She's Dreaming

Chapter 1

They pierced her skin with something sharp and she could feel her life force seeping away from her. Were they taking her essence away? To test it? Or to kill her? No, it couldn't be to kill her. If they wished to kill her, they would have done it when they first laid eyes on each other.

Oh, that promising moment. If she only had had the presence of mind to say something more lucid. Instead of 'Hello there, nice day we are having.' Ugh, just the thought of that crass greeting pained her heart. They probably decided there and then to cage her up and take her away. To study her. To poke and prod at her.

She had been picking elderberries for a soup recipe that she had been concocting. Her father was getting old and sickly, but he refused any cures. 'When it's time for me to go, it's time for me to go. I shouldn't try to change the course of time.' He always said to her.

Gosh, how foolish that man could be. And how stubborn. No wonder she was as stubborn as a gooseberry herself. But she decided if he wouldn't take medicine from her, then she would add it to his food. But she had to be careful about that. He was a smart man, and she didn't want to alert him to her dastardly plan.

She had decided to go to the edge of town to pick these berries, where no one besides her usually roamed. Supposedly, the mountains and caves there were haunted. She looked up to see a flash of something blind her. Then she saw those beings. Similar to her, but most unlike her as well. Their clothing was quite peculiar. As were their mannerisms. They were holding interesting instruments as well. It all fascinated her so. She decided to take a closer look. They were being quite sneaky about it all. She supposed they did not want to be caught by anyone.

Either way, she got as close to them as possible and watched them. They were taking samples of the rock, and the soil. Why would they be doing that? She heard them converse with each other. The language was not something she understood. But she could sense that they were worried about what they found in the soil. Something wasn't right. Was that what was causing her tribe to fall sick so easily? She had been searching for a cure herself, but she didn't realize that it could be the fault of the mother that gave them food. The soil itself? Could it be? She tried to think about it, but in her deep reverie, she forgot where she was.

She stumbled. And came to stand right in front of the two beings. They looked so startled. If she had said something coherent like, I come in peace, maybe they would have been assured. But she had mumbled something about the weather, and they had sprayed something in her face, so she fell unconscious right away.

What had they used, she wondered still? It must be something quite powerful. A consciousness device. How fascinating. She didn't have any writing implements with her, but she would have to take notes on this whole experience when she got home. It would take her years to study it all.

And now she lay here. Not on the ground either. On some raised platform. A sort of soft cushiony platform. Quite soft. Uncomfortably soft. If she wasn't restrained by those devices, she would have loved to shift around to make her comfortable on this softness. Why was this sleeping surface so soft? How was a human back supposed to gain proper rest if these individuals end up sleeping on something so soft?

"I was not saying they should have laid me down on a bed of nails, but seriously, this was just too much. If I ever get a chance to chat with them, I shall speak to them about the bed first." She thought ferociously to herself.

"Her dreams are changing. Something to do with her lying on a bed of nails. Hmm." This was the second man. Squeaky, she had decided to call him. The first man would be called Thor. Hmm, that seemed unfair somehow. Maybe she should give Squeaky a more dangerous name as well. She was sure his male ego would be hurt by this name.