Shreds of an Archive

A Rift Between Friends

"Cory?" Haelen's lips were dry, voice barely a cracked whisper. Her eyes were focused across the road, to a dark haired girl, clad in a ball gown, elegantly striding down the concrete sidewalk.

She had seen this girl before, but not here- not in real life. . . or so she thought.

"Cory!" Haelen yelled. I must be dreaming.

Cory heard her call, her eyes searching for the source, finally coming to rest on Haelen, recognition spread across her face mixed with confusion and hope. Then the world shattered.

*

Haelen lay, sprawling out in a field of wheat, the hot sun warming deeply warming her. She smiled in contentment. I could lay here forever. Haelens dreams were always extremely vivid, she could hear, smell, touch everything, and had even met people in the lands her dreams created.

Her family had never believed her though, when she told them about her escapades into other, foreign lands. The only place she ended up in doing that was the shrink's office.

Haelen had encountered endless scenarios that felt like they were straight out of fairy tales- she was always able to remember each one vividly.

With a start, Haelen sat up, the golden wheat field undulated with the wind like a roaring tide. Something was wrong, she smelled smoke.

A brief look around revealed an ignited cottage, she heard men shouting, saw them frantically running to grab buckets of water from troughs, but it wasn't enough.

She broke into a run, feeling a strong need to help the poor souls whose house had caught on fire. Soon, she was beside them hauling buckets of water back and forth in a desperate effort to quench the roaring flame.

They had done it, a large portion of wood was charred, but they had saved the majority of the cottage from the flame. A wave of relief rippled those who had helped, and then all eyes were on her.

"Who are you missy?" One of the men asked. She hesitated a moment

"I'm Haelen" Her voice was meek and quiet.

"Aye, well, thanks for helping us out, we are indebted." He took a long breath. "Pr'haps you'd like to join my family for dinner?"

"I'd like that" Haelen replied, a grin widely spreading across her face. Thats where she had met Cory, quickly becoming friends with the extroverted, outspoken girl.

This was the first place she had dreamed about twice, and then many more times after, always returning back to the Cory's family's cottage.

"Where do you live, anyway, Haelen?" Cory's mom questioned over the dinner table. Haelen sat, thinking for a couple moments.

"A cottage with my mom, deep in the forest, hard to reach though." It was the only excuse she could think of to keep them from knowing that she didn't belong here.

*

So why was Cory here- in the real world? Haelen broke eye contact, running across the road towards her friend.

"Cory! What- How- How are you here?" Cory's hands shook, she spoke in a jittery, nervous manner.

"I was at the ball- There was this blinding light, and the next thing I knew- I was here. . . Did the same thing happen to you?" Cory's eyes were glassy, most likely from the overwhelming stress of being cast into a new dimension- something she knew well- but relieved as she spoke to Haelen.

"No- Not exactly, follow me, don't let go of my hand" Haelen knew that staying outside in public with someone from a fantasy land would be a bad idea, and if she tried to explain it to any one they'd just think she's crazier than they already believe!

They ran, too focusing on their footsteps instead of speaking, soon they had reached her house.

Luckily, her mom and pop were at work, dealing with angry customers instead of they're lunatic child.

Haelen flicked the lightswitch on, noticing Cory flinch in fear and squint as the dull lamp buzzed to life.

"Please, tell me what's happening" Cory whispered through gasping breaths. "Is this some sort of witchcraft?"

"Well. . . you know how I said I lived in a cottage in the woods?"
"Aye, I remember it well"

"I live here" Cory stared at her for a moment, blinking.

"I don't understand" With a sigh, Haelen briefly explained her escapades through her dreams and how she had another life in this world.

"Okay. ." Cory said slowly, trying to collect her thoughts. "So all I have to do is sleep?"

"Maybe. . . Do you feel tired?" Haelen looked at her, saw her eyes wide open, most likely from the adrenaline "I guess we have to wait until tonight-"

As she was saying the final word, the entire room shook, windows shuddering violently. Then slowly, nowhere a void appeared, the absence of reality was the only way she could explain it, tearing away at the fabric of the universe.

"We should run." Haelen suggested, pronouncing each word as if the language was foreign to her. Cory agreed.

They took off, flying out of her door.

The ground shook again, they both stumbled, Haelen felt a stone slice sharply against her knee, blood trickling from the wound.

Then the ground was gone. Replace by a void.

They were falling, time becoming meaningless, a concept she used to know, she saw the sounds of birds chirping as the color yellow rang in her ears, buzzing loudly.

Decades- or just a small handful of moments later, she felt her body hit the ground with a thud, and heard Cory groaning beside her.

She lay there for a couple moments, her brain reeled from what had just happened, then she pushed herself to her knees.

"Haelen, look" Cory murmured. Trees with iridescent leaves covered the landscape, a river flowed blood red, the sky was a dull orange and the sunlight painted the land in a dazzling purple, mixing and blending with the rest of the colors.

She was far from home.

I actually might continue this, so if you like it, let me know.