual on how to shift. It says to create a script of all the things you want to experience in your dream. Simple enough. I lay down on my bed and scribble about Evan from Shallows, sandy beaches, and every little thing that pops into my head. I can't believe I'm doing this, but the whole process makes me tired. My eyes start to close, and I drift into a deep sleep.

I jolted awake with the feeling like I'm falling from a three-story building. I frantically search for my blanket. This must be the start of a terrible dream. My stomach sucks itself in, and my heart races uncontrollably. I look up to see miles and miles of white sand and giant hourglasses. I squint as the bright golden sun shines in my eyes. W-where am I? There's nothing near me except my bed that rests in the endless sea of sand.

"Hello," I hear a familiar voice, but I can't recall where I've heard it. "Welcome to your reality." I can't believe my eyes! Evan from Shallows appeared right in front of me. He approaches me and plants a soft kiss on my cheek.

"I've wanted to meet you for so long! What are you doing here?" I jump up and down with excitement.

"You brought me here. Think of anything you want and it's yours."

This can't be real, but I've got to test it out.

"Well, this might sound silly, but I've always wanted you to be my prom date," I say with a giggle and an embarrassing amount of nervous blush on my face.

"First we've got to get you a prom dress," Evan grinned.

Before my eyes, I teleport to a dressing room. I am surrounded by millions of beautiful dresses that I would typically ignore upon looking at their price tags. However, this is my reality and money doesn't matter here. I spend what feels like eternity picking out the perfect dress. I chose a form-fitting yellow silk gown with sparkles that twinkle in the light. I take a long look in the mirror and can't help but give the biggest smile. I look beautiful. I haven't said that to myself recently.

With a snap of a finger, I am at my high school. I never thought that I would purposefully dream of school, but it is the prom and Evan is my prom date. I can hear stomping feet and loud pop music before I even enter the building. There is a velvet red carpet leading to the entrance. At the door, I see Evan with a corsage in his delicate hands.

"You look absolutely stunning," Evan gushed. We locked our arms and walked in like superstars. Every eye was on us. For once, I am the center of attention.

The crowd clears a space for Evan and me. The bustling chatter turned into soft whispers as the music winds down to a slow song. The room is foggy and dazzling fairy lights drape every corner of the room.

"May I have this dance?" Evan grabbed me by the hand. I leaned on him as we swayed to the soft music. Somebody pinch me. The thick fog wraps around me and fills my eyes. As the song comes to an end, I'm transported back to the pile of white sand. I can faintly hear the music still playing, but there is no more Evan and no more prom. It's like waking up during the best part of a dream.

The sand surrounding me morphs into my kitchen. The sultry smell of bacon tugs at my nostrils and makes my mouth water.

"I made your favorite," my stepmom says grinning as she places a healthy stack of crispy bacon on my plate. "Eat your carrots Brandon," my stepmom snaps at my half-brother.

Brandon doesn't say a word. He's looking down at his disappointing plate of baby carrots. I snicker at first, but I plop a couple of good pieces on his plate. We both smile at each other. Maybe I can tolerate him more in this reality. Suddenly, there's a knock at the front door and someone lets themself in.

"Dad!" Brandon and I both say in an excited unison. I run up and hug him, "We haven't seen you in forever."

"I know, work has been crazy. How about we go to our favorite spot today kiddo? My schedule is wide open." I know exactly where we are going.

Dad took me to the park we used to go to with my mom when I could barely walk. We would always have our Sunday picnics here. Dad would take a nap on the grass while mom and I made matching daisy chain necklaces. There are a lot of bittersweet memories when we come here. It has never been the same since mom passed.

"I wanted to take this moment to tell you how proud I am of you," my dad looks me deeply in the eyes.

"That means a lot...I miss seeing you. The days seem to pass, you're always so busy, and I feel like you're never around," I say with tears forming.

"I know. Everything I do is for you. I want to give you the life I never had. But I miss you like crazy. This day was supposed to be just the two of us, but I think you two should have some alone time."

I am confused. Who else is here with us? My dad pointed towards the daisy field. I see my mom walking and picking an arrangement of flowers. Her hair is glimmering in the sunlight, and she is wearing this beautiful long white dress. She looks like a true angel. At this point, I am sobbing uncontrollably. She drops her flowers and we run towards each other and lock in the tightest hug.

"Oh, how I've missed you."

I never want to let her go.

My mom starts slipping through my hands. Everything around me, including her, has reduced back to the sand.

"No!" I shout out in pain while stomping on the sand. Hot tears roll down my face and sting my cheeks.

"Not yet! I needed more time with her!" I hear a beeping sound in the far distance.

The hourglasses are running out of sand. I noticed that my feet had disappeared beneath me. Slowly, my body sinks deeper and deeper.

I woke up.