Elliot: A Lucid Dream

2: The Glitching House

The dream was fuzzy. Why was it fuzzy? It was like static. It was static, actually, the little glitches dancing across my vision. I was in my own house, but all the things in it were being eaten away by glitches. I was back in the glitching house. Grimacing, I looked around the room, already used to the situation. My gaze fell on a particularly concentrated bunch of glitches. A patch of green grass, something you'd find in a forest, showed in the very center. 

I'd always had trouble with those strange glitches. They showed patches of different places, which was certainly strange. I didn't know where they led. I couldn't even touch them without flinching. I don't know why I flinched. Did it sting? Or was I just scared of it? I always forgot... but I didn't want to test it out again. 

They always came with Elliot. Wherever Elliot went, the glitches followed. They trailed behind him, eating away at the things he touched, at the surfaces near him, and at the shadows he cast. They were Elliot's creations. Like anything associated with Elliot, I hated them, as much as any person could. 

I closed my eyes. The sudden, complete darkness soothed me. I didn't know whether or not that was normal. Did other people see nothing but darkness when they slept? That was normal, I guess. I wouldn't ever be able to experience it myself, at least, not firsthand. 

The medicine didn't help. Elliot grew stronger everyday. Every day, he grew older. It was hard to imagine that he'd once started out younger than me. I suppose I was getting worse... they couldn't diagnose me. I always fell short of a true category. Everything was fine... it was just Elliot! Elliot was too real. Whenever I talked about him, they looked over the tops of their glasses at me, studying me. What was wrong with me? I was so scared. I didn't want it to get worse. I didn't want Elliot to get stronger. 

If they were right, and I really was going crazy, then someday I might wake up. I might wake up and I wouldn't be sane anymore. I wouldn't be me. I would have no control over myself. 

I had to get back to reality. I had to wake up. The longer I stayed here, the harder it got to regain consciousness. I was aware of the urgency in my own thoughts, but even this critical detail dulled over time. It always happened in this world. My thoughts were melting away, as quickly as snow in bright sunlight. My brain was numb.  

I walked out of the living room, my hand brushing the couch. Glitches automatically overtook it. The couch dematerialized into nothing. I jerked my hand back immediately, feeling a strange burning sensation. Was it from heat or from cold? I couldn't tell. I'd forgotten already.  

The numbness disappeared for a moment. I focused, trying to find sounds from my home. Anything from reality. I could faintly hear noises from it, like talking. Someone was talking. It hurt my head to concentrate on the source of the sound for so long, but I was frightened. I didn't want to risk losing it and ending up stuck in the glitching house for too long. 

Blackness took me. 

With a gasp, I sat up. I was still on the ground, the coldness of the hard oak floor the first thing I felt. I stood up, groaning slightly. My whole body felt stiff. How long had I been asleep? What time was it? My vision blurred a little as the room seemed to twist. My eyes found the clock on the oven. The bright green numbers shone, burning into my eyes. 

7:26 PM. 

Elliot was no longer here. He'd left. A chill crept up my bare arms. I crossed them, shivering slightly. Maybe some cold water would wake me up. I might as well go to bed- No, I can't go to bed! If I did, I might end up in the glitching house again... 

Where did those voices I heard come from? It sounded like Elliot. He was mumbling about something, but I couldn't remember. It hurt for me just to try and remember.