Mentally It Exists Visually Not

I half slept and half awake, hearing the sound of rain falling on the window of my room asking me to get up, my body all drenched in sweat and my mind refusing to get up. Sometimes we all land up into some different world in our dreams from where we don't want to get up or, even if we want to, somehow time stops.

I was roaming across an area covered by red sand and could feel my feet tumbling into it. There were animals there, miniature and lizard-like. The sky looked as though the sun was setting, but the sun seemed inappropriate somehow. I was sinking into the sand when I saw a beast-like thing coming close to me, all the insects stirred away when he came close to them, the earth was dissolving into flames and, I was all stuck in the sand before I could save myself from the fire, I felt the heat ripping my skin apart I screamed so loud in pain.

I woke up on the kitchen floor, the microwave timer beeping to tell me the pizza was prepared.

Again, I was Hallucinating, I saw Harry staring at me with his profound brown eyes full of pain and fear. Fear of losing me one day and the pain of being all alone even while being with me.

Are you alright? He asked

I, who was trying to get back to the normality of life, wasn't sure if I should take out the pizza first from the oven or hear him from inside out.

I grabbed myself and smiled.

He somehow knew my battles are real, my nightmares are real or me staying awake and still assuming to be dreaming is real too.

The day passed and I went on an evening walk. I was in a store I must have stepped past a million times earlier, but have barely noticed until now. Never have I felt the urge to enter. I have some spare time on my hands today and chose to take a brief look.

“Can I assist you?”

I look up to see an old lady behind a counter. She looks dizzy, and I think when she saw a buyer enter her store.

“Just having a look,” I reply.

I complete a full circle of the location and ensure that there is absolutely nothing here that I wish to buy. I wonder how an old lady tends to remain in business. I rush towards the doorway, but I stop when I see one interesting article. It was an old book straddled on a wooden stand.

There is no visual title on the well-worn leather body, and it is kept closed with a vicious metal buckle. Upon additional examination, I see that a mixture lock is attached to the buckle.

The digits read 02-11-91.

I attempt to open it with the existing mixture, but it does not open. I'm actually more eager to discover what lies within the pages of the book now.

"What is this book about?" As my gaze remained calmly fixed on the elderly lady, I asked. “Do you know the code?”

“I do,” the lady replies but adds nothing more.

I am aggravated by her reply and determine that I have had enough of this site. I turn to exit and am nearly out the door, when I hear the lady say, “Try your birthday.”

I give her a quirky look as I walk around over to the book. She’s absurd, I think. And ultimately, I am compelled. With my index finger, I lift the numbers into position so that they now display my birth month, day, and year.

To my surprise, the latch clicks open. I drag back the heavy cover and flip through the pages. “This can't be true,” I murmur in surprise as I acknowledge the book is a biography… about me!

I look up to ask the woman, but she is not there, and the store unexpectedly seems different, brighter. The shelves are now reserved for all my favourite things. I walk through the galleries again – how did I skip this before? And this? I would purchase any of these articles, gladly!

My favourite scent has replaced the rose's overpowering scent.

I sit behind the counter and wait for a customer to arrive and buy something, but they all wander outside the window as though the location were invisible. The rare ones that do join seem unconcerned about what I have to give or complain that the scent in the air is too strong.

Until one day, a young lady takes an interest in the book.

“It won’t open” she states, pounding on her gum.

“Try your birthday,” I stated.