Ch. 1

I sigh as I watch the hands of the clock ticking away slowly. They seem to be moving in molasses. The clock contrasts nicely with the plain pale blue walls of the classroom. The same pale blue that is the color of the shirts all the students have to wear as part of uniform. I sigh again. This class seems like it will never end. The drone of the teacher's monotone voice seem to slow the time as she rambles on about algebra or whatever complicated, useless things she teaches us. Someone in the back of the classroom coughs, while another launches spitballs when the teacher's back is turned.

With my index finger, I trace the markings in the desk that kids have carved with freshly sharpened pencils. Taking my own pencil, I chew the eraser, one of my few bad habits. I drop my pencil and rest my head in my palm. My mind wanders, and I begin thinking of all the places in the world I could go to get away from this sorry excuse from a town. I could run away and go to Thailand, or maybe Costa Rica, somewhere exotic and wild. Before I know it, I can feel my eyelids closing and I begin to doze off, dreaming of strange lands.

Ch. 2

Lazily, my eyelids flutter open. I find myself lying in soft green grass. I prop myself up onto my elbows and realize I am clutching a silver heart-shaped locket. Where did this come from? I don't own a locket. Whose is this? I remain lying in the cool grass, wondering where I am. I look around slowly. There is a slight mist surrounding me. The horizon is a deep gray-blue. Suddenly, I get the sensation that someone is hovering over me. Wait, hovering? I look above me and see a beautiful woman staring down at me. She wears a long, maroon, mermaid-style gown with spindly white ribbon tied around the waist. The ribbon floats upward, as if there were no gravity. Her long red hair is tied into two elegant buns on either side of her head, and long pieces of hair fall and frame her petite face. Elbow-length gloves cover her arms as they sort of float in front of her. No, scratch that; her arms are motioning me to get up.

I rise abruptly, still curious as to where I am and what's going on. The woman has a serene smile on her face and her eyelids close halfway. She looks so peaceful and not at all dangerous. I immediately have a sense of trust for her, yet I don't know why.

I look around my surroundings again and take a closer look at the grass. I see two ant-sized people waving up at me. What is going on? I am confused, yet I feel so safe.

Suddenly, the woman disappears into thin air. Where did she go? I have the feeling that I should follow her. I make my way through the grass, following a path of toadstools. Fairies fly overhead, guiding me. I stumble into an equally mysterious field, but this one has a grand oak tree in the middle of it. Sitting in the tree is the woman, her back turned to me, her face looking up at the sky. I slowly creep up behind her, careful not to disturb her.

She senses me, though, and turns to face me. She smiles that peaceful smile again and reaches for my hand. I take it, and she leads me into the sky.

Ch. 3

We're flying! Is this a dream? We fly over the mountains and the trees, and go up and up into the clouds. We float, higher and higher into the sky, the cold wind brushing against my face.

My hand still folded in hers, she leads me through the air, and we pass dozens of colorful shooting stars. I try to catch one, but it dissolves in my hand. The woman leads me forward through the atmosphere. Finally, we land on a rocky cliff, and she lets go of my hand. I stumble to my feet, still in a rush from our thrilling ride.

The woman sits at one edge of the cliff, legs dangling off of the edge, staring into the horizon. I do the same. The moment seems so serene and pure. I feel relaxed and blissful. I feel perfect.

Ch. 4

The next thing I know, I feel a thump on the back of my head. "Huh?" I mumble, and open my eyes to see that I'm still in that stupid classroom. I must have dozed off. The culprit who threw the paper ball at me laughs along with everyone else in the class. The teacher turns and shushes us, then continues to lecture us on our lesson.

So it was a dream, then. With disappointment, I try to focus my attention back to the blackboard and listen to the dead voice of my teacher. But I can't really seem to concentrate on her words. All I can really think of is my dream. I've never had a dream like that before. What could it mean? It was so odd. It was unlike any dream I've ever had. I struggle to make sense of it. It's all I think about for the rest of the day, and when that bell finally rings to signal that the dreary school day is over, I slowly tread out of the building, with the woman's hand in mine, guiding me home.