Hidden

9: Dreams and Signs

Dima

It was dark, very dark. Dima's eyes strained to see past the inky blackness and his ears reached out and listened for even the faintest of noises.

Nothing

But he waited. He waited even as dark, thick tendrils silently slithered past him and caught the unheard whispers laughing just out of reach. A shiver crawled up his back, causing the hairs on the back of his neck to jump and stand at attention.

Dima cautiously stretched out a hand, searching for, well, anything. His fingers encountered something hard and cold and slowly he ran them along the barrier. They studied the rough texture and the smoother dips, or maybe lines, in the pattern.

Brick

Carefully, one, two, three, ... one foot in front of the other as he inched his way forward.

And then the blackness gently melted away and a great cavern opened before him. Dima blinked a few times against the brightness and began to study the large space.

The rock was a dark sand and the color spread out smoothly through the cavern. Even the corners seemed to share the same shade as if lights were hidden in the nooks and crannies with intention.

His gaze lifted and he noted the small cracks and holes that littering the ceiling, allowing trickles of sunlight to filter through. He followed the rays as they raced down to the ground only to jump and bounce over the rough terrain until finally settling into the uneven floor. As he took a few steps toward the middle of the room, movement and then sound drew his attention to the opposite side. A small waterfall had formed against one of the many steep rock faces and fell gracefully and unhurriedly from the top of the ledge into the pool below. The refreshing sound of lazy water echoed all around him.

Without warning, the flow surged and increased as if someone turned the faucet to its highest setting. It swiftly dove over the edge and tumbled aggressively into the pool below. As quickly as it fell, the water in the pool reacted and in one swift motion, it rose and rushed toward the very spot where Dima stood.

He stepped back, instinctually lifting his arms over his head, and braced himself for the torrent of water that was sure to rain over him.

Nothing.

Dima opened his eyes, not realizing he had closed them, and felt them widen. The water had stopped mid-flight directly in front of him.

His eyebrows came together in concentration as he studied the oncoming wave that had frozen in its tracks. The water still flowed and moved within the ice shell, crashing in on itself as it encountered the outer walls.

What if...

He pursed his lips as he reached out, not daring to move his gaze or even blink. His fingers inched closer to the anomaly, his heart thumping deep within his chest and pulsing under the thin skin of his fingertips.

Dima gently touched the wall and he watched spellbound as his hand slipped through the outer barrier. He twisted it, splashing the water against the sides, and still, the force holding it together did not waiver.

The invisible shape unexpectedly shuddered and popped and, before he could react or pull away, the wave he had expected finally rained down and soaked him completely.

The scene began to blur and change, and he found himself looking at a door.

A door?

Ignoring the water still dripping down his face, he took a step, then another.

Dima realized quickly that it wasn't just any door. It was the back door of his bar, the one that led out to the rear patio. He would recognize that door anywhere. And then, as if his vision heard, the rest of the cavern began to fade and the very patio he had just recalled came into view. When the scene looked complete, an odd and very out of place object appeared in the middle of the patio. It looked to be a solid, black stone table. It was the type of piece one would expect to find in an old castle, not here. Four large, old goblets materialized on the table's surface.