Once upon a time, there lived a young girl who loved to dream. And because she loved to dream, she loved to sleep. After all, it's only in her dreams that anyone really cared about her.. there, people truly loved her and she could love them back.
The sleep was a small break that she could enjoy from the ruckus of masked faces that's her everyday life. There, she could heal her cracks.
As days went by, she learned to put a mask on in the living world to protect herself from further damage and live as one with the people by blending in.
One day, a demon came to her. The demon had lost its way to the dreamland long back and so, could never sleep anymore. So, it was searching for someone who could lend it sleep and in its search, it came across its long-awaited donor. However, the demon knew that the girl who loved her sleep so much would never lend it to anyone. So it began observing the girl to formulate a plan.
The demon was good at observing people. After all, now that it can't sleep, it had extra time to do things. And as the demon observed the young girl, it could see the mask the girl put on and it could see that the girl wished many a times that she didn't have to. So now that the demon knew what the girl wished for, it could confront the girl with its request.
The demon approached the girl and asked her to lend it her dreams. It told her that it would give the girl her wish - everyone's love. Then the girl wouldn't have to hide anymore behind the mask.
The girl understood the demon's desperation in wanting to have her sleep. But she couldn't accept what the demon was offering her in return. So she told the demon that she couldn't take what the demon was giving her.
She explained that she didn't want everyone's love just because it was given to her. She didn't want a love that came with a reason.. because reasons may fade or disappear. She couldn't have a love that wasn't hers to begin with.
The demon laughed and asked her if she was really as naive to believe that love could happen without a reason. And if so, the demon told her that it was ready to prove that belief wrong.
The girl just smiled at the demon and said if it could prove things about love then the love its hold is wrong.. In fact, it wouldn't be love at all. With these words, she realised that the demon was blind to many things beautiful in the world without its dreams.
She felt, more now than before, that she should help the demon see what it's missing out without the dreams. But she couldn't let go of her dreams too.. unless they become her reality. She was fed up with feeling as if her reality was just a filler between the best parts of her life. This was an opportunity for her too, she thought.. and she can only live a life she earned.
So as the demon was trying to think of another way to appease the girl, the girl spoke up. "I will give you my dreams", she said, "But I do need something else from you.. I need you to make it so that my life counts only one day more".
The demon was so shocked and confused that it could say only one word, "What?"!
Was the girl suicidal? From all the times it observed the girl it could never see one sign that could point to such a gray characteristic in her. So it couldn't help but wonder from which part of her head could that weird request come from.
"I'm not suicidal", the girl replied. "I can't let your request go unanswered.. and I don't want my life to end when I'm broken, which I'll surely be someday without my dreams. If ever I die, I want it to be when I feel my life fulfilled while my heart is exploding with happiness. Peace and happiness are the thoughts I wish to leave my body with".
"And so you will", the demon replied determined. It realised that the girl was yet again scattering pieces of her heart for nothing in return. It couldn't decide if the girl was brave or foolish to have all her masks dropped at the hint of being needed by someone. It was tempted to classify her an idiot, but the glint of assurance in her eyes just left it confused. But it wasn't one to take more and fall in debt to someone.
It was a Demon for Lord's sake!
And so the demon told the girl, "I'm setting you free". "You can be alive forever with your dreams". The girl was confused. She didn't know what was happening. All the wind was rushing at her. She must be dying, but she felt so alive. Has the demon tricked her? She was sure she couldn't go back to her old life and old masks after all that she could experience in that single day.
She decided she would trust the demon. After all, she gave it her dreams. And as she became even lighter, she could finally realise the meaning of the demon's words. Her eyes widened as the demon grinned knowingly. Her heart was beating fast, the throbs weighed down with so much happiness she thought she could never feel. A peaceful smile curved her lips as she realised what was happening. Every moment being etched into her soul.
She smiled in wonder as she saw the demon grinning and chuckling. 'Is he really supposed to be a demon?', she wondered to herself. The demon's mirth was contagious. And so, she found herself laughing along, the sound merging with wind and morphing into waves.
She laughed so radiant as the sun rose from her chest and her eyes turned into blue depths of unending life. She laughed as she died and was born again - timeless. And so she kept laughing, every point of her finger towards the demon's smile resulting in a tide that seems to catch the moon.
However, it wasn't just the girl who changed. Alarmed, the demon brought his fingers to touch his lips that were weirdly curved upwards. He chuckled at the feelings bubbling in his chest. And then came more chuckles. As the chuckles brought tears to his eyes, the demon cursed fondly at the girl who turned him human.
Shaking his head and chuckling still, the demon swam back and rested against a rock on the sandy shore while the waves tickled his feet. He smiled at the slight salty breeze that played with the clouds as his eyes found the way to dreamland. However, he didn't fail to catch the soft whisper that the waves left in his ear, "You've found your way to dream again".
________________________________________
P.S. -
Dedicated to spanish_for_babygirl, my first friend here, for pushing me to stop overthinking and publish this. Thanks a lot :) I did it, finally <phew> !
Please don't hit me if this is crappy lol.
A/N -
Hey guys, I don't even know what I wrote in there or if it's even sensible. This's my first story here so have mercy..
Jk come at me with all of your arsenal, I need me some criticism if I wanna get my lazy butt to edit this.. thing, whatever it is.
So any place you feel lost or just find yourself thinking 'wth is happening?!' please comment, I'll be there.
Thank you for reading :)
