Drabble Wednesday: Dreams

Today on Drabble Wednesday, drift away into endless slumber, perchance to dream…

Paradise

I close my eyes to dream, to slip into the peaceful oblivion of sleep. To draw calm breath, in and out, in and out, as my mind wanders through a plethora of unreality.

I welcome it.

I welcome the illusion.

I walk along a beach, the warm sand against my bare feet, like the ones I walked when I was young. The summer sun shines, a sultry breeze blows off the ocean, and I can smell the scent of wild roses and sea.

I want to stay forever.

But I wake up, to face the last day of the world.

~*~

Sleeping Beauty

No one asked me.

No one ever asked me.

I’ve been cursed, lied to, deceived, punished, imprisoned and freed, but no one ever thought about me. No one ever asked me what I thought, what I wanted.

The only time I was allowed to decide anything was in my dreams.

There I was happy. I was free.

Now they tell me I have to marry this prince. This stranger. All because he broke the curse.

Why? It makes no sense.

Asleep, I had contentment. In my prison I was safe.

Now… I’ve woken up into a nightmare.

Somebody help me.

~*~

Lost

How do you know?

When do reality and dreams become blurred?

How do you tell the difference?

I once thought the answer simple. I bet you do too.

It isn’t.

There is something in-between. A world half-in, half-out. A universe of stars and dread, of wishes and weakness. Where shadows hide monsters and mirth, demons and delight.

It’s a dark place of temptation.

A devil’s playground.

A place where nightmares are born.

But a place I love. I go there often.

But now I cannot get back.

And I’m not alone. I hear it breathing.

I fear I’m being hunted.

© A. F. Stewart 2016 All Rights Reserved