Life is a Dream-- Prologue and Chapter 1

Since I haven't had much to blog about lately, I have resorted to writing. It's from (yes, believe it or not) a dream that I had last week. Yes I remember my dreams, and yes they're usually weird. This one was too, but not in a way that didn't make some sense.

Now granted every detail isn't as it was in the dream, but the basic story line is the original. I woke up and was like heyy, why not actually make something out of this? So here's how far I've gotten so far. If anyone has any comments/concerns/upset stomachs/editing suggestions, etc., be sure to let me know.

Hope y'all enjoy it.

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Prologue


Have you ever been faced with the reality that death is knocking at your door?

Lightning struck. I awoke with a start. Realizing it was only a storm which caused the excitement calmed me down.

Shortly.

At first I just lay on my mattress staring at the ceiling for a few fleeting moments as one usually would after being awakened suddenly.

Instantly my inadvertency ceased. As my mind’s eye brought to image the events that had just taken place, the horror of the possibility slithered it’s way up my body. Life started flushing its way out of my brain to my feet, and there in the darkness, I could see my face turn white.

I immediately cast off the cotton throw which had covered me in so many days of sleep and started running to the downstairs hallway bathroom. The absence of the blanket for some reason brought instant pain to my side.

Right outside my room it started happening. First there was swiftly fleeing loss of feeling in my legs, and only several steps later dizziness. At the staircase my running reduced to staggering as I used every ounce of energy I still had left to stay conscious.

Stepping inside the bathroom, I lifted my nightshirt slightly and felt around my lower left stomach to feel a draining warm substance. With a shaking hand, I turned on the light beside the mirror.

Have you ever been faced with the reality that you are about to die?

As I stared at that shell of a girl covered in red, my eyes crossed and vision blurred. She started to disappear. All the while, she grabbed at the counter in a vain attempt to stay standing. She tried to cry for help, but did not succeed.

A light thump as she hit the floor. With the remaining ability that I had to think, as I lay sprawled on the once white tile, I prayed for God to save my life. I just needed more time.

I just need more time, but whichever would work more in Your will Lord, please... help...I...

Then nothing.

Then life.



Chapter One


Taylor flipped on the turn signal and waited. While watching cars and chicken trucks travel through the intersection, her mind strayed to the past Friday. He was there. She missed seeing him on weekends. Maybe he’d ask her to eat lunch again. Yes, yes! That would make for a wonderful start to the week. But no, no, that was too much to hope for...

Her mind strayed to Friday when he had asked her out for the first time. He was only the most handsome and--and perfect, yes that’s the word-- guy in her graduating class. They had both been in school together their entire lives, but had not gotten better acquainted until just recently.

It started with just a small puppy-dog crush last semester, but after a while she couldn’t help but wonder if the feelings were mutual. To raise her suspicions even further, he asked her to go to the Subway right off campus last Friday. Informal, but still special.

While eating she had analyzed his every word and move. What did he mean by that? Wait, I know that girl he just mentioned... why is he talking about her? What does she have to do with anything? Oh man he’s fidgeting. Am I making him feel uncomfortable? Is it just cold in here? Maybe it’s time I break out a blonde joke...

Quite quickly she realized her acts and thoughts were quite childish and took on a more unstressed tone. She also noticed that after she relaxed he seemed to loosen up some too. This brought relief. He walked her to English class, and they said their goodbyes for the weekend since he worked after school hours.

But as well as that day ended up going, Taylor still was was curious as to what he was thinking, and had been pondering it all weekend.

The man in the navy Chevrolet from behind tapped his horn. This brought Taylor out of her daydream and recognized the universal shade of green shining from the lower traffic light. She made the left hand turn and mouthed “sorry” to the Chevrolet, as he made the lane change and impatiently passed her.

The driver then proceeded to speed away at sixty miles per hour. She tried to ignore the fact that he was probably doing so just to display his disdain--just because she had missed several seconds on a green light. The fact of him honking his horn could be understood perfectly, but why get all uptight over fifty feet of lost ground?

