Dreamland
The shouting doesn't die down. No, in fact it increases. There's no one to stop him, my cries for mercy only seem to encourage him.
Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me.
An utter lie.
Punch after punch, word after word. Each hurts as much as the last, if not more. But this isn't even the best part, he says.
He's always rough. And I could never move afterwards as a child. As a teenager, I manage to keep quiet, excusing the occasional whimper as I crawl to my room.
Well, if you can call a place slightly bigger than a cupboard a room.
With only cold water and bandages to treat myself with, I do the best I could, and then I lie down on the thin dirty mattress in the far left corner of the room. Drawing a coarse blanket over my body, I try to forget everything that has just taken place. As the sun finally sinks, the darkness creeps in. I welcome it, unlike most, who dread it.
Its touch is soft and velvety, not suffocating like the first time it slipped into my room. A small smile plays on my lips as I close my eyes, knowing where my dreams will take me.
.......
There's a cold draught that caresses my skin before drawing away. I open my eyes and find myself staring up at a massive tree the grass tickles my hands as I sit up and look around for him.
He is sitting in the shade of a tree directly across mine. His back is resting on the trunk as his eyes rake over the pages of the book in his hands. He never stays in one form, changing age with each glance I take. Now, he appears to be a teenager with ebony hair and a pair of rectangular glasses perched on his nose.
Feeling a weight on my lap, I look down and see it. The same book I was reading and beaten for it. As I pick it up, I notice that the bruises on my hands and arms had disappeared, as they usually do when I arrive here. But it never fails to amaze me.
I open the book to where I left off and lay down on my back once more. My eyes greedily pursue each word on the page as I am transported back to a magical world, where the innocent werewolf falls in love with the cold-hearted vampire. Each page holds a new secret and my emotions fall into chaos as I continue reading.
.......
A contented sigh leaves my lips as I finish reading the book and put it down on my stomach. I run one of my hands through my hair, pushing it back. I look towards the ageless male, who merely flips another page. I occasionally stare at him, hoping he would change as watch, but he never does.
"Choose".
The deep voice of a young man fills the air as he points towards my right without looking up from his book. My head turns and I grin at the sight of a pile of fresh books. I walk over to it and flash of black immediately catches my eye through all the hues of colour. I dislodge it from the pile and read its title.
'Cruel Love'. Intriguing.
I go back to where I lay down, eager to begin reading, but the voice of a child stops me.
"Your time is up".
Dismay fills my blood and my heart grows heavy as those words leave his mouth.
"Lay down where you had woken and you shall be taken back".
I do as he says and close my eyes, wrapping a hand around my book. I know I'm back when I feel a hard surface underneath me. The book is still on my chest. I sit up, wincing as I feel the pain come back and shove the book under the mattress.
The dreams started the night Mom died. Even though we barely had enough money to buy what we needed, she'd always have a new book, and she would read aloud for me. I guess she came to that place just as I did. I can't help but feel a-a connection to that place, as if our fates are entwined. It's the only place I feel safe.
I quietly exit my room and tiptoe over to the bathroom. When I enter my room again, my blood runs cold.
There, holding the book I brought back is my father.
There is no escape, trying would make it worse. But these thoughts fly out the window when I see the knife.
The first stab does the job.
.......
"You will be here for eternity. You will not unnecessarily talk to anyone who comes here. You will be a spirit-"
"Like you?" I quickly blurt out.
The young man smiles. "Yes, like me".
"You mean with all the shape shifting as well? Can I talk to you whenever I want?"
"Yes and not whenever, only sometimes," he says, rolling his eyes. "Do you wish to stay? There's no going back once you answer".
"Yes," I say without hesitation. "I'll stay here".
He smiles again. "Good. I was hoping for some company". He takes hold of my hands and suddenly, I feel my connection to this place grow stronger and stronger, until at last it's like we are one and the same.
"Now," he says, letting go. "Choose".
And I see a pile of books waiting for me.
.......
