The Dream Machine

Twenty-Eight

FREDERICK

I looked up. Sandler stared down at me with the widest eyes I had ever seen on a boy in my entire lifetime. He also looked incredibly scared which scared me. Were my scars gone? I was still breathing, so he must've saved me. Still, he wasn't saying anything, just staring at me.

"What is it?" I asked. However, there was still no response. Was my appearance something different than before? I guess I would have to find out for myself.

I picked myself off the floor and walked towards wherever the bathroom in the place was. I passed motionless children just staring at me as I passed. This place was a dump, but it seemed to light up with everyone in the room staring at me. I walked into the tiny bathroom and automatically, I was glued to my reflection. I wasn't me, but I was.

Wait a minute, I recognize that face. It's my face!

I moved my fingers and peered at them. This was my body, but it wasn't the same one I had had before. That's when realization struck me like lightning. I was fourteen. Again.

I screamed. I didn't know what else to do. I stopped, breathed, and screamed again. How did this happen? First I was dying, now I have struck the fountain of youth? This doesn't make any sense!

Once I stopped screaming, I left the bathroom and marched over back to Sandler and Lizzie. They continued to just stare at me, "What happened?"

Finally, Sandler answered, "I healed you. It hurt like hell but I did. When I lifted my hand from your forehead, there you were, fourteen."

"So, now I'm your age? Gosh, this is gonna suck. I'm gonna have to go back through high school again."

Lizzie regained consciousness, "Wait a minute! Remember when we saw you in the elementary school classroom?"

"Yeah, so?"

"Things didn't add up then, but I think they just did."

"What are you talking about?" I pondered.

"Someone altered your age," she stated.

This didn't make any sense. I had full, clear memories from when I was in middle and high school. There was no way someone had grown me up, making me skip my fundamental years, "That's not possible. I remember everything from high school. Trust me, everything."

"What exactly do you know about the Williams?" Sandler asked me.

"They took me in," I said, "Took me as their own, probably because they didn't have any children of their own."

Sandler said, "My money's on them."

"The Williams did not alter my age! That's not even possible! This whole thing isn't even possible. Haven't you guys ever thought that since we're dreamscapers, we're living in this Inception-y second life thing, where the whole world is just a dream?"

"Frederick, this isn't that. This is real life."

I questioned, "How do you know that for sure?"

"Check your phone. I'm pretty sure what I just did to heal you went viral."