Tuesday, March 29, 2011

The River III

He was sitting at the riverbank this time, watching the gray river churn and splash. I approached him, almost grasping at the fact that I was in a dream and yet not conscious enough to actually realize it. He turned around as he heard the dead grass crunch under my feet, and he grinned.

"Welcome back, Owen."

I sat down next to him.

"Yeah, whatever."

His arm unexpectedly shot out and folded over my shoulders.

"Don't be such a downer, man."

I chose to ignore him, and while I awaited the dream to end, I watched the water push past us, downstream and towards some unknown end. It intrigued me, so I decided to ask Grey about it.

"Y'know, it's interesting, right? Where the River goes... where all rivers go, really. But... I can't spoil it for you. Or at least, I won't spoil it for you."

What he said pissed me off. But I wasn't going to speak out against it. Whatever. He didn't want to talk about it? Alright, fine.

A few minutes pass by, and then he stood up. And then he was walking away. I... I almost stood up too, admittedly. To follow him, for whatever reason. I caught myself, though, and held my ground.

He turned around.

"...And you're not coming?"

I got up, and began to walk the opposite direction.

But then he was in that direction too. I looked back, and he was no longer behind me, just in front.

"Going somewhere?"

I shook my head, and tried to walk past him.

His hand fell down on my shoulder and I stopped.
 
"Why don't you trust me?"

I faced him.

"Because you're a goddamn stranger in my dream? Why the hell should I trust you?"

His hand tightened.

"You're afraid of me hurting you, eh? But does me being a stranger have anything to do with that expectation? At least in your case, really."

"...What do you even mean?"

"You know what I mean. Everyone that has ever hurt you, you knew very, very well. Hell, even your own parents have hurt you. Your mother fucking abu-"

I shrugged his hand off of my shoulder.

"I want out of this dream. Now."

"...I'm afraid I can't let you do that, Owen."

"...Wha-"

He backs up, away from me. The River changes. The water morphs  into a giant wall and it floods the banks. It surrounds the both of us, and we're caged in by a swirling twister of water and mist and ice.

The twister suddenly stopps, as if time itself quit. Grey pushes his right arm into it, and it all evaporates. The steam rises up rapidly, and I close my eyes, and shield my face from it.

I open my eyes, and we're not there anymore. We're in complete darkness.

And then, a smashed karaoke machine falls from the sky and hits the ground in between us. I fall to the ground with it. The walls around us morph into reality and I am reliving my mother's tirade.

I'm on the verge of breaking when it all stops and Grey steps in front of me and offers a hand.

"I can help end that. You can be happy again. Grasp my hand, and let me in, Owen; and then, I'll take care her for us. Then, we can be happy, Owen. Together. Just let. me. in."



The dream ended there. I ended it through sheer force of will, I think. I woke up, and my arm was bleeding because I was pinching it so hard in my sleep.

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