Dreams: A Compilation of Short Stories

Story I: The Cliff Parade

We were all extremely tired, piled and crammed inside the old van. With patched walls and a dented aluminium ceiling, it had a unique personality. The sun was slowly setting over the oceanic horizon, and the puffy clouds radiated hues of salmon and cherry blossom and a pastel-blue sky provided the perfect canvas.

Someone coughed - it sounded bad, like they hadn't had anything to drink for days, and I wouldn't be surprised if that was true. We didn't really know any of each other, just strangers gathered for a long ride along the crumbling coast, avoiding eye contact like newly found lovers. I look out the window and saw birds flying out over the shimmering, deep blue water. They looked so free and content, no weights to pull them down to the depths of the earth.

Suddenly, the van came to a startling halt. I glanced out the front window to see a line of men walking across the road. They all had worn faces and grey clothes, and it seemed like they had walked this direction many times before. The men walked in a sickeningly formal, straight line, one foot mechanically after the other. They walked directly off the cliff and into the sea, their stale eyes made an unbreaking gaze with the ocean.

'What an interesting thing to do,' I thought, as I yawned like a drowsy lion.

Finally, after the last man had walked over the cliff, we continued on our coastal voyage. It's had darkened, and only the moon and the stars were there to dimly illuminate the world around us. Most of them were asleep, except for me and the driver. I had to stay awake; I had to know when it was time. I glanced at our driver, his curly hair and pointy ears. I didn't like the way he looked, though all I've ever seen of him is the back of his head.

It was time.

I tapped the driver on the shoulder. He looked back directly at my face. He wore a confused expression - I guessed he hadn't expected anyone to be awake. I looked him in the eye; he fell limp. I jumped over the lather seat and grabbed the wheel, moving his unconscious body to the passenger side. I took a sharp right down a small road lined with tall, dark trees. At the end I saw the light. The others were waking up, one by one, but they were too groggy to question my actions.

I pressed my foot to the gas and we drove down the road towards the large, blinding circle of light. It would only be here for five more seconds, and only tonight- never again would it appear. Finally, we reached the light and penetrated the thick substance of the pure plasma energy. We had made it.

I opened my eyes. Daylight was streaming in through the foggy glass windows, illuminating rays of stray dust particles.

Once my eyes had adjusted to the light I saw a road. A van sped past us on a cliff overlooking the ocean. I got on the road a few seconds after the van, but took a detour so that we got ahead.

I quickly unloaded the passengers from the van, and we all got in a line. It was time. I lead; they followed. I saw the road in front of me and I took a step. One foot mechanically after the other. Soon I was at the edge of the cliff. I lifted my foot, looked down, and...