One night...

One minute I’m one of many in a crowd of people. Swaying back and forth in the calming rhythm of breath. My eyes felt heavy, apathetic to whatever my brain had slowly drowned out. A man was speaking into a microphone which helped propel his loud booming voice even further into the room. I very might fall asleep standing where I stood, tucked in from the warmth of the crowd, and the heavy murmur from the crowd followed by the booming mumbles from the speakers could quiet any racing minds.

Heavier and heavier my eyelids fell until I stood swaying amongst the waves. I could feel my limbs go numb and my joints soften as my mind cleared the way for whatever dreams it had lined up. It felt inevitable yet improbable. There was no way I’d fully fall asleep. The moments passed by in waves of consciousness and exhausted euphoria. The numbness of the senses and dulling of the mind felt so freeing. I started to fall. I wasn’t sure why or how, but it was too late before I could react. Jolting everything back into its normal rigor and stiffness forcing my heart to skip a beat. I was on my feet again. This time I wasn’t in the crowd.

The new surroundings and sudden rush of adrenaline stirred my eyes. I struggled to find something to focus on. Everything felt so foreign compared to just a moment ago. I felt cold, alone, and lost, there was no one. I finally found a grasp on my breath, the pounding of my heart overtook its rhythm, then someone pulled my arm. Instinctually, I followed along. I still couldn’t understand my surroundings, but here I was running. I focused on the man pulling my arm. It was difficult to distinguish his characteristics from the back of his head, in the midst of a dark corridor. He was tall, lanky but had a layer of muscle around his arms. He had a loose short sleeve shirt on that dangled over his body. It trimmed his tanned skin, leaving flutters of fabric over him. There was what seemed like a door, outlined in a white light up ahead. It felt clear that that was our destination. Inch by inch, every fraction of a second, closer to another unknown.

He thrusted the door open in one seamless swoop. The light was blinding at first, then quickly faded to its normal yellowish hue filtered by the foggy night. It might not have been that foggy but it definitely felt foggy. Maybe it was just my mind.

“Hey, I’m surprised it’s not raining anymore.” A voice, his voice, broke the silence of my mind. The previous wave of melodic rhythm from the crowd couldn’t compare to the still peace that was brought on by his entire being. It washed over quicker, and smoother than anything before. He emitted peace. His light eyes, green, shone hazel under the street light. With a creak of the door and thud from it closing, the flutters of my mind fell. It was cold yet humid. The degree of dampness in the air made his hair stick to his forehead in swooping curls. The dark auburn curls cornered his face that brought out the color of his skin, and the cool warmness of his eyes. He felt magical. I couldn’t open my mouth to reply back to him. After the rush out of the building I felt a heavy weight fall over me. My eyes fell fast, but I could feel my body fall faster. There was no catching myself this time. My mouth felt like static, and my vision escaped me. What was happening?