ILLUSION?

I (accidentally) read my mom's book

"Mom, I've got to ask you something", I said at breakfast, "I just can't keep it anymore"

Across the table, mom seemed to have been deep in thought but but her ears twitched and I knew she was listening,, "You can tell me anything", she said with a mother's calm but I could sense agitation in her tone.

"When are you going to publish your book ?", I asked

Her cheeks flushed and she stopped mid-bite. Her eyes went wide. "When did you read it?", she asked. I felt like I needed to choose my next words carefully.

"Really? I can tell if they're getting new books at the library a month before they actually get the books", the death glare she gave me was more annoyed and expectant than actually angry, "Alright I noticed you typing more than usual on your laptop two weeks back so decided to, uh...sate my curiosity"

"How was it?", she asked, it was barely audible but I heard it. The look on her face had slackened and she folded her hands.

"I'm sorry, what was that?", I asked with a growing grin

"You heard me!"

"It's alright", I told. Her expression went from angry chihuahua to rotten apple and back to angry chihuahua in 1.6 seconds. "Okay, now the truth. It was amazing, also the reason why I got less marks in maths, but it was worth it. I think it's somewhere between Rick Riordan and James Patterson, I mean the I couldn't leave the book and I almost fell off the chair, laughing, at one point. You attached the worlds of humans and elfs really well and the plot was just completely original. You should really publish it, you know"

Her grin widened as I said that and that led to a thirty minute long conversation about her book which finally ended when she looked at the clock and nearly spat coffee all over the table seeing as she was late for work. She left five minutes later in a rush with Arya (because Arya had friends there) and said that we would talk about her book later.

What I didn't know then was that the book she wrote contained a real story. Her story.

I closed the door and the thoughts about last night's dreams dripped back into my mind. I had forgotten all about it while talking to mom. But now I could feel the pain in his legs and the way his voice came out in whispers and coughs.

I somehow knew that he wouldn't try to contact me again. Last night, all traces of hope had left his mind, it was like he wanted to end it – end it all – but that man, he wouldn't let him do it. The man needed him for something, he had said something about a battalion but I didn't understand why anyone would tire and starve someone just to ask for their cooperation. Then again, it has already been done in the past, so why not now. There was something strange about that place he was in. It was a prison, for sure, but a prison for one? The place was huge but there didn't seem to be anyone there except for him and the man.

That man..., I thought, he would've been a great politician. His voice was immensely soothing, so wondrous...even I was a bit compelled to join the battalion – whatever that was. When he spoke, a bright light had shined in my mind. His voice had made me think about the morning sun and all the good things in the world. But the guy whose eyes I was seeing through didn't feel the same. He hadn't felt these things to begin with; only imagined them through books. That's how he was able to resist this man and I knew that he must've been doing that for a long time.

That night, I had to try contacting him. I didn't know why I was doing it. I was finally going to get rid of these probably meaningless dreams and get some real sleep. I didn't know why I cared so much – maybe it was just out of curiosity, maybe because I felt like I was betraying him, maybe because I had grown a connection to him through these dreams or maybe it was something else...

Whatever the case, however stupid I might be or how massively I could fail trying to do this, I was gonna try – at the least.

Hang on buddy, I'm gonna find you, I promised.