Thoughts were satisfied when she passed a police officer by the side of the road writing out a speeding ticket to a man in a navy Chevrolet. She couldn’t help but chuckle at the irony of the situation- justice has been served once again.

Once again she returned to the daydream of getting to school. But after recalling the incident at the stoplight she decided just to clear her mind and focus on driving.

Girl, you can’t keep on doing this. Stay focused. Get your mind off him... get off it, get off it.

She turned again onto a small narrow street which extended 6 miles before reaching the main road to arrive in the school zone. Taylor enjoyed taking this way not only because it was beautiful, but also because she had time to think. Time to get her mind off of school, friends, or whatever else may be occupying her mind.

Changing fall leaves this morning especially brought a sense of ease and relaxation she had not felt in a while. Sleep had been troubling her lately, and thinking about her God and all he had done for her seemed to be the only thing that calmed her mind.

This September was cooler than most southern falls usually are. The leaves were vividly painting themselves early in preparation for breaking away from their mother tree. Taylor loved color, and in turn loved the season.

Ever since she had earned her drivers license, the highway was no place to drive. Her time to focus on God was more important than getting to school forty-five minutes early. She often prayed on this road too. Passing the occasional houses by the side of this particular road prompted her to think about those in need that she knew, and she brought her petitions before her God for those few quiet moments.

On the highway, of course, she never got any such opportunities. Busy roads made Taylor nervous and took all the focus she had. She never even had music on-- all her attention was needed to be thinking about something else. Too many cars, too many distractions, too many opportunities to have an accident...

“HELP! Help me, please! Oh, why won’t anyone help me?!”

A middle aged woman ran into the right side of the road and stopped waving her arms facing Taylor’s car head on. Taylor slammed on the brakes. The car skidded and jerked to a halt not one foot away from the screaming woman, who seemed to be unaffected by anything except her own problem--whatever had driven her to take the chances of being hit.

Taylor rolled down her window. “Oh my! Ma’am are you OK? Is there anything that i can do to he--”

A huge smash interrupted her as the woman ran up to the driver’s side of the car and started pounding her blood-streaked hands on the car. Taylor rolled up her window quickly to keep herself from being attacked, but that did not keep her from hearing the cries of anguish from the woman.

“Get it out! Get it out! Take it, take it! I’m going to die, oh, I’m going to die! HELP ME GET IT OUT!!” She started swearing and cursing because she was not being helped, and the pounding just became heavier.

Why Taylor had not driven away by that point she didn’t really know. Maybe because she had never been in any kind of a similar incident and didn’t know what to do. She had just frozen at the wheel. Her blood pressure was rising fast.

A sudden crack sliced through her eardrums as the woman’s fist made a crack extending all the way through her window. Another pound immediately followed as a hand shot in through the car and grabbed Taylor’s collar, nearly pulling her out of her seat.

Panic overtook her. She could feel her heart beating at an innumerable rate and her breathing swiftly becoming harder in just a few seconds as she stared through the cracked glass into the eyes of what seemed to be a demon.

They were bloodshot, and pale around with black streaks and bags indicating lack of sleep. They held much age, filled with pain and suffering. They showed it and pleaded with Taylor while the woman screamed repeatedly with no breaks for breathing, “Just take it out! You have to help me! Please I’m begging you! WHY AREN’T YOU HELPING ME? I’ll kill to get this out!”

Taylor struggled to reach the gas pedal with her feet as her hands pried away red arms stuck with bits of glass. With all the strength she could conjure up, she rammed the pedal with her right foot and started speeding away. The arms and hands which had nearly choked her flew out the window, and a scream of rage could be heard in the distance as her escape was made.

She didn’t look back for several minutes. Several times she had to keep from driving off the side into the woods because of the tears blurring her vision. The horror of the experience lingered on, and with every heartbeat breathing became harder and harder.

Once meeting the main road, Taylor found the nearest gas station, parked, and pulled out her inhaler. She sprayed and breathed again. Her throat became clear.

After calming down, she pulled out her cell phone. Still crying, she then dialed the local police station.

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Hopefully more will be coming soon.

pieces,

~chris~