Seekers

Dreams

I awakened to find several men and women walking in the forest. The tree's branches seemed to sprawl their arms out as if they were arms getting ready to come to life. She looked around like this was not the forest she had remembered throughout her life. She picked up her skateboard and sped across the ground. Hungry, hungry, hungry, she thought inside her head. The branches seemed to spread out, creating a hollow darkness around him. My feet pressed against the ground, determined to uncover where all the people were going.

Finally a shrine emerged from the background. Each of the men and women bowed down in front of the structure. A murmur came from the lips of each of the people; however, I could not make out what any of them were saying. Purple wisp flowed out of the shrine, so much of it that I could not make out the image either. Just barely I could make out a multi-legged statue--a praying mantis extending its limbs as if it was going to attack the people. A heavy wind sounded in the distance; as I tried to fight it, the gust extended its arms and threw me off balance. 

I opened one eye. I let out a sluggish yawn. After giving a quick stretch, I crawled off my board. The blank piece of cardboard lay in front of me waiting to be touched. With my sharpie I started writing.

"A treasure fortune to the one that can tell me of the mystery of the forest." 

Just as the sun began to rise, a shadow approached me.

"Honey, you need to be getting ready for school. What is that you are doing all the way out here?" my mother barked at me. This time I really got up.

"I know things aren't the same all the way over here," my mother said. 

"I'm sure they will be when we get to go back and Father gets to retire," I retorted, half-arguing and half-hoping. My mother sighed.

"There's not a terrible need to get depressed over this. It is not like you have suffered from a loss of a loved one, or a certain death has triggered anything," she said, but I knew that there was a hint of concern within her voice. In one sense I appreciated the fact that she didn't make it a big deal I was out here sleeping instead of in my room--or for that matter, in my house. 

"Come on, kiddo, let's go get ready for the first day of school," she said, her velvet hair waving to the wind's direction, and with her at my side and skateboard in hand, I walked back to the house, still mystified of my dream.