As Witnesses

6🧡

Thursday, May 29, 2008

~*~

The walkway leading to the cruise ship is full of tourists ready for the journey - Midnight, Fuzzynerd, and their parents included. But when they finally reach the front of the line, the man checking for tickets shakes his head and says, "I'm sorry, but you don't have the tickets."

"What?! But we do!" Zeno protests, and takes out four tickets, only to be shut down.

"No, these are not the correct tickets, sir," the man states. "And, as far as we know, you and your family didn't even pay for them."

"We did- But-" Exa feebly looks for answers.

The ticket man's face turns menacing. "Your journey is over. Get out of here, and never come back."

Lil' Catty and Ginny appear out of nowhere. So do their parents. There is one oddity, though: the parents' faces are swirling voids. "You ruined our trip... you ruined our trip..." they chant, in an even worse voice than that of the ticket man.

And Lil' Catty and Ginny open their mouths and scream.

Only the screaming doesn't cease. It keeps going, and going, neither of them even stopping to draw in more air. It forces Midnight backward and completely takes over the setting.

A starry night sky flashes. It's something Midnight has seen in other dreams and nightmares, though this time is even weirder because it's the middle of the day.

Midnight runs into her brother. She sees nothing better to do than to plead, "Help me stop this, Fuzzynerd! Help me, help me!"

But Fuzzynerd simply shakes his head. The screaming continues, louder and louder and louder... until the walkway snaps and Midnight is the only one to fall.

She seemingly landed in her bed.

Midnight's eyes open, and she realizes that she's in her bedroom again. "Only another nightmare," she tells herself. Though no matter how many times she says it, she can't seem to come to terms with the fact.

It felt so real.

That's how all her nightmares have felt like, and the fact that she has one every other week or so since her tenth birthday is practically forcing her to remember. No chance of Midnight forgetting anything about her nightmares exists.

As she does every morning after she has a nightmare, she gets up and observes herself in a bathroom mirror.

Over the several months she's had nightmares, there has been a tiny change in her appearance each time. But today, though, something looks even more off - something that separates her from the rest of her family. The Airlets have brown hair, though its exact color could range from lighter to darker shades of brown, as well as hazel eyes that could look like moss growing on wood. It's as if the Airlets' hair and eyes are some kind of forest - a calm forest, as calm as the brilliant and analytical minds of the family, including Midnight's. Speaking of Midnight, she has somehow become paler, her hair is a very dark brown, and her eyes are suspiciously green. Does this transformation intend to stop at any time? Has she been the reason her parents have been somewhat stressed over the past year or so? Or will any of her nightmares come true?

~*~