Dreams: A Compilation of Short Stories

Story VIII: The Store

Hello... where are you? Are you hiding behind the paper rolls, or tucked in between the lawn chairs? Maybe you're down the next isle? But there are no more Isles, in fact, there is only one, and I am in it. The rest of this lonely store is just empty metal racks touching from floor to ceiling in a plain white room large enough to fit a small lake. Maybe there was somewhere I could ask for assistance, to help me find my way through this godforsaken store just to find what I am searching for.

I wander aimlessly for a few minutes, until I come upon a large hallway in the wall leading straight. It was very bright, and seemed as though it went on forever, but I was already lost, so it couldn't hurt to see what was at the end. I began heading forward down the spacious corridor. The blinding whiteness hurt the backs of my eyes. I had to squint. The end of the hall was bright, but it was a different kind of light, a natural light. I increased my pace.

I suddenly stepped into an open room with large windows with a clear view of the sky in full daylight. It was too much, so I closed my eyes for a minute. When I opened them, I looked around, the floor was oval shaped and steps led down to a lowered center. It was large, but not nearly as huge as the precious room. In the center of the floor lay a white cube, only visible by a faint shadow cast on the floor of the completely white room.

I stepped down to the middle of the room, where I kneeled down to the cube and slowly rested my hand on it. Suddenly it glowed red and began screeching a horrifying alarm like noise. The walls turned from white to a matte black in a frightening instant. I ran, towards the entrance to the hallway, but I tripped on a step and landed on my face just as a heavy metal door slammed shut. My nose was bleeding. I fainted but as I was drifting of, I felt a metal like grip hooked onto my back and raise me up and off of the ground.

***

I opened my eyes with a sudden start, I was laying on a rocky beach, the waves crashing beside my head. My nose hurt and my bones ached. I stared up at the overcast sky. Where was I?