Dreamer's Odyssey Vol. 1

Down the Rabbit Hole

 Um, Hello. You don't know me. But my name is Bradley. I would......like to tell you something, a story to be exact. Stories are generally known as a form of entertainment, or a way to learn something new. But I believe that above all else, stories are reflections. Reflections of who we are, what we think, and why we think it. What I'm about to tell you is true. It never happened, and never will happen, but it is still true. It is my heart, my soul, my love, my hate, my pride, my guilt, my hope, my fear, my creation, and my destruction. This is my story. This is me.

"Okay, we're leaving now. Are you sure you'll be fine home alone?"

"Don't worry, I'll be okay. Go have fun on your trip."

"Okay then. Bye sweetie, I'll miss you."

"Bye mom."

The door shut behind her. Alone at last. I rushed to the living room and turned on the tv. I looked at all my favorite movies, but something just felt off. I tried to picture myself sitting down and watching all of them again. But it just didn't.....look exciting. 'Maybe I should just play a video game,' I thought to myself. I opened a nearby drawer and looked at my options. They all seemed either too difficult or too mundane. I sighed and closed the drawer.

I stepped into my bedroom, and looked at all the dirty laundry on the floor. A lone white sock had particularly caught my attention. 'I really need to clean this place up.' I grabbed my phone and layed down on my bed. I turned it on and started scrolling through it. I checked my contacts for anyone willing to hang out. As I scrolled through I realized how long it had been since I had talked to any of them. I almost felt ashamed about it. Then, I saw her. Her name was right there, clear as day. Ashley. Next to it was a picture of a smiling girl with reddish brown hair. For a moment the world stopped spinning. The words on screen morphed into blurry black blobs. Her face distorted until her face was no longer recognisable. I thought I was going blind. Seeing her again, awoke something in me. I don't know exactly how to describe what it was, but it was like the room felt too hot and too cold at the same time. I was standing above her, she was laying on the ground, soaked in red water. And in my hand, a knife. I wanted to tear myself away. Tear myself apart. But I couldn't. Instead I just closed my eyes and shook my head. 'God, it's such a messed up world,' I thought. 'No......a scary world.' I tried not to think about it too much. I decided maybe it was time to go to bed. I checked my phone. It was only 6:30 PM. 'ah, what else do I have to do?' I pulled the covers over my head and closed my eyes. At first I had trouble relaxing. I was still concerned about Ash. I felt like there was something I had to do, some conclusion I had to reach, but what could it be, what could it possibly be? I thought whatever it was, I wasn't gonna find it just sitting here. So I turned and laid back. But then I felt this wave of tiredness. I was so tired I hadn't noticed the walls and ceiling melting away. Everything was dripping and oozing. My desk, my chair, all my clothes turned into mush and mixed in with each other. Everything had become a colorless blob. Then it all started swirling around me. I felt as though there was nothing below me, but I wasn't falling either. I didn't feel like I was floating, I was floating! Drifting down a foggy white river. I felt warm and secure, and even though I was in a river I wasn't wet. There was nothing around it, just an infinite white void. I could stay like this forever. And that's when I reached the edge. I don't remember it being very visible, but somehow, I knew it was there. Somehow, I knew it was time to get out. I reached for the edge and pulled myself up. It didn't even take any effort. I stood at the edge of the river, in front of me was a large gray door. Beside it was a black typewriter, atop a small brown wooden table. I looked at the typewriter, all that was written was the phrase, "No sleep till Nirvana." I wasn't sure what that meant, but somehow it felt familiar. I reached for the knob on the door, and slowly opened it. The inside was a black empty void. I stepped through and looked around. In the distance was a humongous gray mountain. Looking at it made me feel motivated, confident, and nostalgic all at once. I started walking towards it, then running, then sprinting. I felt weightless like I could do anything. The mountain grew larger and larger as I got closer. Then, I noticed a hole, no, an abyss, right in front of me. I screeched to a halt. Inches from the edge. Looking into it was almost painful. Shame, worry, fear. The same pain as when I saw Ash again. Exactly the same. It was like staring into the eyes of death itself. 'Where the hell am I? I have to get out of here. I have to get out of here, right now!' I turned around and began slowly walking back towards the door. And that's when I heard it, "Leaving so soon? But our little playdate is only about to begin. And I've waited oh-so very long to meet you!" I hecticly looked around, trying to find out where the voice was coming from. Then I heard it again, "Down here!" I carefully peeked over the edge of the hole. Inside were two white dots, below them, a set of human teeth. The teeth spread apart from each other, and I heard the voice yet again. "Well, what are you waiting for? We've got so much to discuss!" several red tentacles shot out from inside the hole. I turned and tried to run but all my energy was gone. The tentacles wrapped around me and pulled me towards the hole. I grabbed onto the edge of the hole. The creature kept pulling, and the edge of the hole broke off. I plummeted downward as the creature laughed louder and louder. I caught a glimpse of it's eyes again, those horrible eyes. An orange flame-like energy was emanating from them. "I'm going to show you everything!" The outside of the hole shrunk as I fell. I don't remember when, but it all stopped. It was all quiet. I saw the typewriter again. It clicked and clacked. A sheet of paper popped out that said, "End chapter one."