Beautiful Dreamer

Chapter Five

After having dinner, I returned to my room. I cleaned up and got dressed for bed. As I was about to settle in for the night, I caught sight of the Key on my bedside cabinet. I held it in my palm and stared at it. I had so many mixed feelings about this thing that I couldn't decide what to do or think. I hadn't even worn it once since I got it. It just lay there, while I tried to ignore it as much as I could, trying to evade it so that I wouldn't remember. Remember what she had said to me, and break down crying again. I didn't want to overflow my room for no reason and dehydrate myself.

I didn't believe what Grandma had told me, all that magic nonsense, but I couldn't be so cold. I had to acknowledge it at least a little. I finally made up my mind and decided to keep it on all the time, just like she had done. It had been special to her, so now it was special to me as well. I lay in bed and closed my eyes..

I was drifting through a crowd aimlessly, when suddenly I tripped over something and fell onto my knees. I looked up, startled, and saw that someone was lending me a hand. I accepted it and got up slowly. When I looked down to see what I had tripped over, it was none other than that accursed Key, but giant in size. I stared at it incredulously. Then I looked at the person who had helped me up, and it was none other than Cal. I scowled in confusion. Then everything slowly blurred out..

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I woke up to parakeets tapping merrily at the glass door, licking the salty residue on its outside. I smiled seeing them, and proceeded to refill their food and water trays that they dined from every morning. I loved them so much, they always made me happy with those weird sideways stares they gave when they saw you. I breathed in the fresh morning air, and observed the bigger trees in the garden as they swayed in the breeze. The sky was a lovely light pink, and the sun was just peeping over at the horizon.

I brushed my teeth and did everything else in my morning routine, and headed downstairs for breakfast. Mom had ordered waffles from a local cafe, and was pouring the syrup they had provided over it. Yes! I loved waffles, they always reminded me of when I was little and Mom took Pam and I out to have some. She saw me and grinned sheepishly.

"I got a little bored and decided to order waffles, if that's okay with you."

I smiled and gave her a thumbs up. I went over and took my seat at the table. As I dug into my waffle, I suddenly remembered my dream. I smiled at the weirdness of it, as I recounted it to Mom. I did that a lot, you'd be surprised if I told you. And to make it even weirder, I often had dreams that were similar in characters or places. So it was like a story I was telling her; one that I had literally dreamt up.

"I still can't understand how you can remember your dreams so well, however weird they may be. I can't remember a thing from mine." She said, shaking her head.

I shrugged. "I don't know either. I do have a photographic memory, so maybe it also applies to dreams. Anyway, I can't possibly forget something so bizarre." If by bizarre, you mean flying around the world after a seagull, swimming away from a cat, or even talking to a giant snake with shark teeth— then yes, absolutely. Also, when I just heard myself think that, I did dream a lot about animals, didn't I? Weird-squared, I thought, as I smiled mentally and physically at the same time.

"That's true. Well, I have to go run some errands and shop a little at the grocery store today. Do you wanna tag along?"

"Sure. Just let me get ready. Can I bring Pam too?"

"Why not? Your classes will start at nine, so we'll be back by 8:30 a.m."

"Okay." We finished up our breakfast and I headed upstairs to get ready.

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We left for the supermarket by 7:45 a.m. We had to take Candy along with us, so before leaving I headed to his kennel. As soon as I reached near it, he came rushing out to greet me. I sat down on my knees and grabbed his face as he licked my hands and I rubbed his forehead with my thumbs. He licked his nose in that adorable way dogs do as he enjoyed the head rub.

I had once had a dream about a British Bull Terrier, a white one just like Candy. It was standing by a window in an old abandoned house, and when I got near, it looked into my eyes, and I looked back. We were some how silently communicating. I felt a kind of connection with it. I had never seen such a dog before, and when I described my dream to my Mom, she said that she had actually thought about adopting one just like it that week. We were deciding to adopt another dog after our first dog had died a few years ago. Although, I didn't really like how this breed of dog looked, with its egg-shaped head, sloping snout, and beady eyes. I was weirded out even more by this dream, but we ended up actually adopting one in the end, as you know. And I ended up falling in love with him.

I rubbed his favourite spot— the top of his chest under his left forelimb, which was slightly grey in colour as if marking The Spot. That made him have not so much of a pure-white coat. This was a secret between him and I, so that only I would know how to make him the happiest. He slowly blinked his dark brown, diamond shaped eyes as I scratched behind his ear. When our petting session was done, I attached the leash to his collar, and he almost dragged me out through the front gate.

I had to full-out run to keep up with his powerful body. It had taken some getting used to for me to be able to handle his strength and energy. I was a little afraid of him at first, but soon he helped me become stronger myself by dealing with him. In the end I think I'm a little filled-with-energy myself, deep down. Meh, who knows.

I caught up with Mom and gave her the leash, relieved to finally be able to walk. Panting, I watched as she effortlessly led him along without so much as having to speed up. I shook my head and smiled, or whatever kind of way I could have smiled while panting. I probably had my tongue out like Candy himself. I chuckled at the thought.

(Ok.. so this one got a little bit longer than I thought it would 😅)