Gwendolyne

Natalia sank into the dark depths, the tentacle wrapping tighter around her body. She rasped for air, the squeezing appendage crushing her lungs. She had one arm free, which she used, trying to pry herself free from the death grip. It didn’t work. Her descent slowed. It was too dark to see what had captured her, but she could feel its hungry gaze on her. She felt several other tentacles brush against her body. With her last bit of defiance, she yelled, kicking, biting, trying anything to free herself. And then she saw it. A glowing sword in the hand of the diver above, long red hair swaying in the soft current.

Will and Natalia found themselves in the dream again. They were standing by the windowsill, looking out into the garden. The sword wasn’t there. Instead, there was a silver haired woman dressed in a long flowing white gown. Her eyes were an impossible golden color, and her voice rang out like a soft swaying breeze as she spoke in an unknown language.

“What’s going on?” Natalia asked, turning to Will.

“I don’t know,” he answered. “Who is that?”

“I’ve seen her before, but…” Natalia blinked.

Suddenly she was in the murky depths again, wrapped tightly around another body. The current violently churned them down a swirling cavern of jagged rocks. They bashed against the walls, the sharp blade-like slicing into them as they were sucked deeper into the caves. They bobbed above the waves for a few moments, allowing them to catch a quick breath, before being sucked down underneath the whirlpool again.

 Will and Natalia were in the dream, this time standing in the garden before the woman. She hummed to herself, watching as a butterfly landed on her fingertips. She smiled at it, whispering to it in the unknown language.

Once again, they were in the whirling waves, coughing and gasping for breath, their heads bobbing up and down against the current. It was a rapid river, flowing deep into the belly of the earth.

“Who are you?” Will asked.

It was strange. They were drowning on the outside, slipping in and out of consciousness, coming to this place each time their vision went back. And yet they forget that here. There was a calm here. A peace that lulled them even in death.

Ragged breaths. Gasping against the rocks. Screams for help. They tightened their embrace of each other, knowing that if either let go, they’d both die.

The woman turned to Will with her whole body, her smile widening as the butterfly fluttered away from her finger.

The current slowed, but they were flowing under the depths. They spun helplessly. How long had it been since their last breath?

The women motioned to open her mouth.

They surfaced, coughing, spitting up water. Their bodies were sliced by the rocks. They didn’t know if they were bleeding out or not.

“Gwendolyne,” She said.