The trees were enormous. He was about twenty feet off the ground and the treetops were still high above him. The woods were denser than he'd ever seen before. He wove in between the thick trunks. The sunlight only made its way through the branches in dappled streaks, creating warm flashes whenever he crossed one. The air was otherwise crisp and cool. Refreshing. Freeing.
He continued onward, going higher and lower to dodge things in his way, reveling in the glorious feel of this magic.
It wasn't until then that Nick realized he was flying. He was flying through the forest by some kind of magic. Like Peter Pan in Neverland, soaring up and down and all around.
There was something shimmering around him. He thought it was the sunlight but it was something more. He knew this shimmer. It was something he'd seen before. Where? Where had he seen this before?
Then, out of nowhere, more shimmering sparkles appeared in front of him a ways off in the distance. He sped up—how, he wasn't quite sure—to get there faster. And there she was.
Jennifer. Beautiful and shining and smiling. She wore the same dress she had on when he met her in that net in the woods. Not far from here, maybe, though this forest wasn't exactly the same. Her dress wasn't torn, though, and there wasn't a scratch on her. And she sparkled. But one thing about her was very different. The shimmering glow had a source. Fluttering at Jennifer's back were a pair of wings. Translucent like glass, like a dragonfly's wings but enormous and astoundingly impressive. Beautiful. Powerful. The sight of her took his breath away.
She hovered in midair with him, smiling. He was so close. He wanted to reach out and touch her, fly beside her and explore the woods together. He stretched his arm toward her, so close to brushing his fingers against hers. But then she got further away. Higher and higher above him. Only she wasn't moving. He was. He was falling. Falling faster and faster and faster and…
Nick bolted up in bed. His heart was racing and his bare chest was bathed in sweat. He threw the covers off and got out of bed, breathing heavily. He turned on the light in the bathroom and clutched the edge of the counter. His head hung down between his shoulders, and he shut his eyes tight, focusing on his breath. When his body had stopped vibrating with anxiety, he looked up. Nick looked at his face in the mirror. There was still a sheen of sweat on his brow. But his eyes were bright and awake. He sighed. This was ridiculous.
He splashed some cold water on his face and shut off the bathroom light. There was no way he was going to fall back asleep now. It was just after four in the morning according to the clock on his bedside table. He shut off the alarm and turned on the lamp. Might as well start the day.
It's been a long time since he's gone for a run before sunrise. But he needs it today. Usually he just does a light jog around the neighborhood before work. Half an hour or so. With the state he's in now, Nick does a warm-up jog to the end of his street and then breaks out into a full run. Practically a sprint. The sound of his shoes hitting the concrete and his breaths coming harder and harder help drown out the strange questions plaguing his mind.
What was that dream? He'd been flying and Jennifer was there with sparkling, glowing wings. It made sense that he'd dream of her. She was beautiful and interesting and their entire interaction had been so mysterious. But Nick was not a person who had fantastical dreams like that. Other people had dreams about flying or seeing mythical creatures or witnessing feats of magic. But not Nick. No, he was a practical sort of person. He had never much believed in fairytales, even as a child. His little sisters had always wanted to be princesses and have him rescue them from the tower made of their treehouse in the backyard and slay the dragon played by their dog, Max. He'd humored them when they were little, but he'd never really believed in the fantasy of it all the way they had.
The sky was streaked with orange as the sun started to rise in the sky. Nick had no idea what time it was. Hadn't bothered to put on his watch or bring his cell phone with him. He just kept running. Soon, he'd turn back. Not just yet, though.
It was still tormenting him, that dream. Surely it was just because of the questions he still had after rescuing Jennifer in the woods and then having her disappear. What was she doing in the woods anyway? She'd said she was following the bird. That was another mystery, actually. Perhaps he should take a look at some of his other birding books and see if he could figure out what it was. He'd never seen anything like it. Perhaps it was an exotic pet that had escaped somehow.
But the mystery of the bird did not fully explain the mystery of Jennifer dressed the way she was wandering around in the woods after a bird. Maybe that's where the dream had come from. The only explanation his subconscious could come up with was that she was some flying magic being.
Nick snorted to himself at the ridiculousness of it. But in doing so, he'd thrown himself off the rhythm of his breathing and started coughing. He forced himself to slow to a stop and braced his arm against a tree in the front of someone's house, trying to breathe properly again. Once he did, he put his hands up on the back of his neck and walked in small circles, throwing his head back. The first morning sun was coming through the leaves on the tree. Different tree than in his dream.
That was another strange thing. Those trees had been enormous. What was that about? Why would he dream of giant trees? Or maybe was it that the trees were their proper size and it was he and Jennifer who had turned small. No, that didn't make any sense. Why should he dream of them shrinking to the size of chipmunks flying through the woods? Well, none of this made any sense at all.
It was time to be heading home now. Nick allowed himself an easier pace as he made his way back to his house. He'd gone a very long way and was still several streets away from his own. But this was good. He'd be home soon and take a hot shower to soothe his muscles and then make himself a nice breakfast. He usually just had a bit of jam on toast and a cup of coffee while he looked over the morning paper, but maybe he'd see if there was enough time to do his usual weekend fry up. That might be nice. Eggs and sausage with his toast. Did he have bacon in? He couldn't recall. Well, anyway, that was only going to work if he still had enough time before work.
By the time he got home, the sun was properly in the sky and creating very long shadows in front of him as he ran up those last few steps of his porch. He was panting happily while getting the key from beneath the loose brick under the front window and letting himself back inside.
Later that morning, Nick listened to the news on the radio while driving to work. He was in a good mood. Great run, great breakfast. What more could he ask for? And if the memory of his dream flitted into his mind once or twice every ten minutes, that was of no consequence. He'd not spare it any more conscious thought. There was work to do, surely. Hopefully he'd be put as lead on a new case and he could throw himself into that. Yes, that would be good. Maybe a gang-related incident. Robbery and home invasion gone wrong or a lover's quarrel. Something really interesting he could dig into.
That was perhaps a very macabre thought, but he was a Homicide detective, and he enjoyed his work. Obviously he did not enjoy death and destruction, but knowing that he got to be the one to help solve it and bring justice to victims was extremely satisfying work. And at the moment, Nick was really looking for some complicated crime in the heart of the city and far, far away from the woods whose trees and memories now taunted him.