Anything Can Happen

Daphne Jane Donnelly slapped the snooze button for the umpteenth time just as soon as the alarm went off, all for another 60 seconds of sweet, sleepy bliss. A risky move, to be sure, but one she was more than willing to make, for she was at her wits end with her daily life. Her soul-sucking and mind-killing corporate job can go straight to hell for all she cared. Bills and debts be damned.

After re-burying herself under her pillows and blankets, she easily fell back to a deep slumber. You know the kind; one where even the body itself slips into a sort of numbness under the coolness of the comforter, and without effort returns to the land of dreams as though it never left. Where when you stretch out as far as you can, your body shakes with delight, more relaxed than ever. A deep, deep sleep.

In no time at all, Daphne Jane had made her way back to the land of dreams; in this one, she was on a Viking ship with red and white striped sails, making her way around a tall grey cliff on brilliantly clear blue water. It was midday, as the sun was high in the sky, but the process of moving around the cliff was taking far longer than anticipated, so much so it was nearing late afternoon by the time she’d reached the other side. There were other people aboard as well, as their vague shapes in various shades of blue and red and deep golden tan crossed in front of her on the ship as she looked around. On the other side was a resort area with a large white ornate building with several columns out front facing the beach and open sea.

I think I love this place, she thought to herself, Have I been here before?

In a moment, as in most dreams, it changes back to the former side of the cliff to the beach, which was full of tourists on that side as well. Lots of umbrellas, beach towels, and once again, vague shapes of people almost out of a painting she’d seen in a museum once. However, even as peaceful as that scene looked, something ominous lurked. A certain kind of darkness was still there, one that pushed her on as though she were running late for something in the dream. Even so, it was only roughly 15 seconds into the dream world thus far.

She traveled back along the cliff towards the second beach. The ocean stretched out as far as the eye could see in that direction as well, with dark clouds engulfing the sky while the sun shone behind her. As Daphne walked barefoot on the sand and spray, the skies grew dark and bleak; the winds whipped and turned cold. It felt like winter was near. Now 30 seconds have passed.

Where are my shoes? Daphne urgently looked along the beach to no avail. And the rest of my stuff…something’s missing…

Growing more panicked as time went on, there was a sudden urgency that she was needing to run somewhere, but her body wouldn’t cooperate. Legs would not run no matter how much her mind told them to. The winds howled as the ocean turned into road and sped up. Only 5 seconds left until the alarm went off. Four, three, two…one.

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! Daphne woke with a start, once more slapping her alarm off entirely. She sat up in bed, hunched over with covers wrapped around her, groggy as could be. Another day begins. Bills and other demands must be met today. The dream would stick on her mind and recur now and then throughout the days marching forward. As vivid as it was, she had no idea what it meant. Still, she swung her legs over the side of the bed and began readying herself for the day ahead, like usual.

THE END