The Abstraction Chronicles: The Abstract

Chapter 1: A Dream from Sorrow

"Zane, where are you?" My mom calls me as I hide under the bed. My parents have been yelling at each other again. Tears streamed down my cheeks as my mother checks my closet for me. I can hear my father hitting the wall in the other room. Yelling something that I cannot understand.

"Zane! There you are." Pulling me from out under the bed my mom holds me as we sit on the pillow. A tear falls from her eye. "Shh, shh, everything's fine. Daddy is just stressed from work is all."

"Why can't he be happy?" I ask looking up.

"It's complicated," she says as she lays me down. "You should get some sleep for school tomorrow. I love you." She says as she tucks me in.

"I love you too," I say before drifting off to sleep. The next thing I know I'm in a large autumn forest still dressed in my space pajamas. "Where am I?" I ask looking around. The first thing that I notice are the trees. Their trunks are as white as snow. The leaves on them are the

most vibrant I've ever seen. Orange and yellow leaves fall around me. Rustling with the wind of a sunny day. Catching one it crumples in my hand. "This feels real."

"That's because it is." Turning around a young girl is looking at me. She couldn't be much older than me. Her blonde hair draped across her shoulders. The sun illuminating her white sundress.

"Who're you?" I ask, pointing at her.

"Cynthia. What's your name?" She asks, skipping towards me.

"My name is Zane," I say taking a step back, accidentally snapping a twig underfoot. "Do you know where I am?"

"You don't know where you are?" She asks, surprised. "You're in the Abstract." "Where's that? I've never heard of it. Where's my mom?"

"You really are hopeless," she says with a giggle. "Come on. You've got to meet everyone!" She grabs my hand as she starts running. Almost dragging me across the ground.

"Wait, where are we going?" I ask, finally keeping pace.

"We're going to my village where my parents are!" She beams. "We've never had an outsider before."

"An outsider?"

"Someone not from our village. You'll see." Emerging from the forest I could see a small village ahead with buildings made up of wood. "Wait, what's wrong?" Cynthia says pointing to the village. Initially, I can't see what's going on, but then I see them. Monsters. Huge monsters

are chasing people. They looked to be made of shadow. On the other side of the village a great shadow had suddenly appeared gradually stretching over the village itself almost engulfing it.

"MOM, DAD!" Cynthia screams as she begins to run towards the chaos.

"Wait! Don't!" I try to yell, but she either doesn't hear me or doesn't care as she runs to the village. The shadow now beginning to loom over me, I see a masked man staring at me from across the field before turning and walking away. *KAWW* Looking up I see a massive bird as black as the night descending on me talons ready to tear me apart. I don't have time to move before it was on me. Jolting awake I'm shaking in my bed. What was that dream? I ask myself as I start crying.

8 Years Later...