Godforsaken

The Dream

Before the sun appeared, darkness reigned absolute. Standing amidst the noiseless emptiness, it had been easy for Lily to hear her breathing and her heart hammering. Then, she had been full of fear, aghast at the thought she would stay in the blackness forever, never even knowing how she had ended up there. But at that moment the first rays of sun approached her, their slight presence forcing the darkness to break apart.

Lily looked on in wonder as a glade illuminated by the magical sunlight came into her view. It stretched on as far as her eyes could see. The chilly morning wind picked up, throwing the fresh smell of ruffling grass into her face. Lily couldn't help but savor the scent, inhaling a lungful of clean morning air. She closed her eyes, relishing it, and for a moment she forgot her whereabouts.

When Lily opened her eyes anew, her sight was filled with white leaves, dancing on the new morning breeze. Where they could have come from she found herself unable to say as they had no matches among the leaves of the surrounding trees. The leaves, strange as they were, irregularly hovering in the air for awhile, swept toward her, enveloping Lily in their breezy embrace. Tentatively, as if afraid to break the spell, Lily raised her hand to catch one. No force of hers was necessary, as one of the white miracles, as if sensing her intentions, lowered itself onto her hand with an impossible grace.

Lily couldn't bring herself to close her palm and capture the leaf. She was content enough to just look at it for a moment before setting it free into the air once again. Lily's eyes darted around the glade. She looked at the place in the distance where the earth and sky met in a hazy line. She wondered how such an incredible place could exist somewhere on earth, and the thought locked her in place for several minutes, leaving her afraid to even stir.

Behind her lay the endless desert, and beneath her bare feet the ground was solid and dead. Before her stood the glade in all its glory. But Lily herself was standing at the line separating the two places, one full of life, and one unwelcoming and empty.

Finally, gathering her thoughts, Lily lifted her foot from the hard, bare ground and took a careful step forward, into the glade. As her foot touched the soft and wet grass a strange feeling possessed her–a new kind of happiness, as though the glade itself was alive and had passed its own joy onto her. A sudden gust of wind ruffled her blonde hair back from her face, tossing it away from her bright blue eyes.

"Go on, my princess." A man's voice cut through the stillness of the dawn and diverted her attention.

Lily jerked around, startled, her stomach turned watery as the unexpected voice washed over her. In the desert behind her stood a tall, handsome man, his long black hair sweeping over his black eyes. He wore a snow-white tuxedo, his left hand thrust into the pocket of his trousers. He was gazing at Lily with a wide and gentle smile on his perfect face. Lily stood in astonishment as she wondered where the man had appeared from. She knew for certain he hadn't been there a moment ago. It was as though he had materialized out of the air itself, carried to her by the wind just as the white leaves had been.

"Don't hesitate, my love," the man went on, his voice soft. "Our kingdom awaits us. Just you and me."

The man walked up beside her, and Lily was unable to stop the dreamy expression creeping over her face. There was something magical about this man and his impossible charm, something that drew her to him. Her hand moved from her side of its own accord. The man took her hand in his and Lily gasped as a wave of desire washed over her. The mere touch of a hand wasn't enough – Lily was ready to throw herself into his arms then and there. It took all the self-control she had to maintain her composure.

All Lily could do was stare into his eyes as the wind danced around them both.

While Lily looked at him, the man looked ahead, and soon enough Lily followed his gaze. The glade had disappeared, and in its place stood a verdant garden. If the glade had been incredible, the garden was ethereal: full of high trees and snow-white flowers, parted by a narrow stream filled with shining water. Birdsong echoed through the air, breaking Lily's reverie. She could smell morning dew in the air.