Dreamscape

Chapter 4 ~ Wake me Up Inside

Lana opened one eye. Her breathing slowing down somewhat. Only the sound of splattering raindrops against the window met her ears. Lana didn't dare look into the contents of the box, scared out of her mind of what she would find within its shadowy depths. Lana sat there for a few minutes, working up the courage to sneak a peek. Finally, she turned her head slowly, her eyes drifting down to the contents of the old, wooden chest she had dared to open. The chest itself was small. Crafted of dark wood that may have been spruce or something along those lines. Intricate patterns and markings were etched into its rounded lid. Expertly carved into place. An old, iron latch hung open. Carved the same way the lid was. Another flash of lightning filled the room, though, Lana didn't need it to see what the chest had been containing for god knows how long. Oddly enough... it was glowing. Soft shades of dark purple and faded yellow escaped the mouth of the chest. Casting its warm, shimmering glow over Lana's face as she mustered up the courage to lean in closer. Her eyes came to rest on the thing that was casting the soft, dim glow over her face and shoulders. Resting in the middle of the chest was a circular platform that could fit in the palms of Lana's hands. It was surrounded by a thick layer of carved stone. Odd markings etched into the surface of the stone that surrounded the edges. Glowing with the same light as the top surface. The top of the platform was smooth and perfectly flat. It was emitting most of the light. Cautiously, curiosity taking hold of her actions, Lana reached out and gently touched the shimmering surface of the platform. It rippled, like someone had dropped a stone into water, on touch. Lana yanked her hand back, shocked and startled by what had occurred. The surface had felt like warm jello. Yet, solid, like the stone sides, at the same time. It had recoiled slightly at Lana's touch, but had bounced right back into place when she had tore her hand away. Leaving no sign that she had ever touched it. The surface continued to glow, the markings carved into the sides following its example. The glimmering light never once faltering or fading from its current, warm state. Lana leaned in closer. Placing her hands on the rim if the chest so she wouldn't fall in. Her nose almost touching the surface. The light should have hurt her eyes from here, but it seemed to dim as she got closer so the glow wouldn't damage her vision in the slightest.

Lana pulled her head back up, still clutching onto the edge, then looked around the attic. Her eyes had finally adjusted to the dim, almost non-existent lighting in this cramped, packed, sloped ceilinged room. Lana slowly got to her feet, then walked over to the window carefully. The floorboards creaking quietly under her weight. Lana peered out the rain splattered glass at the shadowed world below. Tall trees dotted the ground, a stone pathway cut through them. Leading deeper into the forest. The branch off leading to a clearing where her family's car was parked in front of the garage. It was an old, shack like building. Vines crawling up its mahogany colored sides. That was another place Lana wasn't allowed. When they were getting into the car, they were allowed in then, but never just to explore or fool around. Lana loved her grandparent's home, but the rules always seemed so restricting and fun snatching. Just when she was having a good time, a rule always seemed to pop up and get in the way. Spoiling all of her adventures. Lana sighed. The patter of rain had grown to a quiet whisper as the deep grey clouds faded away somewhat, giving way to the dark blue sky. Dotted with dancing, glimmering stars and a beautiful, silvery moon. Lana looked over her shoulder at the chest she had left open. The glow escaping its open lid seemed to have expanded, reaching the bookshelves and cardboard boxes that surrounded it. Calling her back. Drawing her in. The light reflected in Lana's greyish blue eyes. She knew she should be heading back to bed. They were heading out tomorrow, after all, but she couldn't help but be drawn back to the stone pedestal. One shuffling step forwards. Then another. It seemed like Lana had no control over her actions anymore. She felt so tired. Like she could just collapse then and there. Her eyelids felt as heavy as led, but she continued forward and stopped when she was towering over the chest. The warm, welcoming glow met her gaze, and she immediately felt... different. Excited. Anxious. Like she knew something was going to happen, something big, but she didn't know what exactly. She wanted to find out. Lana willed her shaking hand to move forward. Her fingers brushed against the solid, yet gelatinous, surface. Then, she clenched them into a fist and plunged her hand into the surface. A warm, wet, tingling feeling ran up her arm. A long, cold shiver ran up her spine at the same thing. Like something was running its cold, lifeless claws up and down her back. Getting a feel for how much meat she had on her bones. All at once, the initial feelings of excitement and anticipation flooded away, being replaced with fear. Pure, raw fear. Eating away at her insides. Tieing her stomach into tight knots. Lana yanked her arm back towards her. She expected to go flying backwards, like in the cartoons, but nothing happened. Nothing changed. Her fist stayed perfectly stuck in the platform. Immersed in the glow. Frantic now, Lana yanked and pulled on her arm... to no avail. It still felt like she had plunged her hand into warm jello, but when she tried to yank her arm out of its grasp, it hardened around her. Holding her fast. Never once loosening its grip on her arm. Lana's chest heaved with every deep, shaking breath she took. Fear wrapping its long fingers around her neck and squeezing as tight as it could. Lana closed her eyes, steadying her breathing. She opened her eyes again after a few minutes. She looked down at the platform. Its shimmering, warm lights enveloping her entire arm now. Despite the circumstances, it felt... welcoming. Almost as if it was calling her in. Lana took one last look around the dank, dreary, shadow fill attic, then sighed. A long, heavy sigh. Her mind wandered back to all she had gone through in the past few days... and the days before that. Her life had been a wreck. A deep, dark hole she could never crawl out of. A hole that only seemed to get deeper and deeper as time progressed. How she wished something good would happen for a change. She wished her live could be better. Maybe... this was that change. The change she needed. The thing that would change her life for the better. Lana took one last deep breath, then plunged her fist farther into the warm, squishy, gelatinous surface. She kept her eyes closed, the warm colors seeping through her eyelids, as she forced her arm in. Deeper and deeper. She was up to her shoulder now. How Lana was doing this was beyond her, but she continued anyway. It felt almost like a dream. A figment of her imagination she had dreamed up in an effort to escape reality. The reality she hated so much. But, oh how she wished this were real. How she hoped she wasn't dreaming, and this was truly happening. Finally. A real adventure. Lana smiled before catching her breath and plunging her head into the surface of the stone platform. As soon as her head was fully submerged, the world went black. Dark and cold. Then, she heard a voice. A shrill, whiny voice.

