Where Shadows Reach

The Haze

Meerab slowly came awake, stretching her arms and legs she languidly unfolded her body from the fetal position to her full length. Bringing a fist to her face she rubbed her eyes trying to clear the effects of sleep.

She wondered why it felt a little too bright in her room. Even with her eyes closed she could feel the brightness beyond her eyelids, but it felt like a shifting light. Shadow and light flitted across her face.

Slowly peeking through her half open eyes she looked around her.

Did she fall asleep somewhere else? This was definitely not her room.

There was a green canopy of leaves above her, lean long leaves seem to be dancing in a soft breeze.
The view from her pillow seemed as if the trees had closed in around the bed to provide her shade, slivers of light showed in between as the leaves moved.

Meerab slowly sat up and looked around, there were trees as far as she could see with the same leaves and countless flowers in pastel colours of pinks and purples.

There were red fruits hanging off the same branches, no bigger than a large grape but she had never seen these kind of fruits anywhere in her life.

Meerab flexed her palm on the bed to make sure she was not dreaming, but the bed itself felt strange.

Looking down she noticed for the first time, that the bed was covered with flower petals from the trees around her.
Her dress was also in pastel shades of dreamy blues, ranging from sky blue to baby blue. 'Who had changed her dress?' Meerab wondered as she recalled wearing pink today.

Meerab felt like she was in an ad for spring fashions in her blue gown with flared sleeves sitting up in a bed of petals. Even the bed posts were decoratively covered in vines of the same flowers.

'This is not real!' She insisted to herself calling out "Mari!?' Is this a prank?"

'If this is not a prank, is it a dream? Where am I?' She murmured to herself softly.

Her thoughts spiralled as she got off the bed and walked around, touching the flowers and fruits, making sure they were really there.

Picking a fruit and a flower from one of the branches she was about to bring it upto her nose when she sensed her name was being called
"Meeeerab!" The voice seemed like it was coming from really far away and sounded a lot like Murtasim.
'Was that Mari's voice echoeing behind his?' She wondered.

"Why are they calling my name?"

__________

As he was speaking to his lawyers regarding the changes in contract, Murtasim felt like he was being watched.
The sensation of someone staring at him from behind was so strong that he turned towards the windows and looked out to make sure he was not imagining it.

He faltered in his step and his conversation paused mid sentence when his eyes met Meerab's across the distance.

There she was standing in her pink outfit, in stark contrast to the greenery around her.

The white jasmine flowers hanging above her almost touched her hair.

She looked so similar to the woman he had dreamt of last night that his breathe hitched. The white flowers in her hair made it seem like he was back in his dream.