Sleep has been elusive again. Dylan stared at his alarm clock on his nightstand beside his bed - 5:10 am, it read, and he has not slept a wink.
He pulled his blanket over his head and said a silent prayer to the sleep gods to give him reprieve. "It's been a long day - too long of a day! Ugh, I don't even mind the nightmares. I will bear a thousand nightmares for a few hours of sleep."
Exasperated, he sighed and removed the blanket from his head and closed his eyes. He paused, listened to his heartbeat, and slowly took a deep breath, then exhaled. Focusing on his breathing, Dylan tried to calm his mind and body and repeated the breathing technique his therapist taught him.
"Breathe in, breathe out. Breathe in, breathe out. Breathe in, breathe out."
Like a mantra, he repeated this over and over until all faded to black.
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The empty white room enveloped him. The eeriness felt oddly familiar yet it's a different setting from all of his nightmares.
Clutching his shirt, Dylan anticipated the worst and steadied himself for what's to come. The stillness of the room did not phase him one bit...if his past nightmares are any indication, the calmness of the room is only the tip of the iceberg of what's to come.
"Be careful what you wish for," Dylan muttered to himself. "This is the price you pay for a few Z's."
Dylan examined the room and had the urge to shout into the void. "Hello? I am here."
His voice reverberated across the room and the echoes coming from his own voice sent chills down his spine. He was about to say another prayer to the sleep gods to wake him up from his slumber when a soft touch reached his arm from behind.
He cautiously turned around to see who else was in the room with him. His eyes were half closed when he saw her.
HER.
Like the room, she felt familiar, yet this was the first time he laid eyes on her. Porcelain skin, with a smile that definitely reached her eyes.
"Hi! I am here." He heard her speak.
"Who are you?" Dylan managed to ask.
"I am Ba-" Dylan then felt a sudden jolt.
"DYLAAAAAN, time to wake up!"