"Lana, you goofball! Get up!"

Blazing sunlight shone down on Lana's face. Its warm, bright rays licking at her exposed skin like an excited dog. Lana groaned. Slowly coming to. Soft blades of grass rustled around her. Her eyes fluttered open and were met with the sight of a clear, soft blue sky. Little white wisps of clouds floated through it on the gentle, warm breeze. Resembling pulled cotton. Lana sat up slowly, taking in the sights. She clearly wasn't in that dusty old attic anymore. The world around her was clean and fertile. The grass long and trees tall. Their old, gnarled branches reaching up into the sky, trying to catch the wispy cotton clouds on the ends of their verdant leaf covered branches. The sound of chirping serenades and rustling plant life met Lana's ears along with the sound of... a village? Off in the distance, Lana could hear the sound of people bustling around. Talking to one another in a jumble of voices all slurred together. It sounded... familiar. Lana thought back to the attic. Could this be what she had heard? Could those voices have been the whispers in the dark? Lana thought over this concept for a few minutes, then found it wasn't too far-fetched. After all that had happened, it actually seemed quite plausible. Where else could she have heard the exact same jumble of voices and words? Lana nodded to herself. She agreed with this theory one hundred percent.

As Lana gazed around the terrain that spanned out around her, she noticed that she felt... different. Lana looked down and realized she was no longer wearing her purple and white striped pajamas. Now, Lana wore a thick, white cloak spun of threads as soft and silvery as spider's silk. Trimmed in shimmering gold. A thick, gold and silver string was tied around her waist. Resting on her slim hips. Underneath the bulky, long sleeved cloak; she had on a thin dress spun of golden thread. Just a little lighter in color then the trim. Lana went to go push her glasses up the bridge of her nose, but found they were nowhere to be seen... and she could see perfectly fine without them. This shocked Lana a little bit, but she quickly regained what composure she had started out with. She clearly had fallen asleep. Everything in the attic, and now here, had to be a dream. What else could it be? Lana shrugged to herself. She's enjoy it while it lasted. See what this dream had to offer. She'd wake to reality soon enough, and she didn't want to waste a second here. Lana slowly got to her feet, then felt something bump against her back as she straightened it out. Curious, Lana grabbed the side of her hair and flipped it over her shoulder. She stared down in awe. Her copper hair was still tangled and unruly, but it seemed to be twice the length it had been before. A metal band with a shimmering blue crystal set into its surface was clasped around her hair somewhere in the middle, that must have been what she felt, serving as a hair elastic of sorts. Changing the end of her elongated hair into a ponytail. Lana stared at this for a few seconds, before flipping it back over her shoulder. The band thumped against her spine again as her hair fell back into place. Lana actually liked this new look. It wasn't practical or something she's actually wear in the waking world, but it was a nice change. She'd have to draw this outfit when she woke up. Maybe she could use it as a Halloween costume or something in the future. Lana took a deep breath of the clean, crisp air around her, filling her lungs with it, then allowed herself to smile. She looked over to where the sound of voices was coming from, then started walking in that direction. Picking up the heim of her dress as she did so. Not wanting to get it dirty. While she was asleep, she might as well explore all this dream had to offer.