THE MEANING OF LIFE is truly a mystery. No one can fully grasp the concept. Humans, after all, are small-minded. Not in the sense that the size of their brains are small, but they simply lack the openness to see beyond the constructs of their reality.
What is Deja Vu? A strange phenomenon that simply occurs? Or memories of past lives returning, if only for a brief moment. What is the Mandela Effect? A shared idea that turned out to simply be remembered wrong? Or other universes bleeding into one another.
This concept of other worlds and past lives scares people. That fear is what creates their small-mindedness, it controls them into believing that life is merely surface level and that if something cannot be explained, then it is untrue.
It is a sad sight to see people limiting their minds, limiting their experiences. They settle for life as is and never bother to ask if there is more. That is why Quinn was so thankful for her mothers. They raised her to believe in and seek the unknown -- to live life to its fullest, awake and asleep.
While she worked in the Marketing department of a publishing company during the day, at night, she flew alongside dragons and conquered villains. In her dreams, she was a warrior. When she was asleep, she could become her true self, someone the Waking world would not be so accepting of. What would her coworkers think if she told them that her 'fun evening' consisted of playing make-belive in her head? They would probably think she didn't get held as a child.
And though her childhood was the complete opposite, there was no point in discussing that with people she barely knew and people who didn't bother to know her.
As much as she wanted to leave work and escape to her dreams, sadly, money was needed in order to survive. And so, she goes to work, every day, 9 to 5.
"Any plans for the weekend?" A high-pitched voice belonging to Lauren, snapped Quinn back to reality, sadly.
"What?" Quinn blinked, her eyes painfully dry. Had she been staring?
Lauren giggled, her blonde bob bouncing along with her. "Any plans this weekend?" She repeated her question.
"Oh..." Quinn sighed. She looked around the office, eyes desperately searching for a clock, finally landing on the digital one that hung on the wall. 9:01. Her day was done. She returned her eyes to Lauren and smiled as kindly as she could. "Not really! I've actually been meaning to clean, so maybe that and sleeping in."
The two women laughed politely together, merely a courtesy. "Well, since you aren't doing much..." Lauren began to speak as Quinn stood, collecting her laptop and books. "Would you be up to going out?"
Quinn looked at her quizzically through her peripherals as she stuffed her things back into her messenger bag. "Out? With you?"
"Yes, with me, silly!" Lauren laughed. "It's my birthday Sunday and I'm inviting the other ladies in the office."
Shit, Quinn thought bitterly as she straightened, her bag now secured on her shoulder. I should've said I was busy. "Oh, well, happy early birthday!"
"Thank you!" Lauren smiled and the two began walking side by side towards the elevator that would take them to the company parking garage.
"And I would..." Quinn heavily debated declining, she would love nothing more to, but her mothers raised her better. Maybe it would be a good opportunity for her to make some new friends. "...love to come. You have my email, so you can send me the location and time?"
Lauren's face lit up with what could only be described as pure happiness. Clearly, she had expected Quinn to say no. "Of course!" They arrived at the elevator and she excitedly pushed the down button. "I'm so glad you're able to come!"
Quinn smiled and nodded. "How could I miss out on your birthday?"
Then, they fell silent, something that Quinn was hoping to avoid. Awkward silence was the bane of her existence. She and Lauren stood in the elevator with nothing else to say to each other for fourteen floors. And when the doors finally opened on the parking garage, they said their goodbyes and Quinn didn't even try to hide her dash to her car.
The small black Volkswagen beetle waited for her and greeted her with a gush of smelly hot air as she opened the car door.
Getting in, she tossed her messenger bag onto the passenger seat and started the car. It brought her great comfort to leave work. Finally, she could be alone with her dreams and with no one to bother her.
Home was a quaint, one-bedroom apartment in The Beaches of Toronto. Dark bookshelves filled to their brims lined nearly every wall and restored 1950s furniture furnished the place. Some might call it ugly, but to Quinn, it was nearly an exact replica of her childhood home. Dried herbs hung in the kitchen and incense constantly burned. It was...cozy.
And cozy was exactly what Quinn needed. "Lauren's birthday..?" She mumbled to herself, sliding her bag off her shoulder and softly to the floor. "What the fuck."
She wouldn't exactly call Lauren a 'friend', she was just someone who was always there. But they weren't close enough that she would be invited to her birthday, of all things. Quinn cursed her proper upbringing into making her accept the invitation. But, there was no point in dwelling. She was tired and ready to fly a spaceship or fight evil wizards -- wherever her dreams may take her.
Rushing herself, she changed into her stained pyjamas, washed her face a little too aggressively, and barely brushed her teeth before jumping into her queen-sized bed -- a gift from her mothers -- and wrapping herself in a cacoon of blankets.
Quinn's eyes fluttered shut and she slowed her breathing down. She counted.
Breathe in, breathe out. One.
Breathe in, breathe out. Two.
She continued this until her conscious mind slipped into her unconscious. Just as Alice fell down the rabbit hole, Quinn fell down a spiral of colours and shapes, past universes and planes, only instead of landing, she kept going. It was unusual. Normally, she would stop, falling into her dream for the night. But her speed increased and Quinn began to panic.
