dreams

one

Gravel crunched under the wheels of his jeep as he pulled into the driveway of his cottage.

The little house had a foundation of various stones and logs built above it, large windows looking in. 

Small wildflowers dotted the lawn with yellows, whites, purples and blues, a pretty contrast from the already pretty green of the grass.

Tall, proud trees were on both sides, separating this cottage from the neighboring ones. Vibrant green leaves waved in the whistling breeze, casting dappled shadows with the evening sun that glowed yellow againsts the cottage and ground. 

The air smelled of a distant campfire, or maybe a barbecue with the earthy scent that came with being in an area so filled with nature.

It all gave Thomas a feeling of happy, sweet nostalgia.

Thomas loved this place. 

"Tom, are we there?"

He looked into the backseat and smiled at his brother. "Yeah." 

Chuck grinned and got out of the car, Thomas doing the same.

"Can you go unlock the door? I'll get the suitcases." 

He handed Chuck the keys before pulling the suitcases out of his jeep. He walked up and into the cottage, taking a deep breath. 

Inside, Thomas rolled Chuck's suitcase into his room and opened the curtains of the large window that was set to the right of his bed, looking out over the lake. Small waves lapped at the shore and a wooden dock stretched out into the water. 

He stood up and walked into the living room. He could remember all the times when he was little he would run through here, sit on the couch and watch episodes of cartoons all day, eating breakfast on that couch while the news talked about the weather.

He smiled. 

Chuck came in and turned on the TV, changing the channels until he landed on Nickelodeon. 

"I'm gonna go outside for a bit, then we'll go get dinner, okay?"

Chuck nodded, not taking his eyes off the TV.

Thomas stepped out the sliding glass door, walking on the stone path down to the dock. 

The waves offered a relaxing background noise paired with the rustle of foliage that sprouted around the sand as he made his way to the end of the dock.

The sun was peeking over the line of trees across the lake, casting pink and gold reflections on the serene water. A few boats floated idly, voices of people talking and laughing faint but yet still audible. 

He kicked off his shoes and sat down, letting his legs dangle just out of reach of the water. 

Thomas sighed and laid back on the dock, drawing invisible patterns in the sky like he would when he was younger.

A few moments later he sat back up and gazed into the water, nearly jumping in surprise at what he saw.

A face, looking back up at him. 

Blonde hair floated in a frame around the face, warm brown eyes and a sharp jawline, their skin pale porcelain. It was almost like they glowed with the filtered light of sunset. 

Thomas curiously leaned forward and leaned his chin on his hand. 

"Hi there." He said softly. 

They blinked. 

"My name's Thomas. I'm gonna be here for the summer, this is my cottage." He gestured back towards the house. 

A small smile pulled at the corner of the face's lips, Thomas smiling back.