Once Upon A Dream

Chapter One

As soon as she arrived home, she trudged unwillingly into her living room, kicked off her black shoes and slumped into the left corner of her couch.

The couch... It held so many memories.

It was once full of so many people. Now its only occupant was a listless young lady. She stared emotionlessly at the wall on the opposite side of the couch. He was supposed to be there, laughing and making idiotic jokes. Instead, a phantom aura was floating around the empty, lifeless room.

She closed her eyes and let out a sigh. Life would be so boring without him, so meaningless. But she had to keep going. That was what he asked her to do; that was his last wish, his final request. She smiled weakly in a sad attempt to cheer herself up. She ceased, realizing that didn't help at all.

After a while, she drifted into a deep, beautiful slumber, and began to dream.

When she opened her eyes, she looked up to see a silhouette in the distance. She lifted herself off the cold, stone-hard ground and gazed at the ghostly figure. She stood there a moment, trying to figure out what she should do. Finally, she decided to approach the eerie shadow. Slowly, with small steps. Her bare feet clicked upon the stone cold floor as she moved closer.

Once she was close enough, she got a closer, clearer glimpse at the person. She gasped and clamped her hand over her gaping mouth, it really was him. She ran straight for him, her arms extended, ready to take him up in a warm embrace. But as soon as she reached him and closed her open arms on his frame, he vanished. She stood there, processing what had just happened. Her vision blurred with unshed tears, and she collapsed to her hands and knees. She clenched her teeth and slammed the floor with her hands.

Suddenly, she jolted forward. She'd been laying on her back, on the couch. So it was a dream... Just a horrible... Painful... Dream. No. Nightmare.

She laid back down, sobbing uncontrollably. He would never be back, he was gone. She kept telling herself that. She had to; it was reality.

She glanced at the clock that was ticking away on her wall, just above her doorway. It read 7:27. She sighed deeply and went to get changed. It would be a long night.