𝐆𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐅𝐒𝐂𝐀𝐏𝐄

GREIFSCAPE

It was nighttime and Darrian laid down to go to sleep. His room was kinda small but cozy, with a soft glow from the bedside lamp. The dim light cast gentle shadows on the walls, creating a serene and comforting atmosphere. As he closed his eyes, a sense of tranquility washed over him, soothing his tired mind and preparing him for a night of restorative slumber, something he hadn't had in a while.

Minutes into his sleep, he got a surge of energy, prompting him to wake up.

He didn't wake up in his bed.

"𝙊𝙝, 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙠 𝙄'𝙢 𝙜𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙘𝙖𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙄 𝙡𝙚𝙛𝙩."

Instead, a forest. The morning light shined through the trees. It looked ethereal, like how he would imagine heaven. He blinked, trying to make sense of his surroundings. The grass was emerald green and softer than any grass he had ever laid on. The trees were huge and looked to be healthy. Their leaves rustled gently in the breeze, creating a serene symphony that filled the forest with a melodic harmony. The flowers were as vibrant as the sky, water extremely clear. He breathed deeply, wanting to stay there forevermore.

"𝘽𝙪𝙩 𝙄'𝙢 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙚𝙨, 𝙄'𝙢 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙗𝙧𝙚𝙚𝙯𝙚."

He stood up and started to walk around, careful not to mess anything up. As he ventured deeper into the forest, he noticed a narrow trail that seemed to lead somewhere.

He walked down the path, gliding his hand across the trees. Maybe someone was here and could help him.

He walked for a while, oddly never getting tired. Day turned into night but he could still see. The moon shined brightly on the route.

"𝙈𝙮 𝙛𝙤𝙤𝙩𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙥𝙨 𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙜𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙."

Nearing the end, he saw a hospital in the distance. Overgrown vines all around it. He got closer and closer until he could see it in full and enter it. The hospital was eerily silent, its windows shattered and ivy creeping up the walls. He followed the vines to a room, walking up steps and through hallways. Upon entering the room, he sees a singular person sleeping on a hospital bed. The pale blue and white walls complementing the milk colored flowers that were scattered all over. The tiles were washed grey with grass growing in the crevices and cracks of the floor matching the monitor that had vines growing on top of it.

His eyes widened, he knew the sleeping individual all too well. They were best friends before the other died. Flowers were blooming out of his arms and legs.

"... Ethan?" His voice faltered as he uttered his friend's name, uncertain whether he was dreaming or if this was all real. He didn't expect an answer back nor did he get one.

"𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙨𝙚𝙚 𝙢𝙮 𝙛𝙖𝙘𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙚."

If this was a dream then it was the most vivid and pleasant dream he had ever experienced. Even if he was seeing his best friend in a hospital bed, he was still seeing him.

He walked towards the bed and sat at the end, watching Ethan's chest go up and down in a rhythmic motion.

If he did awaken, darrian knew it'd probably be a while till then. So he waited right by his side. The room was filled with a surreal silence, broken only by the gentle beeping of the monitor and the whisper of Darrian's breath.