Transversals

XIV. The Architect's Dream

I took the clamp in my hand while Ben shut the light off behind me, gently leading me by the cord to my bed. He cleared the swords and said, "I'm taking the floor, you can sleep somewhere comfortable."

"But what if my Dad comes in?" I asked, kicking off my shoes and settling onto the pillow, clamp tight in my fist.

"We'll be in and out," Ben staidly replied, closing his eyes and settling his hands behind his head on the floor, admist dirty clothes with no complaint. "I suggest putting it on your finger right about now."

I unsurely looked at the pulsating green and Ben's phone beside him on the floor. "But what if--"

"Axelson, relax and put the monitor on your finger."

I was feeling a weird combination of frustration, fear, and anxiety all in one, but like the experimental person I am, I went with it. I clamped the monitor on my right pointer finger and closed my eyes, relaxing into the pillow, thinking of how nice and cool it felt, how tired I was. Sleep. Calm. Rest...

I opened my eyes to tall grass and stormy gray clouds. It was warm though, and I realized that the grass was intertwined with sprigs of fragrant lavender. I sat up and looked around, finding nothing but field. The warm wind blew gently, caressing my cheeks and painting my skin like watercolor strokes.

"You made it," I heard behind me. Ben had a hand outstretched, wings comfortably extended, same attire as earlier still on and smiling gently. "Care to follow me?"

I took it and let him pull me up, looking about in a dazed state. "This is really weird."

"Don't get confused, this is all a dream," he said, starting to walk in a seemingly random direction. He brought up a ruined castle in the distance with a simple hand motion, shaking and rumbling the earth beneath our feet. And with a wave downward, the whole thing disappeared into the ground with a sonic boom. He turned to me then, black-brown hair shading his face in the warm wind. "See? Pretty cool, right?"

I caught up with him in a few strides as we continued walking to nowhere, staring at a point in the distance. I did my own hand motion to erect a bigger, better castle, but nothing happened.

Ben laughed. "This is my dream, Axelson. So I'm the architect." He flicked up trees and shrubbery beside us as we walked, even little mushrooms in our path with fingers moving like a pianist's. The grass in our path cleared with a sweep, and a whole woods groaned to life around us. The barren landscape had turned into a fairy-like forest before my eyes.

With a snap, branches dropped down a bench ten yards away along the path and curled back up into the trees, disturbing leaves and creaking like old furniture. He took a seat, and as did I. I stared around in complete awe.

"You're expression is too cute," Ben laughed out, leaning back on the simple park bench. He pulled out 5 gum from his jacket pocket and stuck a stick in his mouth, throwing the wrapper on the ground per usual.

"This is how you got to my dream the other night, isn't it?" I asked, looking up and behind us at the immense amount of foliage.

"Yep."

I shoved him and went back to staring in front of us, arms crossed defiantly. "Dick move."

Ben laughed again. "Yep."

We paused, as the wind picked up and whistled throughout the forest.

"Although that was a pretty sweet place you thought up. But the weird stuff that happened, that's what's got me concerned about you."