Life Beyond the Trees

Chapter Two

Chapter Two

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Don't Drown, Wake Up

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David:

He rose with a shout and found himself suffocated by a lake of blankets. There was a pool of water surrounding him and the tears streaming down his face made him believe it was caused by the aftermath of his sorrow.

For a moment he was as lost in his whereabouts as he was in his mind. His heart pounded against his chest. It felt as if a tiny man were inside his body trying to beat their way out with a massive hammer. He surveyed the room making note of and paying hurried attention to every picture and piece of furniture he could find. Then his eyes came to rest on the bed. More than anything else around him the bed seemed the most familiar. As if second nature his eyebrows furrowed as he tried to recall the events that made up his mysterious past once again.

He closed his eyes and fell backwards expecting to feel the hardness of the old mattress. Instead his lake of blankets turned to water and suddenly he was floating in a heavy liquid silk and moving along effortlessly. The small waves were just a little ripply. It was peaceful.

Then there was a jolt of fear that ran through his body. His eyebrows so high they could get lost in his hair, eyes open wide with horror as the sky began to disappear before him. He was grasping for something, something that could help him as he was mercilessly dragged to the depths of the sea. The only thing that could be heard was the gurgling sounds of his silent cry that escaped him, his tears mixing with the deep blue that surrounded him.

His eyes closed again as his last breath left him in a short gasp, the bubbles escaping and traveling up like his body, which arched towards the surface as he floated back up.

Once again, he rose with a shout twisting and kicking at the blankets. There was a pool of water surrounding him, the tears streaming down his face making him believe it was caused by the aftermath of his sorrow.

For a moment, he was unsure of his whereabouts. Frantically, he surveyed the room, eyes falling on every picture, piece of furniture he felt an overwhelming sense of familiarity with this whole process that he felt shouldn't be familiar at all. Then something did feel different. There was a girl. She had long beautiful brown hair that shone with gold, it was flowing around the crown of her head in a tangly mess, almost in slow motion, as if she were swimming in the ocean like he was just moments ago. She looked utterly drawn, her eyes sunken in along with her cheeks, her skin so white she could've been mistaken for a ghost, but she was still beautiful. Her eyes were a deep brown, they seemed to be pleading with him, her mouth slightly ajar as she slowly raised a shaky hand to him.

"Why did you do it?" Her voice was low and scratchy. Barely above a whisper, but the noise seemed to carry a wave of emotion that crashed over him like a tidal wave as it filled the small space.

"What do you mean? Who are you?" He begged, a feeling of utter helplessness overpowering his need for sleep. She only smiled as she began to fade. He crawled to the end of the bed, a compelling need to touch her, though he doesn't have a clue as to why. But it was too late, she was already gone, and all she left with him was the question that only made him more confused.

"Why did you do it?"

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