Chapter 11: A Long Lucid Dream

Sophia was awakened by a blinding light that seemed to swallow her whole. As she was staring at the endless domain, fear crept up in her mind. She felt that her body is as light as a feather and her senses sharpen. The ground she is currently standing on is as crystal as water but as foggy as it can be. Seeing such a sight, she can only think of one possibility- heaven.

"Am I dead?" Sophia silently questioned in her mind.

"No, this is just a dream!" she yelled in her mind, unable to accept the conclusion she came up with. Sophia remembered that one time in her childhood when an old lady advised her that if she ever found herself in a reality she can't accept she just need to bite her lip. If she felt pain then she is really in the

reality but if it doesn't, it means she is only dreaming and she can take control of the situation. With this in mind, she bit her lip.

Surprisingly, no matter how many times she bit her lip nothing happened. Sophia decided to take over her dream and move. She run in a random direction and continued for almost two minutes but nothing changed. She closed her eyes and think of random thoughts but when she opened them again, nothing changed. She found herself stuck in the domain for a very long time and not even feeling a bit sleepy. Suddenly, she found herself stumbling backward and falling to the ground. The shock made her close her eyes but when she opened them again, she can't help but feel emotional.

Sophia sobbed at the sight of the familiar environment. Finally, she's close to home. She smiled widely and balanced herself when she realized that a hand is supporting both her arm. She turned her head to look behind her and see the man's face but no matter how she tried to look at him deeper, she can't remember how he looks. When she was able to balance herself and stare straight at the man. All she can hear is how fast her heart is racing. In a split second, the man hugged her tight, and tears started wheeling down her cheeks. She felt a piercing pain in her heart that is barely bearable. Despite the pain she is feeling, she felt like she longs for the man's presence and doesn't want the moment to last. But who is this man? Sophia wondered but was afraid to break free from the hug. When she was about to hug the man back, he disappeared into the thin air leaving Sophia stunned. She forced herself to remember the man's face but only his physique lingered in her mind.

The next second, she felt a pang of pain in her head and it grow even greater as time passes. The unbearable pain left her shouting like someone at her wit's end. When the pain subsided, she opened her eyes only to see a skinny pale-looking lady lying in the bed with a lot of wires connected to her forehead, arms, and chest. Monitors were all over the place showing different signals and numbers.

'What now? My dream trying to kill me after getting me stuck in that endless cycle of pain and uninhabited places.' Sophia thought.

But the next second, she saw nurses in their uniforms rushing toward the room where her body lay. She has also seen familiar faces outside the room.

'Mom. Dad." She smiled and ran to them but when she was about to go near them to hug them, she stopped and look in the direction where they are looking. They haven't noticed nor have seen me and my body is there. What's going on?

Doctors have started spouting medical terminologies but the only phrase that Sophia understand is "in the state of Coma." When one of the doctors removed his cap when he was outside, she was stunned to see that he was a foreigner, most probably an American. She looks around until she realized that she is currently in the US. Judging from her body and what the doctor said, she must be in grave danger. But why? Suddenly, she was pulled back into her body by the same blinding light that she saw in her dreams. Then, everything went black.

In the next second, her vitals started to stabilize and her vital signs went back to normal. She has just undergone brain surgery and everyone felt a relief seeing such signs. She woke up two days after.

Six months later

Sophia was continuously undergoing treatment and therapy. The very moment she woke up after her surgery, she felt like there are a lot of things she forgot. She was not familiar with the people surrounding her nor knew where she is. The first week is the hardest for her. She seemed to slowly remember some things but was not even sure if it is the truth. Everything seemed to pop out of the blue. She felt like she's got everything mixed up. From that dream and the scene in the hospital, she believes that it all happened.

After some time and some sessions with the therapist and psychologists, she has gotten better. She felt like she remembered everything she needed to. Also, she was allowed to go out and seemed to have gone familiar with the place she have stayed for half a year. She also felt a little better after finding out what caused the blood clot in her head.

Sophia asked her parents what happened to her but they only told her that she probably hit her head hard before. Sophia tried to recall and remembered the times when she accidentally hit her head badly. Thus, believing what they said. But since she did not dare to ask her Mom about the man in her dream, she still felt a little empty not finding out who could she have lost. She started to wonder if she have fancied someone but she can't remember anyone. So, she can only slide that memory aside since that dream may be baseless and maybe just a dream.

'Leaves have fallen, the fall has come

I wonder where you are tonight

Though I think you're but a sham

Still, I hope to see you tonight.

Will you be in my dream

And grace me with your sight?

You know I was never the same

Since that very night.

Somehow you have changed my life

You made me realize, I need to live

Needed to surpass all the strife

And to sigh to feel relieved.

I feel like I've gone crazy but,

As long as you help me shut

All the devils in my mind

Then, I don't mind keeping you inside.

For the rest of my life

I am thankful for your kindness.

Still, for your vague presence

I, Thank you for saving my life.

Sophia found herself writing a poem to express how she felt. Writing one has become her refuge every time a rush of memories comes to her and makes her feel rather troubled. She has written more than a hundred poems ever since she was able to regain her consciousness. She listened to audiobooks during her stay in the hospital and studied medical books. The nurses and doctors have lent her books and also let her learn from them seeing how eager she is to learn. The sight of her pinpointing different apparatus and tools makes them feel rather proud. She is the student mentored by all of them. Despite her young age, her potential can be highly seen. She has skillfully learned to detect pulses and they have also let her learn with others as the hospital is connected to a school of medicine. She was also made familiar with the drugs and their usage.

Sophia only goes out of the hospital and gets a bit of sunbathing and rushes back afterward to observe the nurses and visit the pediatric department. She also enjoys being with and accompanying kids with cancer, telling them stories and teaching them. Even though she is studying medicine, her interest in math never faded and she teaches kids about math. But most of the time, she tells them stories about a princess that met her Prince Charming in a dream. The hospital staffs were thankful for her especially when some of the kids started to feel excited and look forward to the future rather than feeling sad and fear that they will soon die.

Even after she was discharged, she can still be seen regularly at the hospital since she comes in every day to check on the kids and mingles with them. Sophia treats them like brothers and sisters and this also concerned the doctors that are monitoring Sophia.

One day, when one of the kids died, Sophia wasn't let into the hospital and though she's displeased she just smiled and seemed to understand the situation.