Bright skies arrayed, the clouds reflecting the sun light, golden like honey surrounded by the yellows of a ripe sunflower. There I laid...I mean..he laid admiring the horizon. Calm and peaceful was his vibe. So tranquil, like a scene from a postcard. He never felt so relaxed, the weight had shifted from his reality, ceasing its existence.
"What are you doing?" a hand tapped his shoulder.
"I don't know? Nothing I guess. Just here," Idate replied.
"Oh well...? Are you happy now?"
"You could say that.."
"You know who I am?"
"No..."
"Take a moment and look again,"
It was a boy like him. He had an all red T-shirt. He had an approachable, welcoming feeling to him, yet a strange sadness lingered. Around his wrist was a fancy watch, that blinked every other second. His shoes were also red, though they were slightly old and tattered.
"Is your favorite color red or something?" Idate asked.
"It is. But you still don't know who I am don't you?" The boy sighed.
"I'm sorry. I don't. I don't think I can figure out who you are."
"We played with each other every day. Don't you remember? You called me your favorite friend!"
Idate stood there in silence. He tried and tried to catch a clue or any hint that would show him who this boy was. All together he sighed heavily. He couldn't find the pieces to this problem before him. For a fact, he had no friends, so why would he even know this person. This mysterious boy. Who was he?
A little cry followed by sniffling, pulled Idate out of his thoughts.
"Are you crying?!" Idate exclaimed.
"No!!!" He whimpered.
"Listen! I'm trying to remember. Just give me a few more seconds!"
The boy's tears were familiar to him. He had seen them somewhere. Where though? No one else had cried around him. Only his reflection. Only in his room. Only by his lonesome. Which often lead to him going to sleep. Wait sleep? Sleep! In his dreams! That boy was there before!! In the red, with his open bouts of sadness!
"Rocky?!!!" Idate shouted.
Rocky wiped his tears from his cheeks. His face was flushed and his eyes were red.
"Geez are you okay? Did it really bother you that I didn't remember you right away?" Idate sighed.
He went over and hugged the sniffling boy. Rocky's arms immediately went over Idate's shoulders, firmly wrapping around them. The warmth from Idate transferred to Rocky, slowly overtaking the iciness that he carried along. Both boys smiled gently, letting go of each other after a bit.
"So what brings you here?" Idate asked.
Rocky was silent for a bit, like he was trying to figure out what to say. His hand scratched his hair, ruffling it into waves.
"Rocky what's wrong?"
"I... I came here to tell you about that boy. The one that's been bothering you," he replied.
"What about him?"
"You need to go save him!"
"What why?!"
"Because me and him.. we're connected. If you haven't already figured it out. I'm Ranger. The toy you've been carrying around."
"Huh?!"
Dumbfounded, Idate was left speechless. This kid was telling him something crazy. He couldn't have been there all this time? Where's the proof?! He's talking to a toy right now!
"Idate?"
But this isn't the weirdest thing he's come across. His previous conversations were with a ghost. A mean one in fact. Nothing normal of course. So this shouldn't come off as a big surprise to him.
"Idate?!"
Rocky reached forward, pinching Idate's nose.
"Ow! What the heck?!" He cried.
"You were zoning out there," Rocky replied.
"So you're the Power Ranger?"
"Yeah..."
"But how are you here?"
"It's a dream! Anything is possible here!"
"So you're alive? I got a lot of questions."
"I can answer them later, but you need to hurry and get me from the garbage. I can't keep my connection with you if I get moved far away!"
"What about that other guy? I don't like him!"
"Just put your differences aside for now!"
"...."
"What's wrong?!"
"You're fading away."
Rocky's skin became transparent and his voice gradually quieted down. As the words left his lips, they dissipated before reaching Idate's ears. His arms clenched Idate's shoulders, rocking them back and forth. Idate looked at him. Not a sound came from Rocky. Reading his lips carefully, it seemed like he was mouthing the words "you need to wake up." Eventually the shaking stopped. Rocky was gone.
In that moment the sky above him opened up. Clouds formed, circling around a specific point. The wind picked up, shifting undecidedly in all directions until it joined together in unison. From underneath him it ran past his legs, climbing up to his shoulders and lastly whooshing through the hairs on his head. His feet began to rise, leaving the touch of the dreamworld ground. Idate kicked the air, attempting to set himself free. Instead it danced around him, setting forth a spiraling motion. Like a twister the winds flew faster and faster.
As he rose to the skyline, the clouds darkened. They quaked harshly at his arrival. Bits of lightning shot out from one dark mass to another, spreading its electric wires among the rest of the clouds. Round and round his vision went, a constant 360. The gradual acceleration blurred what Idate could see. The colors fuzzed, fusing with the deep end shadows. The shrilling cracks of thunder and repeated white flashes raged an unending chaos.
Idate was fifty feet in the air, binded in a wind prison. It flung him helplessly. Infinitely spinning his body like a carnival ride out of control. Idate let out a frustrated scream. However, as loud as he wanted to be, it was drowned out by the blares of thunder.
"Will this end!?" He thought. "Why can't I wake up?!" The winds shrieked louder in response. Like it had heard him. He closed his eyes, wishing and praying for it to stop. The whips of ferocious air surged, stinging his skin like little cuts, until the tension died down. A bright ray enveloped the darkness behind his shut eyes. Opening them he saw that he was above the horizon. The rage filled storm cleared, the grays and glows in the clouds ceased their violence.
A gentle field of white swirled and flowed like the waves of a dawn glistened ocean. At the end of it, the sun rose. It was bright yet Idate could see it without being blinded. Inside it, two boys could be seen smiling. As he got closer the sound became more audible.There was something they were laughing about. Tears had filled their eyes. One of the boys wiped his eyes after calming down a bit. His smile tugged at Idate's heart as he spoke.
"You know what Idate? You're not so bad yourself," he chuckled.
"Thanks! I guess haha," the other Idate replied.
"I need you to do something for me though."
"What is it?"
"I need you to wake up."
"What?"
"Wake up Idate!"
The two boys in the sun paused. Their attention shifted to Idate, piercing him with their unaltered stares. His eyes were locked onto theirs. He couldn't look away or something told him that he shouldn't. Unable to move once again, the clouds beneath him began to rise, ominously crawling towards him. Together they formed a wide gaping mouth. Like the jaws of a shark, it stretched itself high above his head and creeped below his feet. The great mass came down on him in both directions, swallowing him whole.
He opened up his eyes, trying to assure himself that he was okay. He took a few deep breaths while sitting quietly in his room. It was completely dark except for the red light beaming from the digital clock on his desk. It illuminated 4:45 A.M. In the distance, he heard beeping, like the kind a truck makes when it backs up. His window brightened for a bit, yellow lights passing along the glass pane. Stepping off his bed, he ran over, peering into the early morning atmosphere. Much to his dismay, the garbage truck had already grabbed the dumpster, emptying its contents into the trunk.
An energizing gust filled his lungs as he dashed downward, with his feet lightly pressing against the stairs. By the time he opened the backyard door, the sanitation vehicle had driven away, taking Rocky along with it.
