On
our knees, we embraced. In this strange world of snow white trees and golden
leaves, I wanted nothing else. But he whispered something I couldn't hear, and
in that moment, I knew everything felt very wrong. He pulled away, and our
embrace was broken. Like wind, he was gone. I tried to call for him, but my
voice sounded strange and unfamiliar. It echoed quietly, barely leaving the
surface of my lips. The leaves, painted in golden embers, blurred around me,
and a new color, red, mixed into the world. Frightened, I tried to stand,
calling for him again. But still, my voice was weak, and he did not answer. A
ghostly movement up ahead sparked a glimmer of hope. I ran. The wind picked up
my dress and my hair, cutting it into streaming ribbons of gold and red. His
voice sounded from behind me, I stopped to look back. Scanning deep into the
confusing world around me, I couldn't find him. I panicked. My voice echoed
once more through the dancing trees. The only response I got, was from the waving
leaves of this surreal world. Their vibrant colors burned brighter till they caught
fire and drifted wistfully to the ground. Smoke billowed up as they continued
to fall and disintegrate into piles of
hot ash. Soon the leaves had revealed a sky above, dark, and depressing.
It felt as if he had abandoned me, in a decaying world, a world trying to pull
me into its dark prison. I sank to my knees and cried. I was alone. Soon, the
flames from the leaves crawled closer to catch fire on my dress. There was no
escaping it, I was going to die. He had left me, he didn't love me. My heart
was so broken in pain, I didn't try to stop the fire as it threatened to burn
my skin. Through my tears, I whispered for him one more time. A hand touched my
shoulder...
"Leo!"
I opened my eyes and sat up in bed with a jolt. Shaking off the nightmare, it
slowly faded into the walls of a dark room. Glancing to my side, I realized, Leo
had been the one to wake me from my dreams' prison.
"What's
wrong?" he asked me.
I
covered my eyes and almost cried, relieved beyond words to see that the man of
my dreams had been laying right there beside me.
"Oh
Leo, it was terrible!" Tears swelled up and I sniffled, "Why did you
leave me? I thought I was going to die! Why didn't you come back for me?"
"What?"
He asked again as he shoved his blanks off, so he could come and sit up next to
me, "What are you talking about? I'm right here!" I felt him place
his hands on my shoulders attempting to comfort me.
"But
I saw you! And then you were gone, and everything was on fire!"
"Oh,
sweetie, I would never do that," He pulled me into his arms, "It was
just a bad dream."
I
wrapped myself around him, and climbed into his lap. Still frightened by the images
that replayed in my head, I breathed in a shaky breath, and broke down into
more sobs.
"Shhhh..."
He ran his fingers through my hair, "If you were ever left alone in a
scary situation, I would do anything
to get you out of it."
"Really?"
I pulled away slightly to look him in the eyes.
"Whoever
was in your dream, wasn't me."
"It
wasn't?" I reached up, and wiped away a tear that had streaked down my cheek.
"No.
It wasn't." He leaned in and kissed my forehead, "Now, it's still
very late. Why don't you try to lay back down, close your eyes, and think about
good thoughts..." Gently, he laid me back down into the soft sheets of our
bed.
I
held back another sob, still not quite sure if I was ready to go back to sleep
again.
"...Okay?"
though he was asking me, it felt like a command, "Go back to sleep."
Then
to my disappointment, he detached himself from me to lay down on his side of
the bed. Making sure to cover us both with the blankets, he rolled over,
turning his back to me.
In
the darkness of our room, the dream replayed around me. Fire, smoke,
abandonment. I struggled to close my eyes and think about something else, but
my mind was permanently scarred.
"Leo?"
I whispered.
"Hmmm..."
He mumbled half asleep.
"I
can't sleep. What if... " I hesitated, "What if I have another bad
dream?"
Rolling
over to face me, Leo opened up his arms and smiled warmly, tempting me to
approach closer.
Without
hesitation, I accepted the invitation and snuggled deep inside his embrace.
This time, the embrace was real, not a re-creation inside a nightmare.
"Is
that any better?"
I
nodded as his heat spread over me, it was much better. Satisfied to pieces
beyond fear, I sighed as my eyes closed once more.
Giving
me another kiss, he whispered, "Goodnight."
Written By~Ally Elaine, Edited By~Madge