THE GIRL IN HER DREAM

CHAPTER THIRTY SIX

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That night Adrianna dreamt of something surreal.

She was wearing a white, long nightgown standing in the midst of plump bushes and greeneries.

Turning her head around, she was caught breathless by the naked beauty of nature before her. Everywhere she sets her eyes upon, were all lovely and vivid. As if she is in paradise.

When her hair was playfully carried by the wind, she closed her eyes as she breathed in deep. The air is crisp and fresh. Like the smell of earth after a long night of rain.

Then she saw a meadow of rainbow flowers towered over by tall, wide trees bursting with giant roots and thick branches. Branches that are bent as they were laden with bountiful fruits glistening with ripeness.

When she was about to walk, she realized she was on bare feet. And her feet is submerged in a pond of crystal clear water.

She held her long dress with her hands as she stepped out from the pond and walked. But she just walked a couple of steps when the light was slowly swallowed by darkness. It was getting dark until she cannot even see her hands. Its like she is walking inside a hole. Everything was endless darkness and void.

And deafening silence.

Her body went numb and she cannot see anything. She cannot even hear her breathing. There was absolute silence from all of her senses. Rendering her helpless.

She stopped walking.

The outright absence of everything terrified her. She felt the hands of darkness pinching her neck. Making it difficult for her to breathe.

Its as if the darkness has a life of its own and it's about to swallow her whole. Her chest is getting tight. She can feel beads of sweat at her back.

When she thought she was about to die of suffocation, she saw a light. Looking around, she was surprised. She was actually standing inside a tunnel.

Wasn't she in the forest?

She hastened her steps for fear that the darkness would try to catch up and pull her back again into that maddening void.

When she was at the end of the tunnel, she felt the cold air at her back as she was pushed forward. She instinctively looked over her shoulder as she stumbled.

The tunnel was gone.

Now she is in a barren, desert land. Adrianna surveyed the area. Everywhere was like a heap of gold as the sun beat the sands with its scourging heat. Just sand everywhere. Not even a mirage of anything. She stood in place for a minute as she contemplated on what to do. Then she walked forward thinking of finding first a place of solace or an oasis.

After walking for God knows how long, she at last saw someone. She saw a girl sitting on a huge stone with her back hunched over as she covers her face.

Squinting her eyes for a clearer view, she noticed that her shoulders were trembling. As she gets closer, the wind carried her cries. The cry is so soft and pitiful. As if she has lost a loved one. The cry is a sound akin to grieving.

When she was a few steps away from the girl, the girl was gone in a blink. She looked left and right but the girl was really gone. When she looked behind her, Adrianna was taken aback.

She saw a trail. Like a park trail. With shrubs and trees on either side of the path.

When she turned her head back in front of her, the desert was gone! And everything around her was dark. The only thing that was illuminated was the trail. So she promptly decided to take the trail and turned her body around.

Then she saw the girl!

Adrianna realized that the girl was also wearing the same ensemble as her.

And the girl is now up ahead treading towards a tower. A tower as tall as the leaning Tower of Pisa. She has a bad hunch about this!

She ran to catch up to the girl. But before she knew it, the girl was already at the top of the tower. Then she saw a floating bridge that connected to the tower's spire.

The girl walked to the floating bridge then stopped at the edge. The girl suddenly looked at her.

Adrianna gasp.

The girl has no face! Its just a head of flesh. No eyes, no mouth, no ears, no nothing! Her face looks like a lump of clay.

But she knows the girl is looking at her. She can feel her murderous gaze directed at her. As if she wants to cleave her head and split it into halves.

Then the girl jumped from the bridge.

Adrianna also felt she jumped from the bridge with her!

Her stomach tightened as she felt herself falling too!

Then she woke up.

She was sweating profusely. Adrianna felt she is awake and fully rational inside that dream. That her conscious and unconscious mind was somehow at play.

Adrianna sniffed. She can feel a trickle of liquid about to come out from her nose.

She realized then, she has a nosebleed.