Scattered Dreams & Dragonflies

Suffocatingly drowned

My eyes opened to the sound of scattered chatter. Echoes too hard to understand and murmurs filled the room as my eyes scanned the space before me. I found myself standing on a simple stage. The floor was wooden, with a newly polished look, reflecting in my eyes as I stared at it from the side of the microphone right in front of me.

"Pst!..Pst!"

I heard someone calling to me from the side as I remained silent. Amongst the curtain covers, at the side of the stage, unseen by the spectators, stood a beautiful lady. Her green eyes resembled luscious forests, dancing among delicately straight hair, scattered yet organized like gold-plated rivers. She held onto the curtain, attempting to shield herself from the multitude before me.

"Pst!"

She called me again, this time catching my attention.

"Say something," she whispered.

Her facial features, however, suggested differently from the tone of her barely discernible voice. Without a clue as to what to say or do, I instinctively looked at the floor again, noticing rather swiftly that I had something in my hands. A CD cover rested tightly gripped within them. To my surprise, I had not felt it and was not aware of it until I saw it. It was like those times when you don't feel the pain until you actually see the scar or cut. As soon as I saw the case, my hands felt it. I could feel the heaviness of the case increase, as its silver shining borders greatly complemented the plastic, showing within a gold-plated disk inside.

Now noticing the disk, I also noticed the crowd's energy change. From murmurs and incessant low chatter, I felt the room get completely silent. It seemed that their eyes were anchored heavily to the CD case. In a matter of seconds, the whole multitude of people started raising their voices, one by one. This time, however, it was not simple scattered chatter. The voices were discernible, and with them, I could hear hurtful messages echoing in my direction. Anything you could deem as an irrational message, a hurtful mixture of words filled with hate, spite, and resentment—all feelings I had experienced before—all unnerving, all coming from men and women I had never seen before. Amongst the mixture and chaos, I looked for sanctuary in the lady's green eyes, but looking to my side, I quickly found out she was gone, and with her, the voices were gone as well.

Left to my own devices, I stood, closing my eyes and feeling nothing but darkness for a few moments. When I opened my eyes, I was surprised to find a baby in my hands. He seemed like any other baby, sweet and innocent. His delicate, pampered, and warm skin could be felt in my hands as I instinctively held on carefully to his body, focusing on supporting his head. Out of curiosity, I looked closer into the baby's face, only to be shocked as his eyes suddenly opened, followed by his mouth. Without so much as a movement, the baby's eyes turned black, and from his mouth, the same voices filled with hatred came calling out. Even amidst the barrage of unending familiar insults coming from the baby's mouth, just like in the theater, I held on to his tiny body. Despite the shaking, the strong vibrations, and the pressure from the voices expelling from his mouth, I held on to his small, fragile body.

As I held on, water began surfacing around me, covering me more and more with each moment. The water surface grew and grew, oddly enough without walls around me that would cause the accumulation. I could only see the water as it covered me more and more. Without a plan or any chance of survival, as the water reached my chest, I raised the yelling baby to protect him from the growing water. Just before it could cover me entirely, out of instinct, I closed my eyes tightly and hugged the baby in resignation.

I remembered holding my breath for a substantial amount of time. However, upon opening my eyes, I noticed the water was gone, my clothes were intact, and the baby with blackened eyes and mouth had disappeared. Letting out a strong and long breath, I finally relaxed. I had survived the water, but now I found myself in a different place.

Without much chance to assess my surroundings, I caught sight of someone from the corner of my eye. A young boy, probably in his early teens, pleaded with me to follow him. Confused, I hesitated for a moment. The boy stood his ground, continuously gesturing for me to follow him, but I found myself rather frozen in place. Frustrated yet with a smile, the boy ran towards me. In the same motion, he grabbed my hand and put a couple of what seemed to be quarters in it. In hindsight, it could be considered currency, but the boy quickly showed me they had other functions. The boy demonstrated that the quarters were used to harness power. Things would move, be lifted—basically everything in our lives and this ecosystem. Doubting his explanation, he proceeded to put two of the coins between my fingers. As he did, my hand started to glow, and from it, a dash of light was sent to the sky, painting it a crimson blue, if only for a moment. The detonation of the light was the last thing I remember seeing scattered like lightning through the heavens, then I woke up.