I remember having strange dreams the night before, but nothing made sense. Flashes of color floated across my eyes as land became water and water became land. A strange harmony echoed across the dreamscape and I found myself trying to match that harmony. I must have been talking in my sleep because the next thing I saw was Bethie's worried gray eyes hovering above mine.
"Lynn, Lynn, wake up!" Beth's scared voice came to me. "You were crying in your sleep." I sat up and shook my head, clearing it. My braid flapped against my back, further pushing the strange memory fragments from my dream away. I forced a small smile onto my lips to reassure Beth and said, "I'm fine. I think I was just trying to sing in my sleep." I laughed and rolled over onto my other side. I heard Beth sigh and walk back to her own bed.
Wondering exactly what it was I had seen, I ran through as much of the dream as I could remember. I remembered seeing a castle, that wasn't quite a castle, draped in layers of black water-like cloth. Nothing made any sense until I reached the end of my dream, where I saw a man, a couple years older than me, crouching behind a large black chair. I suddenly realized why I had been trying to cry out in my sleep.
I recognized my father's voice in the harmony that had flowed in my dream. Now, I recognized that harmony for what it was: people speaking, their voices melding together. I didn't try to make sense of the words, everything was jumbled. Instead, after identifying my father's voice, I concentrated on the man I saw in front of me.
He was thin, but muscular and looked strong. He had shaggy black hair that just covered his ears. He seemed confused about something and kept looking at his hands. A few times he actually flapped his arms, like he was trying to fly away. When he turned towards me, away from the throne, I saw he had piercing brown eyes. I shrank back, hoping he wouldn't see me, but he did anyways. His eyes widened further than they already were and he stared wordlessly at me.
I had tried to get away, to warn my father about the man behind the throne, when Bethie woke me up. I wondered who the man was and why my father would be in my dream. I decided not to tell Beth about my dream, and wondered if she had a similar one. I decided to wait until morning, then ask her about her dreams. Fianlly relaxed, I decided to write down what I could remember from the dream, hoping I wasn't starting a journal that would start to document insanity.
I laughed at my crazy thoughts and finished scribing what I could remember. I lay back and thought about the strange dream again. This time, right before the darkness of sleep claimed me, I remembered seeing two people, standing side by side. One wore a brown robe with a cowl over his head. He carried a book, chained to his arm. The other was the most handsome man I had ever seen. He embodied every quality I had ever looked for in all my boyfriends, and was perfect in every conceivable way. He smiled at me, noting my presence, before turning back to the robed one.
Before I could rouse myself enough to write down this new fragment, sleep had claimed me. I dreamed of the man again, but now, all his attention was focused on me. He asked me many questions that night, none of which I can remember nor what I answered.