Paths of a Thief

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by clutterspages

by clutterspages

CONTENT WARNING: none

I was walking through a long alley as if I had known where I was going. Oddly, I felt less in control of the dream. My body was moving on its own and already had an idea of what this world was. This time, I was disconnected from myself. The alley was thin and worn down. There was trash on every inch of the ground. I looked like I hadn't had a shower in days.

I kept walking until I opened a door that was barely hanging on its hinges. The inside of the building was just as worn down as the alley. Still, my body was moving on its own with a destination in mind or a purpose. I couldn't make out my intent. I walked straight across the first floor of the building and exited through another door. It was probably a familiar route.

While the other side of the building was ominous and suffocating, this side was bright and busy. I followed a cobblestone road surrounded by food vendors and merchants. It was loud but not in a terrible way. There was a lot of laughing and cheeriness in everyone's voices. Kids were running around playing games with friends. The communication between buyers and sellers was light-hearted.

I didn't notice until it was already happening that I intended to steal food and other random things off counters. I grabbed fruits and jewelry as I walked with swift movements and placed them in pockets. As I watched myself steal in the dream, I wondered if I was supposed to be there. Everyone around me was clean and dressed nicely. I was stealing and came from who knows where. Did I have family or friends? Am I just a thief, or is someone back home starving?

It's normal to have many questions while you're dreaming, but I'm not quite sure it's normal to have many of them answered. Dreams are short-lived, after all.

"HEY!" My inner dialogue stopped when someone yelled at me. After throwing something else in my bag, I ran into another building in an attempt to escape being caught. The sound of footsteps and shouting stopped the further I got. Nobody was chasing me anymore.

At the back, there were three doors leading to the outside. They looked like they were made of steel and were very polished. There were warning signs on the first two saying something along the lines of:

"WARNING: BE CAUTIOUS, YOU WILL REACH AN UNFORTUNATE FATE"

I'm sure there was more to the warning. However, the text was so small that it lost my interest. My decision was pretty set after reading the urgent message. Why would I want to go through either if something terrible could happen to me? The third door had a different, less intimidating sign.

"A HIRED ASSASSIN WILL AID YOU IF HE NOTICES YOU'RE IN ANY TROUBLE WHEN YOU STEP OUT"

Who made these, and who hired an assassin? More importantly, why was it a risk to go through all three of these doors? My dream came to an end as I walked through the last door, prepared for anything or anyone that would greet me.