Memories (Of Dreams and Demons)

Darkness or Flight

Naoko and I are just two young souls, lost in the dreams we share.

An avalanche of chaos follows in our footsteps; an ever-encroaching darkness. It bitterly sweeps over house and fence, road and tree, dashing everything into a thousand pieces and throwing it all without care in to the air.

Splinters, rocks and rubble crash about us as we sprint down empty alley-ways and old dirt paths. It is as if the world we flee collapses into a growing sinkhole, consumed by living shadow and the man that chases us.

He flails his wooden tool about like a whip, promising excruciating pain as punishment for our disobedience. The other children were left behind and out of sight long ago.

"You cannot run forever," his voice echoes down the streets, roasting my sanity, "sooner or later, children, you will pay for your crime!"

He's right. How could we possibly run and hide forever? What would we do? Where would we stay?

I know we'll eventually get tired, drained of spirit and strength, caught by the man and the darkness that nips at our heels.

Surely he will punish me, scorch my body and soul with pain; lock me away in dark and lonely places unable to ever reach the Realm.

Lost in thought as I run, I do not notice the weather change. The soft pitter-patter of a growing storm fills the air as grey clouds engage the sky in battle.

The grass and paths dampen, growing dangerously slippery, threatening my footing as I run. I shake my head free of doubt to concentrate only on escape, for I cannot risk falling.

Vuitton darts ahead of us; his eyes scanning every possible path, calculating the best odds of escape.

He pauses briefly, before pointing down one path, seemingly at random, and urges us to follow. Naoko holds my hand tight. Faster than me, her light step leads mine.

And as we run, the man behind us slowly changes form, filled with boiling anger and a sinister purpose: our punishmemt.

Despite being shrouded in darkness, he had always been but a man; a caretaker punishing children who do not follow a strict schedule, a predetermined path, an enforcer of reality.

But now, he is no longer just a man, slowly becoming something else. Slithers of darkness ignore us, and begin flowing towards him. Shadows seem to seep into his very being.

And gorging on our childish terror and the waves of darkness that baptise his new form, his girth increases. With every breath, each step in pursuit, he chases us a little faster. It will not be long until he catches us.

His uniform tears away from limbs that warp into bulging masses of veined muscle. He gains even greater height, now bearing down behind us a good ten feet tall, more vicious beast than any mere man.

Just behind him, almost out of sight, I make out something even more terrifying: a man encased in shadow. Is that who I think it is?

Whispers fill my mind, and I shake my head, torn between reality and the Realm. Where and what is this place? What is going on?

"I'm so sorry," I blurt out between breaths, "I got caught. I wasn't careful enough."

Naoko squeezes my hand. Her hair, damp with sweat, still manages to whip wildly in the air as we run. She looks over her shoulder, beaten and bruised, short of breath and covered in dust. Behind the pain and suffering, behind the fear, she smiles at me.

Is this the dangerous adventure I had asked for in my room?

"It's not your fault," she says simply.