Rising Power (#1 of the Canton Chronicles Series)

Dreams Connected - Valentine

Dear NBR members, welcome and enjoy!

Canton Eastern Outskirts – 7:00, 20th July, 250 A.D (Present Day)

Valentine Stone sat at the edge of her bed, still shaking. Her legs were stiff, heavy like logs and her hands were curled up in small fists, her nails digging into her palms.

You have to get up and go to work, Val. It was nothing but a stupid dream. A projection of your unconscious everyday fears and anxieties. That's what they taught you at the University, right?

She kept reminding that to herself but still, she felt unable to stand up. Her mind went back to the dream once more.

***

She was in her familiar, well-loved bench in the park. In front of her laid a thick dark forest, with sturdy tall trees. Behind the bench stood a family house, painted white and brown, with a beautiful wooden porch and rows of barley in front of it.

People always laughed inside that house, having a great time in the cosiness of their home, but Val never joined them. She came here to be alone, to gather her often confusing thoughts. She always managed to put them in order just by looking at the forest, the barley or the colourful sunset in the sky. But today something seemed off.

She looked on her right and saw that the bench, her bench, was occupied by someone else. She took a good look at the little girl sitting next to her, observing the details of her small body. Val thought that maybe her brain was playing tricks on her, projecting a kid version of herself. But their differences were too big, even for the distorted reality of a dream.

The little girl's hair was raven black and so were her eyes, and her skin was naturally tanned. They had nothing to do with Val's chestnut brown wavy hair, dark blue eyes and fair, almost transparent skin. She was also tall and well-built for a woman, whereas the girl was fragile and small, much more than Val had ever been as a child.

"Are you going to observe me for a long time, Valentine or are you going to speak at last?"

The words coming out of the girl's mouth were harsh and sarcastic, not quite fitting for a child.

"What?" Val asked, taken aback by her sudden question.

The little girl laughed, ironically.

"Oh, right I must have forgotten. You don't talk a lot these days, do you?"

Val felt the rage growing inside her, a feeling she hadn't experienced for quite a while. "Listen to me brat, I don't know who you are and what the hell you are doing here, in my dream, insulting me, but it's time you get out. I want to be alone."

The girl turned around and faced her. Her eyes were sad, so sad that Val had to back up a little, regretting her harsh words.

That child suffers in ways you can't even imagine, Val. Like you did once.

She also looked older than Val originally had estimated. Despite her tiny figure, the girl was closer to ten years old, rather than six or seven. And those eyes... a hundred years of wisdom in them. She looked at Val and smiled heartily.