Lucid (#wattys2016)

Twelve (Revised)

Saturday.

To Isaac, everything seemed trivial and dumb. He didn't say anything, but deep inside he knew that nothing mattered as much anymore. He had seen a glimpse of what lied beyond his own domain, and he had a thirst for knowledge that was unmatched, even by some of the most influential scientists of all time. He knew that it didn't make much sense, but he wanted to feel danger. He wanted to live his life. He wanted to explore, to see beyond the naked eye, to dive into the deepest oceans, or above in the heavens. He needed to experience exploration.

These thoughts itched his mind over and over again as he went through his day, doing all of the things that made him normal. He woke up at 7:00, ate breakfast, watched T.V with his family, and now he was doing some yard work. While most people don't like to do it, he didn't like to do it at all, especially now with his new found knowledge. Later on in the day, he decided to call Andre and vent out to him, telling him about his thoughts.

Andre listened without a single word, but only with the occasional grunt to show that he was still listening. Isaac described every single desire that he had in detail, talking about how much there really was to see. For the first time, he was actually looking forward to the dreams. He wanted to discover something new, see the world, and experience danger. And he wanted to do it with Andre. He wished that they could go everywhere, capturing all knowledge they could. He continued to explain, and Andre finally cut him off. "Isaac. Before you keep talking. I think of this everyday. I want to experience the world in the same way."

There was a moment of an awkward, but meaningful silence, and finally, Isaac spoke again. "I hope to see you in my dreams tonight," which was met with another awkward silence. "Yeah, Isaac, I see what you meant, but that was a but funny," Andre replied, and with that, the conversation was over.

That night, Isaac stared at his ceiling and did his best to go to sleep. He was looking forward to his dreams, and he was even more excited to meet with Andre again. Eventually, he dozed off, and he finally entered his lucid world once again. 

Isaac was in his normal school, in language arts class, and he was sitting next to Andre. He tapped him on the shoulder, and they saw each other and smiled. They began to chat quietly, but they did their best to look discreet. They chatted about small things, like the weather and Donald Trump, and then Isaac felt a spit ball land on the back of his neck. He slowly turned around, and he saw Max sitting in the seat behind him.

Max.

Isaac immediately raised his eyebrows in concern and raised his hand. His teacher looked him dead in the eye, and she asked him what he had to say. He told her about Max, and whenever he did she dismissed this claim, saying that he was seeing things. Even after that dismissal, he still saw Max sitting there, grinning from ear to ear, and he began to say his usual taunts. "I've escaped from prison, and I'm gonna kill you." He repeated it over and over again, and Isaac raised his hand again, saying, "How can you not see him?! He's right there." 

The teacher slowly walked over to him, and she told him to come with her. They walked through the hallways and to a small room, where he was left alone. A few minutes later the counselor walked in, holding a clipboard. 

"Hey, Isaac," she chimed, shaking his hand. "So, I'd like you to tell me about Max, and what you saw." "Well," he replied, "I saw him in class, and he sent a spitball to my neck. He also taunted me, saying the same things that he did whenever I was running from him: 'I've escaped from prison, and I'm gonna kill you.'" This caused her to look concerned, and she wrote something down on her clipboard. She looked back at him, walking him back to class without words.

That day, Isaac was picked up by his parents and taken out for ice cream. They looked sad, and he suddenly knew why. Immediately after, he was taken to an insane asylum. He reluctantly let himself be admitted, and he realized that he had made the stupid mistake of telling the truth to this lady.