Hard Luck

Chapter 3 Dreams

I woke early thanks to the terrible dream I had, the only night I've had a different dream....a strange one at that. At variance with my usual strange woman dream, this one was terrifying; I was hanged upside down in some kind of a weird looking shrine. I could feel chills run up my spine, propelled by heavy breaths as I try to free myself. 'Is this some kind of awakening, because I've found out I'm a wizard?' I asked myself, knowing full well that I can't answer.

A hiss sound interrupts my thoughts prompting me to go and see what's causing it, moving timidly towards the sounds which lead me straight into a kitchen.

"Hey right in time for breakfast, sit." Kaseem gesturing at an old looking dinning chair.

I sat obediently while he served me with bread toasted with fried eggs and a cup of orange juice. I'm deep in my thoughts again this time debating whether to tell him about my dream.

"Why? Don't you like my toast?"He asked noticing my absent mindedness.

"No, it's great. I just.....never mind" I decided not to say anything else.

"Okay" he said calmly as if saying "hey buddy, get the memo, none of my business"

I cast him a suspicious look as he gulped the last of his drink and took his plate to the kitchen sink. He turned back and looked at me... I went back to my food as if I never saw him.

"Do the dishes when you're done, will you? Thank you very much".

"What am I, your dish washer?" I shrieked.

"You will expect an old man, like me to cook and then do the dishes?" He asked with a

brow up, which looked almost as if he was trying to plea to my conscience.

I had no choice but to give into his request.

A few minutes after I was done with the dishes a thumping sound drew my attention to come out and see, what had caused it.

"Open mindedness is the key to every wizard's magic and there are five lessons to achieve absolute open mindedness."

Kaseem stated as he juggles some sought of blue flame.

"We'll start with lesson one, my personal favorite, are you ready for a journey into your mind" looking at him with an all at sea face, unsure whether it's a rhetorical question.

"Yes I guess"

"Come over....take this..... Drink up" handing me a little bottle of concoction.

"What the Hell is this?"

"A potion I brew to help you be in control of your mind when you enter your subconscious" 'nobody told me anything about entering my sub conscience; oh that's what he meant, when he said journey into the mind' I thought as I smiled in realization.

I hurriedly gulp the substance which changed my face to a somewhat bilious expression.

"What? I didn't say it will taste like honey, now did I?" He immediately voiced out in defence, when he noticed the expression on my face.

"Wha....t is....in...." I barely finished the sentence, when everything around me began to literally fall apart, the trees that surround the old house and even Kaseem. Suddenly I was in a new realm, dressed like a farm boy in Rome, 1800B C

A group of Zombie looking people drew my attention with their thumping and screaming, so I peered through an opening created by branches of some trees for a closer look.

"Hakeem!" an unfamiliar voice startled me and I turned to see who it was.

"We haven't got much time. Come, I wish to show you something" a girl about my age or younger uttered whilst dragging me out of the bushes. Who is she? And where is she taking me? Where my thoughts, which I vanquished with a very deep sigh.

"Look, he does this everyday ever since he was locked up in here" she muttered as we hid behind the window of a mad house. Through the window there stood this creature like a human being but with two short horns a red skin color, you can say he looks like Hell itself.

"What is he?" I asked with my eyes still fixated on the human like creature, scanning and trying to see what features I'm not sure.

"Duraka, once a mortal obsessed with too much power."

"He was banished here a thousand years ago by Aleem Corey, after almost trying to bring the world to an end by tearing the veil that separates the physical world from the spiritual world, and ever since has been trying to find a way to return. Yeah, yeah I've heard the story" I interrupt her

" I hope he never finds it" I joked

"I'm afraid, he already has and you are the only one who can prevent him from getting his hands on it" she said with her hands on my shoulders

"Who are you? And how do you expect me to fight that? I asked gesturing to the creature with the side of my head.

"Let's just say I'm your guard......" she barely finished, when the creature's scream caused a tremor

"You have to get out of here"

"How?"I immediately inquired.

"Close your eyes and visualize moving into your real body." She instructed and I start trying to follow.

"There's a book containing all the answers you seek and it was in your cradle, use the medallion" she added when my eyes were already close and after few attempts, I felt different, like I was me again. I opened my eyes gently.

"Welcome back" Kaseem greeted me, when he noticed I was awake.