Chapter 34: The Dream
Simon had just finished eating his dinner and pushed away the tray from the bed. He concluded that he must have been gaining more of an appetite if he enjoyed every bit of that hospital food. With a tired yawn, Simon began rubbing his eyes. He still felt drained from his talk with Dave earlier. They talked about a lot, and Simon knew that his father had many valued points. His family, Miss. Miller, and the Chipettes have already gone home before the dinner came. Simon saw the letter and disks that Dave handed him. Tears swelled up as he remembered his friends and the hell they all went through. After sniffling back a few tears, Simon took off his glasses and leaned over to put them on the table before turning off the lights that were above his head. He then pressed the control buttons, which made his bed move into a lying position. Lying there alone made him realize even more of all the things he has been through in the past five years of his life and how it truly affected him. He also realized that there were moments from the Island that seemed to be just a blank. Either he does not remember or he chooses not to remember those experiences.
He felt his heart ach as he remembered his friends. As he sniffed back some more tears, he rolled to his side and closed his eyes. Slowly Simon fell asleep and began to dream…
OoOoOoOoOoOo
At first Simon was walking in darkness ever where he turned was nothing but a void. Even his clothes were all black. Out of nowhere, he suddenly heard voices in the background. The voices belonged to his friends Tom, Renee, Brian, and Brenda. They kept saying certain words that he could not really hear or understand. The four voices spoke in harmony and in different languages. They sounded so far that it caused Simon to strain his ears to listen. It almost sounded like they were trying to warn him of something. Simon called out to them, but they did not answer him, they just kept chanting something about 'demons that will appear in his dreams'. He then heard wings flapping, Simon turned to look over his shoulder and saw a raven flying towards him. Its' caw was so loud that it made Simon fall backwards. The black floor underneath him shattered – causing him to tumble further down in the void. He tried to scream but no noise would escape from his mouth.
Simon suddenly stopped tumbling when he landed on a hard surface. He sat up and began looking around. The bespectacled chipmunk found that he fell in the basement of his home – his old laboratory. Simon heard a familiar voice humming a tune. He turned to see a little chipmunk child wearing a long blue turtleneck sweater that reached down to his little red sneakers and large round eyeglasses his face.
He knew that he was looking at his younger self, again. The boy was sitting on a stool with his back to him while he worked on building a modal airplane on the table. Simon walked up behind the child and watched him build the model. It was at that moment that he recognized it. It was one of the first models that he built by himself without anyone's help. One of his more proud achievements he did as child, if he had to say so himself!
The child looked over his shoulder and suddenly looked frightened. He leapt off his stool then backed away from his older self.
"What's the matter with you?" Simon asked the child.
"You hate me!" His younger self cringed.
"No! It's all a big misunderstanding!" Simon tried reaching for the child, but he kept backing away.
"Then why do want me dead?" The child chipmunk cried.
"I was angry! They took everything I once lived for, away!"
"That's no excuse for what you did!" The young child spat with an angry look in his eyes.
Simon knew that the kid meant with the smoking, drinking and the drugs he did. All the lies he told Dave and his brothers. Worst yet, how he treated poor Jeanette. He shook his head then looked at the young chipmunk. "I had no choice, I was lost, and in a lot of pain!"
"There's always a choice!" The boy growled.
Again, Simon was speechless. The boy was right! He always had the choice, without thinking he chose to do the irrational and illogical way of things. He has disappointed many people, but most importantly, he disappointed himself. How ironic that he himself, his younger self, would be giving him this lecture.
"I'm…so sorry!" Simon fell to his knees in defeat.
The boy accepted his apology and slowly walked up to him. Simon looked up at the child, he saw that the boy looked like he wanted him to add something.
"What I can do to make this better?" He asked the hopeful child.
"Allow me to come home!"
"But you are home, aren't you?" Simon asked questioningly as he looked around the lab.
The young chipmunk shook his head and mouthed out the word 'no'.
Now Simon was confused. "Where is your home?"
The boy then lifted his arm and pointed to Simon's heart. Simon then understood and looked into the boys' eyes. He held out both of his arms – slowly the child walked up and allowed Simon to embrace him in a hug.
As they hugged, the child started to turn into pure energy. The energy melded into Simon's chest that made his heart glow in a warm light. Simon felt the energy moving through out his body. He even noticed his black shirt turning blue once more. For the first time in a long time, Simon was beginning to feel complete.