Chronicles of Mystery

A Waking Dream

Lucy tossed and turned in her bed for a moment. It wasn't that she had trouble falling asleep, it was rather that she was afraid of dozing off and being confronted during her night with unwanted dreams.

She left her candle carefully lit on the bedside table. She had always been afraid of the dark. For as long as she could remember, she had hated obscurity, she had been afraid of what might lurk in it. When she found herself in a gloomy place, she always felt alone and isolated there. She felt like everyone else was gone, only she was left, alone against the darkness, invaded by shadows. In the dark, the memories, the regrets, the reproaches, the guilt, everything became more difficult to drive away. She was overwhelmed by the traces of the past. She felt trapped, bound by unbreakable ropes, unable to get rid of them. She was slowly sinking into nothingness, this nothingness she had been trying to avoid for years, this nothingness that pursued her, pursued her endlessly, that never left her in peace.

So she was struggling, alone in her bed, against the sleep that awaited her. Her eyelids heavy, her jaw dropping while yawning, her vision becoming blurred. At times, she would completely close her eyes and fall asleep for a few seconds, then suddenly wake up, terrified. The more time passed, the more difficult it was to stay awake. After dark, her room in the mansion seemed much more sinister to her than during the day. The penumbra gave another aspect to each object. Covered in shadows, they were transfigured and metamorphosed, becoming monstrous. Fantastic beings, waiting in the shadows, waiting for the right moment to attack.

Lucy stared at the door with the distinct feeling that something was going to open it all of a sudden. So she felt that, if she stopped looking at it, the nightmares will take the chance to barge in the room and choke her.

Gradually, the contours of the room became blurred, everything seemed to shake. Then darkness fell over her and sleep overcame her.

The girl woke up with a start in her bed. She had just fallen asleep. She couldn't help it, she was exhausted.

She looked around her. The morning had already risen, a whole night had passed since she had fallen asleep.

Quickly, she realized that something was wrong. The room she woke up in had nothing to do with the one she slept in. The place was nothing like the mansion in general. Where the hell could she be?

She turned her head around, panicked. What to do ? She stood up abruptly. Once standing, she wobbled a little on her legs. Her vision became blurry for a few moments.

The room she was in had a cream-colored Japanese tatami floor. The walls were painted off-white. The bed she was in was just a mattress on the floor. There were also several cupboards built into the walls and closed by sliding doors. The room was lit by large bay windows dressed in white panels that let the light filter into the room. The furnishing was quite spartan. Only a few shelves filled with books as well as a black wooden coffee table and a bonsai tree.

Lucy advanced into the room. Her footsteps produced a muffled and almost inaudible sound on the ground. The feeling was special. She approached the door which was a wooden panel sliding on the floor.

She felt embarrassed, she felt like she was in the wrong place at the wrong time. She gently pushed the wooden panel. It produced a slight sound of friction against the ground.

The room opened onto a hallway with wooden floors and uniform white walls. Silence reigned, not a sound.

Lucy felt like an intruder. She didn't know what she was supposed to do and had no idea how she got there.

She decided to move forward until she managed to find the exit from this maze. As she walked, she had the impression that the scenery remained the same, it was as if she was standing still.