15: Dare To Dream

I found myself alone, floating in an endless void of swirling, muted colors that mirrored the jewel's hypnotic pulse.

"Finally. Does everything take this long with you?"

No. Not now. Why now? I just want to sleep in peace.

"Don't get me wrong. It's been… Interesting? Nah. Maybe… Amusing? Nevermind. It's definitely been entertaining… Yup. That’s the one. It’s been quite… entertaining so far, watching this little game of mine play out. I thought for sure you'd have taken a hint on the first day. You know, with the jewel right there, but… Oh well, and don’t get me started on when you saw that slime," giggled the familiar voice. "The look on your face." Its laughter grew. "You… You looked like… you were actually thinking about… eating it? Ha! Price-less," it mocked with an amused sing-song lilt. "Oh! Then there was that time… or even when you… and that precious stick of yours… such a scary little… I can’t… I—Wow! I just cannot even…" The laughter started to die down. "Oh, yeah. Whoo! I really needed a laugh like that. Pure comedy gold."

"H-he…elp… m-m-me…" The words were hard to form and came out more like a mumble.

"Help? Now, is that all you have to say? Really? But you’ll never…" it sighed. "I can't step in whenever you throw a fit. What am I, your life coach? Although, I… Nope. Where’s the fun in that?" It broke into more laughter, grating on my last nerve. Something wet rolled down my face, but, just like my speech, I was helpless to do much about it. "Besides… here you go and pull this off? I can’t believe you actually reached out to me, and… here of all places. With a will like that, you’re more capable than…"

Was that a… compliment? What did it even mean? My ‘will’? Give me a straightforward answer for once!

"Anyway, I never imagined we'd be chatting again so soon, and now you… How do you have that, too? It’s strange, considering you don’t… You really shouldn’t… Why would you ever be…? Was I…? No. I’m not usually—Tell me, is this all a little act on your part? Do you enjoy playing pretend? Hmmm…?"

An act?! I don’t even know what you’re—!

"So why then? Why should I intervene for someone who has… your unpredictable skills?" Though it had to be rhetorical, the voice paused as if expecting me to actually reply. I couldn’t. "Now then, Skyler." Its tone shifted away from the teasing mockery. "I think it’s about time for you to get ready. This is just the beginning, after all, and you need to finish what you’ve started. Someone must have seen that, and now? Ooh… So many possibilities. Who’s it going to be? Oh boy, I can’t wait! They’ll be coming before you know it. Get ready. You have to be ready, Skyler…"

"Nuh… No. You’re wr-wrong. I need…" My voice was hoarse, but the words finally came out clearer and easier to control. The void faded, and I blinked, or maybe I just opened my eyes. I was back in the leafy nook of my hovel. Alone. "I need… help?"

Perfect. Just when I thought I might get answers. Poof. Hope stolen. I wiped my eyes and sat up, dismissing it all as a dream—nothing else.

I glanced around my hovel. Something still seemed off. I hadn't seen my morning visitor or their pups since they ran off two days ago. There weren’t any signs of its little gifts, either. I'd just started getting used to it and even looked forward to seeing my bushy-tailed visitors throughout the day. In a pathetic way, they made me feel less alone.

The way it reacted—whether it was because of my outburst or the howl—didn't matter. If I was a danger to myself, attracting predators like that wolf-thing, I was a danger to the three of them. Abandoning me was the smartest thing they could do. Whatever. I didn’t care if I ever saw it or its pups again.

"They… were nuisances, anyway. I-I’m better off… alone."

At the fountain stood the statue, always there and always would be. He didn't count, but his face didn't bother me as much anymore. The arrogance, condescension, and judgment I saw before was gone.

"Time to get to work."

My daily routine had a late start without a furry wake-up call, but it didn't bother me. There was more than enough time left in the day to do what little actually needed to be done. I splashed some water on my face and ate my favorite dirt-flavored fiber breakfast. I was actually used to the vegetables now. I went foraging for berries after and savored a few to improve my already disappointing day.

Exploring the ruins wasn't much of a pastime anymore. I'd explored most of the area twice over. They were actually smaller than I first assumed, but just as empty as ever. The solitude sure felt different from when I stayed cooped up in my room.

Having my renewed strength and the sword to cut wood gave me something to do and preoccupy my mind. The unlit signal fire, still just a pile of wood, continued to grow like it belonged to a survivalist hoarder prepping for danger. I had to do something productive, but there wasn't much point in collecting too much more wood without the skill to light it. I stacked what I had, organizing my mess into a pyre of sorts.

After a quick survey of my camp and the immediate area around the fountain plaza, I marched back to the spot where it all began—where everything always worked against me. My motivation dropped to an all-time low, making the short distance to the church seem like more of a hike than it should have been.

I tried to think of something else and recalled my frustrating dream. Only fragments returned. Something vague about how I should’ve known better. The sentiment described almost everything I did. The only other things that stood out to me were something about finishing what I started, and that they’ll be coming.

Good. The more the merrier. Maybe someone can finally put me out of my misery.

If the message was supposed to be anything more than a dream, it was too cryptic. Why would I think anything could be easier after a conversation with that obnoxious thing? My subconscious was probably venting my failures back at me.

"Next time, I’ll… Wait. Next time? It’s not like I… want to hear from that thing again. Do I? Shut up! You’re just… tired and confused, but if I have the chance… I’ll tell it to send me home. Enough is enough."

Annoyed, I swung the sword at a stone I propped up like a tee-ball just so I had something to hit.

"You damn—"

Gong!

"Fore! Wait, that’s golf."

Clack!

It ricocheted off something in the distance.

"Huh. Not bad…"

Finally at the church, I sat and leaned against the jeweled slab, same as my first night, mulling things over. It was barely noon, and I had nothing to do except sit there and sweat in the never-ending heat.

"Is this really my life now?"

My head filled with random, useless ideas about how to make things easier, but turned to what I missed from home instead: the warmth and safety of my bed, delicious food that was probably a little too unhealthy, playing games to relax instead of being trapped in whatever game this was supposed to be, and just not having to think about what might be watching me from the shadows. Even the smell of black coffee and burnt toast came to mind, followed by some childhood memories of my family, all taking me by surprise.

"I wonder what they’re doing right now? Is it a weekend, or…?"

Lost in my pointless thoughts, the faint sounds of howls and barking echoed from deeper into the ruins. I recognized them right away and suddenly returned to the present. They belonged to the squirrel-fox pups, but weren’t the playful noises I’d grown used to. Their commotion seemed to cause a cloud of scattering birds to fill the cloudless sky above us.

They might have wanted nothing to do with me, but I had an unnerving feeling I shouldn't ignore them. A sense of dread formed in the pit of my stomach. I'd hate myself more than I already did if something happened to them. For all I knew, I might have drawn another beast into the ruins—their home.

"Not again. I don’t know if I can… Please, just… let it be nothing."

I held the sword tight, my grip firm but sweaty, and ran towards the noise.