Twisted Dreams

Dancer

Step softly, don’t make a sound. Move with the shifting shadows and flickering light. Become a silent dancer through the dark and evil.

The grass tickled my bare feet, but I bit my tongue, ignoring the sensation.

The world revolves around you on its axis, a thunderous sound that never reaches your ears. The sun cries as it rises each morning, great teardrop rays shining down, and the moon is its echo, its reflection, bathing the world in pale sorrow.

Time moved infinitely slowly, nothing but the ground below me and the fortress door in front - my destination.

You are invisible. The fate of your fellow inmates rests upon your shoulders. Can you taste your freedom? Can you feel its wings brush against your fingertips?

Rows upon rows of guards line up along the castle battlement, peering out from their parapets, hawk eyes glaring toward where I crawl - somehow, unseeing.

The stars light your path. They’re singing for you, leading you forward, forming the melody against the beat of your heart. Can you hear it, soldier? Can you hear it, dancer?

My tears fall to the ground, glimmering, and I struggle to hold them back. I dare not raise an arm to wipe them away. I dare not sniffle or cry out. I dare not. The gate’s maw towers over me, and I am so, so close to the end.

Do not lose your footing.

My toes catch on a root, the scuffle sounding out like a gunshot. But I do not speed up, nor slow down, nor fall to the ground in pain. I continue moving as I have been, swaying with the leaves’ shadows, breathing the air of freedom whose scent grows stronger with every step. The guards take no notice, make no sound, no clink of metal armor.

Do not celebrate too soon - to do so would be selfish. The shadows are closer to you now than they have ever been. Do not let them slay your heart.

My foot crosses the threshold. Ahead of me is a river. Upon it is a wooden raft, small and flimsy, but brighter than the angels above. Hope wells in my heart, but I quickly tamp it out, leaving nothing but embers and renewed determination.

The sand that clings to your footsteps forms a trail, dancing soldier. A path to your soul, and the evil is right behind you, nipping at your heels. It smells you. It smells the fear in the hairs standing on the back of your neck. Can you feel its breath?

As I move onto the beach, I slide my feet from side to side. The sand ripples around me, dusting over my footprints, spilling over in waves. The sound of water rises to lap at my ears, muffling the sounds of shifting sand. There are fewer shadows to hide in, here.

The raft is untethered. It will not wait for you long. And when you are upon it, it will guide you while you rest. Drift asleep, little one. Dream of your freedom. It is grasped between your fingers, shimmering gold threads. Don’t lose it now.

I reach the raft at last, and slink aboard. Large crates are scattered about beneath the sails. I slip into one, shutting the lid behind me, and lay upon the wooden slats. A hole in the boards is placed right before my eyes. I breathe in the misty air and gaze at the reflection of the moon upon the river’s surface. My eyes flutter closed, and all the energy and adrenaline leaves my body. All that is left is the sound of waves, and the creak of the raft as it begins its journey.