Tales of the Bittersweet

Arrival

      Stuck in traffic. Wut about u?, I text, staring intently at my phone screen for a response. Dots appear at the botton left, indicating that he's texting. They disappear briefly, and then reappear.

     Same. Our teacher says we'll probably arrive around 1:30 or so, he texts. I sigh out loud, causing Benny to stare at me. His head tilts slightly, and he asks, "What's up?"

     "Y'know how I met those people at the gas station right?" I ask, taking a cookie from his snack bag.

     "Yeah? Are you texting them?"

     "Yeah," I answer, before changing the subject. "Aren't we staying at your uncle's house?"

     "Well, we are, but I don't know if Mr.Williby will be staying with us," he says, before staring out the window. "Sh!t we barely moved!"

     "Kill me nowwww," I groan, before throwing my phone to the side. I'm going to sleep, I don't wanna deal with this right now. I close my eyes, and drift off.

     I can see a fountain. There's a weird mist around it. I'm kinda curious. I begin to walk toward it, and immediately, I notice that I can't "feel" my legs. Hmm. I shout, and here a weird, foggy sound. A dream. Continuing to walk toward the fountain, the mist envelops me. An odd feeling spreads all across my body, something I can't describe. I've never felt it before.

     When I reach the fountain, I see something wrong about it. It's not running and there's no water in it. Just as I start poking around for anything weird, something strange happens, and I hear something rumbling.

     "READY YOURSELF, FOR THE PROLOGUE HAS BEGUN. YOU'RE LIFE WILL NEVER BE THE SAME AGAIN," the rumble says, somehow. And then, I hear a pop.

     "Wah?" I mutter, causing Benny to look at me yet again.

     "What is it this timeee?" he groans, looking at me slightly annoyed.

     "Was I asleep?" I ask groggily, yawning.

     "Yeah? Did you not realize that? You're so stupid," he laughs, shaking his head at the same time.

     "Sorry I'm dumb. How long was I asleep for?"

     "I dunno? Probably an hour, since it's 1 o'clock, and you threw your phone aside around twelve-o-clock. We're finally out of traffic, if you're wonderi-," he answers, getting interrupted by a long vibration coming from my phone. I pick it up, and see a long stream of unread messages, from the guy at the gas station. I open my phone and begin reading.

     "Yo, still stuck in traffic." And then another.

     "Nothing happening right now, also, your idea to get a bag of large chips paid off, everyone is actually getting along and not killing each other over snacks. Believe me, they literally punch and kick each other for snacks when there's not enough. I wish I could say I wasn't one of those people, but I am ;-;." I'm going to be completely honest here, I'd probably be one of those people poking the eyes of the people going for the Skattles. I'll kill for Skattles. And there's still one more.

     "Hey, I know it's weird to ask this and all, but did you just have a dream about a fountain?" I pause, and reread it. No, there's no mistaking it. He asked if I had a dream about a fountain. Did he figure out somehow? I start texting back.

     "What do you mean, a fountain?" I text. I have a gut feeling that I shouldn't tell him, at least, not yet. The idea of someone I just met knowing what I dream about and him getting the pleasure of knowing he guessed right ticks me off.