She was twelve when she mastered the art of Lucid Dreaming, but she had started when she was nine. Now, she was twenty-seven. For eighteen years, she had been Lucid Dreaming -- eighteen -- and never once has this happened.
"Hello?" She called out, hoping someone would hear her. But who? Other Lucid Dreamers? There's no way to fall into someone else's dream.
So, she changed methods. Quinn tried to wake up. Using all the willpower she possibly could, she tried and tried and tried. Yet, nothing. She was stuck falling down a pit that seemingly led to nowhere. Endless.
Time seemed nonexistent. She could've been falling for thirty seconds or thirty years.
The panic eventually subsided. What was the point in doing so? Nothing she did seemed to remedy the situation, so staying calm was Quinn's best option.
The falling eventually turned into a floating sensation, making her body feel light and weightless. She had flown in her dreams and it never felt like this. Quinn smiled. Though she seemingly had no control over the situation, it was probably one of the best feelings she had ever experienced.
Then, a sudden scent of fresh grass and pine filled her senses. The nonsensical swirl of colours began to form into shapes and Quinn could identify trees. Her mind began to put together the pieces to create her dream. Slowly, the falling stopped and her feet found soft ground, her bare soles curling around the green blades.
Like a painting coming to life before her eyes, trees erected from the ground, a river snaked through a quarry -- the forest awakened. Quinn was in awe. In her waking life and dreams, she had seen forests, but this one was something else entirely. It was as if every magical forest imaginable had been combined into one.
Quinn glanced down at her body, noticing that she was in her pyjamas. That's strange, she thought. Typically, her clothes would change with the dream, but it was as if she simply projected herself as is into the forest.
Truly, she was speechless. The thoughts and feelings she was experiencing were unlike anything else describable. The only thing she could possibly compare the forest to would be The Shire and even that didn't do it justice.
A soft breeze blew through the canopy of leaves and pushed the scent of bread and baked goods through the air. Quinn's nose followed the smell, compelling the rest of her body to move along with it.
She strolled through the whimsical forest, purely and utterly calm. Despite how she arrived, she did not fear the place. And eventually, her nose led her to the source of the smell -- two cottages with steaming chimneys. They were quaint and reminded her a little of the home she grew up in.
If the chimneys were blowing smoke, that had to mean people were home. And Quinn would be lying to herself if she said she wasn't curious about the dream she concocted. So, she continued her steps, wandering into the small garden. The smell of bread became more intense and sweet. "Hello?" Quinn called out.
Something in the air shifted as the word left her mouth. Suddenly, she didn't feel so safe. The bright blue sky seemed to darken and clouds rolled in, taking away the warm sunlight, leaving the air cold.
The winds picked up hushed and worried whispers. Quinn stayed still, waiting.
"Who is that?"
"A new Dream?"
"Lord Morpheus may have sent her?"
"Don't be stupid, Abel!"
"Sorry, Cain!"
From behind the brick walls of their homes, brothers Cain and Abel surveyed the stranger. Visitors were far and few in between, consisting only of Lord Morpheus and Lucienne.
"Is anyone there?" She called out once again.
Abel jumped slightly, a startled noise falling from his lips. "Who is that?" He repeated his question.
"I don't know..." Cain stroked his beard, eyes narrowing as he watched her.
"Should we...say hello?" Abel made to take a step forward but Cain shot his arm out to stop him.
"No! We should get Lord Morpheus and-"
His words were cut off by an excited trill that could only belong to one creature. Young Goldie the Gargoyle clumsily fluttered towards the unknown woman.
"Goldie, no!" Abel whispered harshly, but he was not loud enough to steal the gargoyle's attention.
Quinn stood confused as the golden animal moved toward her. It grinned, its whole body vibrating with excitement. Eventually, it reached her, slamming into her chest. Quinn was quick to whip out her arms and catch it before it fell to the ground.
Holding it up as if it were a baby, Quinn examined the thing. "Hello..." She turned its body and in response, it gurgled. "What are you?"
She couldn't help but smile at its puppy-like eyes. It was such a kind-looking creature.
"Goldie!" A man's voice caught Quinn off guard and instinctively, she moved the tiny dragon-like thing behind her to shield it. Two men were barreling towards her, both sets of eyes on what she held behind her back. "Let him go!"
Quinn immediately did so. The creature trilled and hovered back over to the men. They sighed with relief as it reached them. Quinn watched the reunion with a soft smile. "I'm sorry, I wasn't sure who he belonged to."
Both of their heads snapped back to her. One harsh and one apprehensive. The cold one stepped forward. "What is your name? Who are you?"
"Quinn. Quinn Amaranth. And you are?"
"Cain...and Abel."
Quinn raised a brow. How could that be right? Why would she dream of the bible? She wasn't even Christian. "...huh?"
AUTHORS NOTE
I AM SO SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG but finally here is chapter one! Little hint going forward of how the dreams (and nightmares) are attracted to Quinn ;). But I had fun writing this even though it was kind of tedious! I hope you enjoyed it regardless!