My Creative Writing Journal

New Year 2017 (Dream Box)

(I think this is another free-write, or maybe themed around finding a box. This is my second longest entry, my next entry being the first longest by a few notebook lines)

I opened my eyes into darkness. Looking around, I saw nothing but black void. I saw myself clearly but not even a ground existed from my eyes' point of perspective. Touch had to disagree with sight as I clearly stood on solid floor. Tapping my foot, I couldn't figure out what this floor was made of, as no sound came back to me. I figured I was alone, but regardless I spoke, "Hello?" just to see if I still could. What I wasn't prepared for was the whole area to light up for a moment to the echo of my voice. Startled and confused, I yelped and watched more light echo around. From the quick glance, I saw I was in a room with a single path ahead of me. I took a step towards the blind path and felt my foot kick something with a small chime. Looking down, I saw a worn old cardboard box that held together surprisingly well for how deteriorated it appeared. I was tempted to step around it for the path but human curiosity argued against me. I knelt to the box and attempted to open it, but my previous revelation at the box's sturdiness crumbled as the box did. Within the middle of cardboard slop, though, was a little wooden box. My curiosity grew and I picked up the box gingerly, afraid it would suffer the same fate as the late cardboard box that held it. I was relieved to find that the box held strong, I assumed the cardboard took the brute force of age to keep its wooden child safe. Glancing from the deteriorated mess back to the wooden box, I cautiously opened the lid. What met me in return was a beautiful melody; I found a music box. My eyes closed so my body could soak in the calm song for a moment, yet I gasped at an even greater image when my eyes opened. Before me was the path, and all the darkness was gone. It seemed the key was sound, and I took the music box over having to talk to nothing until I escaped this strange place. Walking on the path, I noted the darkness still extended below me. Scared of what that meant, I stuck firmly to the center of the path, not risking sound to end for one moment. I saw a door, but continued my slow pace, though suddenly the music box began to slow it's rhythm with me. It wasn't until I felt the ground get lighter below my feet that I realized I walked on sound, and silence was deadly. I screamed just to keep the path solid and sprinted towards the door, barely aware of where the center of the path was and only focused on making it to that door. My breath ran out moments before I found the door, and I gave the term "leap of faith" a chance to prove its worth. Jumping off what was left of the path before it disappeared, I felt a heavy huff of relief and the physical jolt of my feet finding solid ground beyond the little door. I exclaimed a shout of joy and watched with pride as the sound echoed down the soundless path. After marveling at the light waves, I turned to look through the door. I noted how strange it was that I could see the path this time in soundless black. Though, an attempted step forward told me the path wasn't solid at all. Out of suspicious curiosity, I turned the key to the music box and opened the lid. Beautiful chiming changed the path from light to dark, but a test step told me this time that the invisible path was solid. "Great," I muttered under my breath, and closed the box for a chance to memorize the path. Satisfied with my chances, I refreshed the key's tune and began walking, using the tip of my toe to tap for solid ground. I found the door in my sight after many blind taps, but the ground in front of me was open and the door appeared shut. With a silent curse and prayer, I tested my luck, closed the box, and leaped yet again. "This better not be a reoccurring thing," I said angrily as my feet found the other side of the door. Trudging onward, I made my way through room after room, each puzzle more strange than the last. Finally, I stepped up to a strange wooden door with a small rectangle hole in the middle. Glancing at my music box, I noticed it was the same size as the indent in the door. I gently slid the music box in and the door opened with a click. When I walked through, I dropped instantly with the floor leaving me in the dark. A strange voice in my head said, "You have escaped," and I opened my eyes to find myself laying on my bed. "It was just a dream?" I thought, but that thought shattered when I turned to my side table and saw the music box resting as though it were in familiar territory. Knowing it wasn't there the night before, but having to be sure, I opened the lid. The familiar, beautiful, chilling tune returned the greeting.