Dream

Part 1 - Chapter 3

In the car they were again, the radio tuned into a news station and Janie’s mother was pleased with how the appointment, she called herself the optimist for reasons such as this. She knew fair well that they had found no apparent cause of Janie’s asthma and sleeplessness, but she had a feeling it would be over soon. The journey was 10 minutes, with a brief conversation to break the silence, not that the news reader wasn’t doing a sterling job of that already. Janie stepped out of the car and kissed her mum goodbye. She had the whole house to herself for the next few hours. I’ll do something outrageous! she thought.

 

Yes Janie, rebel, that’s my girl.

 

Janie took out a jar of chocolate spread and sat down in front of the TV, eating it with her fingers and staring as the tiny people moved around the screen reciting lines from the script they had learnt many days before. They’re funny, like puppets. she thought, all little puppets; the director was their puppeteer and they just had strings pulling them around. After half an hour, the channel put on a boring programme, so boring, in fact, that she couldn’t remember the name only 10 minutes afterwards! On the BBC they were showing a marathon, but it was moments before the end and then popped on a programme all about running. The science behind it, tips for it, everything she would need to know.

 

Well, that’s not very rebellious...

 

Janie did not like documentaries in the slightest. They were simply dull factual programmes voiced by an old bloke. Not to say that the old bloke didn’t have a nice voice, he did, but the programmes were just so boring! It was not until a stray thought popped into her head that this may actually be useful that she made herself comfortable and began to watch the programme, making notes with the notepad and pen which were conveniently placed next to her. Tips on power, controlling your breathing, and best foods for before and after running, as well as some tiny facts that were no use but just seemed cool/ This, this will help me, I’ll survive the dream tonight, and then maybe it'll just go away!  “HA! TAKE THAT WORLD!” She shouted out, joyous but also determined and slightly insane.

 

Keep dreaming Janie.

 

After deciding that she would go to bed early tonight, Janie had a shower at 8:30 pm and plaited her hair so it would be curly the next morning. Then she made a meal of fish, ham, eggs and toast, ate it all and skipped lightly upstairs singing, “I’m a fairy watch my fly, lala lala, la la lie!” She took two sleeping tablets and then tucked herself into bed, yawning, her head already nodding as it hit the pillow. She plugged in her MP3 player and began to listen to the music as once…. again…. she drifted…. asleep.

Alone again, and running again. What was it the documentary said again? Long legs, breath in for two, out for two, pump your arms… There, going faster already! Once again she heard more people. How many? The noise was loud, creating a ruckus that seemed like it would tear the whole jungle down but then the noise quietened to a soft patter before  rising up again to the steady beat of a heart and then someone’s feet on the slippery rough grass. Yet, the sound was getting closer, more urgent, and faster until. THUD. Both Janie and runner fell on the floor, a booming thud rising up and sweeping over the jungle like the cloud of an atomic bomb. Janie wriggled her legs and managed to push the person to the floor so they were facing each other.

 

It was a boy, pale with short blonde hair, green eyes whose colour seemed to be fading away. “Who are you?” Janie yelled, frustrated and confused but at the same time relieved that she was no longer running. “Me? You’re asking me? How about, who are you and why are you in my dream?” he shouted back, both rolling onto their backs, arms crossed and annoyed, trying to figure out the situation. “I’m Janie, and this is my dream, I’ve had it for two weeks.” she said, more calm now. “So have I…. All the running and the- Wait, you’re the girl I saw in front of me the other night! I tried to catch you but you were trying to catch the others.” he said, looking as if he knew what was going on. “I thought there was someone behind me! And wit, you saw the others too?”

 

They both sat up, scooting to the edge of the track just in case they did spot someone running by who could potentially hurt them, or who needed their help. “I’m Alexander by the way,” he said, reaching out a hand. He had a soft American accent and was probably the same age as her, if not a little older and Janie was almost entranced by him, this boy was magic, but not in the mystic sort of way. How he was here, how they both were there together, talking, being able to touch hands was beyond the laws of physics. The shook hands and it did not take long for them to become friends. Meanwhile, the forest was getting annoyed, why weren’t they running? Why were they talking? How did they stop? But for now Janie and Alex could not hear the howling of the trees or the mutterings of the mountains, instead they could hear each other and were no longer alone and this felt good.

 

“Do you know how we escape? Or don’t we, is it just when we wake up?” asked Janie. The boy shrugged, “I dunno, I just seem to wake up at the doctors after having a severe asthma attack, which doesn’t make sense I don’t even have asthma!” Janie nodded, they were in the same boat, so instead they should make the best of it. “I’m guessing you’re from America then? Going by the accent and all…” she asked and he nodded, “You could say, in fact, West Philidelphia born and raised,” Janie giggled and continued the song, “In a playground you spent most of your days?” and they both laughed together forgetting about the danger they might possibly be in. “Well Alex, I feel like I’m about to wake up, maybe we should contact each other, you know, in the real world?”

 

But Janie, this is the real world.

Alex nodded and began to recite his email address, “Alex.buttlebear@-” and, before her could say what website he was signed up for Janie felt a weird tingling sensation, like she’d never felt before, and suddenly woke up in her bed with a sharp intake of breath.