Fragment 2: Author's note

So, first things first, "Her Dream" was not my idea.

My friend actually dreamed it. She lived through the whole thing and then told me her dream in her own words. And surprisingly, it was very detailed.

I took her permission and started working on it.

And that's where things got a little interesting.~

"Before Your Feet Touch the Earth" was easy for me in comparison because I dreamed it myself. I knew what I saw, what I felt, and how everything happened.

But "Her Dream" was different.

It was Raya's dream. Her experience. Her emotions.

Initially, I thought about writing it completely in Raya's POV, but after thinking about it for a while, I just didn't feel good about it. It felt a little wrong to write as if I was actually her, when I wasn't the one who lived the dream.

So I left that idea.

In simple terms, I am just the wordsmith here.

The dream, the ideas, the experience, all of that belongs to my friend. I just took what she gave me and tried to turn it into a story.

Of course, while writing it, I started finding my own meaning in it too.

The pavilion, for me, represents a perfect and comfortable place, but with something fake underneath all that luxury. A beautiful place where you still don't necessarily feel happy or peaceful.

Sounds a little like the real world, doesn't it?~

The four pillars made me think of human nature and the things we need in this world. And that colder fourth pillar felt different from the others. To me, it represents something we deeply want but don't always talk about. Maybe love. Maybe connection. Maybe just the desire to feel something real.

Then there is the race.

I saw it as the race of life itself. Something that begins when a soul is born and ends when that soul leaves this world.

Everyone is running.

Everyone is trying to reach somewhere.

And somewhere in all that mess, we sometimes forget our own peace and happiness.

And then there is the boy.

For me, he represents that person who suddenly enters your life and brings a little bit of joy with them. Someone who makes you forget everything else for a while.

As for the promise they made...

I don't think that one has an answer.~

And honestly, I don't think my interpretation is the meaning of the dream either.

There can be many meanings.

Maybe you will see something completely different from what I saw, and that's actually what I like about it.

Too philosophical? Huh. I know~

But that's just how I ended up seeing the dream while writing it.

In simple terms, "Her Dream" is a story about a sudden moment in life that changes your whole experience of it.

What that moment means to you is something I'll leave for you to decide.

And if you have your own interpretation of the dream, tell me. I'd genuinely love to know what you saw in it.

Thanks for reading.

See you all in the next fragment. ~