Curio

Introduction~ Dreams

*Feel free to listen to the provided music composed by In Love With A Ghost while reading the chapter*

It was always the same dream, over and over again.

April blinked twice, eyes adjusting to the sudden glare of the sun. She was standing in a wheat field, which extended for miles in each direction around her. It was high noon, likely, and would've been unbearably hot if not for the occasional breeze caressing her body. She closed her eyes momentarily and took in a deep breath, feeling the tickle of the grains brushing against her arms, and smelling a familiar, comforting, musky smell. When she reopened her eyes, there was a path laid before her. The wheat was trampled upon, leading in a winding path to her right- almost as if someone had ran away from her, tempting April to follow them.

She obliged, carefully walking down the laid trail, feet crunching on the stalks in a steady rhythm. The path seemed to continue on forever, but she felt no fatigue from her constant walking. She didn't even feel confusion, or question where she was and why. Her mind seemed to focus on one thing and one thing only: to follow the road laid before her.

Eventually, she came upon a clearing in the field of wheat. Her feet was met with cold blades of grass and her gaze fell on the massive oak tree in front of her. It was easily 70 feet tall, but she didn't feel overwhelmed by the giant plant. She stood there for a minute, just observing the old tree. Its branches swayed ever so slightly and it's leaves let out little sighs when the wind blew heavily past. It seemed so... alive.

The dress she was wearing fluttered in the wind, which was getting stronger by the second, transforming the quiet sighs of the tree into earsplitting roars. But despite the deafening sounds around her, April could distinctly pick out a bell-like voice twinkling over the commotion. It called out to her.

April looked around for the source of the voice, searching, and seeking, with a sort of panic building in her heart. A thought seemed to strike her and her previous emotions of franticness and doubt cleared away. With utmost conviction, she looked up.

"April?"

She woke with a start, eyes wide with confusion. A blurry figure was standing over her, their arms shaking her gently. She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and yawned, then smiled sheepishly at the person.

"Sorry Chris. Good morning."

The boy sighed, backing up so she could climb out of bed. "You were tossing and turning in your sleep again." He gave her a concerned look. "Did you have a nightmare?"

April shook her head, stretching to wake up her muscles. "No. Just a weird dream." She clambered out of bed and trudged over to the restroom. "What time is it?"

"It's 6:30"

"6:30?!" She exclaimed, running back into the room to check her phone. "Oh no, I overslept! Why didn't you wake me up?!" The girl ran around, throwing together a haphazard outfit, all the while brushing her teeth vigorously.

Chris frowned, crossing his arms. "I tried. But you were really tired because you overworked yourself yesterday, so I thought I'd let you sleep in. You need to give yourself a break, April."

"Awh dind ffn mke bkft" She grimaced, then spit her toothpaste into the sink. "I didn't even make breakfast!!"

Her brother rolled his eyes, waving behind him as he left the room. "I already did. You don't have to baby me anymore, geez."

After he left the room, April changed quickly, then hurried to the kitchen. She was greeted by the smells of freshly fried eggs and crisp bacon. Two plates were set, piled high with steaming hot food. Next to hers, a cup of black coffee.