Six Years Ago

Lagos City, Nigeria

"Alisha you need to finish up quickly.. I don't want us to be late." Aliya called out in excitement.

"Ok Mom.. I will soon finish, just need to put on my boots. Wouldn't want to hurt a toe." Alisha replied.

[Aliya nodded in agreement] "You are very right. The forest is usually filled with rocks and stones . But won't we need those only when we get there?" She asked.

"Yea Mom, but I will still wear them thou. I am so excited. This will be one of our greatest adventure. Sometimes I feel like the forest is calling me.. Like i could literally hear the forest calling."

"Haha.. I am as excited as you my Dear.. Just a few things to put into consideration though.. One; You must remember that we are going far from home, Two; Remember that where we are going is not a little town in a city in Nigeria and Three; Never and I repeat never leave my side and sight once we get there.. Do you here me?

[Alisha Nods in Understanding] "Yes Mom.. I hear you, Central African Republic is going to be fun I am telling you."

"Yea but you could have just call it 'C.A.R' rather than the long name." Aliya teased Alisha.

"Car? It a country Mom not a car.." Alisha teased back.

"Are you that dumb.. You should use the C.A.R as in Acronym not a car as in a noun."

"Seriously? I know Mom, I was just Joking.. Ok am done, let go."

[Sighs in relief] "Thank goodness, Remember to lock everywhere." Aliya warned.

"Yes Mom."

At the airport, the Mom and daughter duo met with the other group members they are to travel with. After the group leader confirmed that everyone was present, they all embarked on plane and left for their adventure. Six hours later, the plane landed on the C.A.R national airport, the group disembarked, packed their loads and left for the hotel they had already paid for online. In one of the hotel rooms, Alisha and her Mother unpacked, they took turns to bath, find good food to eat and finally laid their head to rest, for tomorrow their adventures begins.

[Alisha closed her eyes and her mind drifted into the past]

"I wish Dad was here.. This would have been so much more fun." she calmly said.

"Yea but everything happens for reasons right? I miss him so much, I miss him every second of my life."

[Alisha sighs] "Me too so much and always, but good thing you are here for me always. I count myself so lucky to have you as my Mother. [Looks at her Mom] I need you to know that I will always love you and stick to you."

[Aliya smiles] "I love you too my beautiful daughter and I will always be with you too."

"Pff.. I really pity the Man that will come to ask for my hand in marriage you.. He will have to compete with my mother.. Ha ha!"

"Hahaha. Alisha! You are only Nineteen and already talking about marriage huh.."

"Ofcause Mom, I'm not growing any younger."

[Aliya nods in agreement] "Well you are right.. but you need to take everything gradually OK. The world is a rough road, without looking carefully, you are bound to fall."

[Alisha Nods in agreement too] "Sure Mom.. But do you know what bothers me more than anything right now?"

"What is it?"

"I am getting a strong intuitive feeling that after today our lives might never be the same. I don't know why I am feeling that way but it just there."

"I just hope that no matter what happens.. Our love can only get stronger." Aliya prayed.

"Yea it will.. I can assure you it will."

[Aliya yawns] "We need to sleep now.. My eyes are so heavy and tomorrow is gonna be huge busy day."

"Ok Goodnight Mom! Dream sweet."

[Aliya Rubs eyes] "You too love.. Dream sweet."

[One hour later a strange voice calls from afar]

"Alisha..."

"Alisha"

"Alisha"

In her sleep, Alisha could hear the strange voice calling her name. She opened her eyes, in her mind she wondered who the caller was, but the voice sounded very familiar. She wanted to lift her head up to check the room to see who called her up to three times but her heart started racing like a horse when she discovered that she could not move her head. She tried to move her hand but it could not move, she tried all she could but could not move a limb at all. Cold sweat broke on her forehead, a fear she never dreamed of engulfed her. From her toes to her knees up to her head, she felt her body vibrate like a huge vibrator. Alisha could only think but could not even open her lips to talk, her lips were sealed by a force she could not see. This strange body activity persisted for seconds without stopping, and just when Alisha wanted to start crying in despair, she felt a hand wrapped around her wrist, cold yet warm the palm felt. The hair on her entire body stood straight up, her entire skin became a farm of goosebumps. Every defence mechanism in her body engaged in full activity, even doubling their strength and speed yet Alisha drenched in her sweat.. For what could she have done? Those cold fingers that wrapped her wrist, felt rather too familiar, but she could not move a muscle, so she could not see who was standing right beside her, that same figure holding her wrist in a way only her father use to.

In her fear, using her mind, she asked..

"Who are you and how did you get in here?"

"I am you Father, do not be afraid" the strange figure answered softly.

"Father? Which father?" She asked.

"Your Father, the only one you had"

"What is going on with me?" Alisha asked.

"Your body and mind are reacting to my presence" he answered.

"If you are my Dad, how are you here? You died three years ago." Alisha pressured.

"I am not really here, yet I am here.. I need you to calm down, relax your body, let your self float and you will see everything clearly" he gently replied.

Alisha decided to trust the 'Dad figure' and calmed herself. The vibration intensified, she tried her best to fight the fear still gripping her, the cold palm that wrapped her wrist helped her relax and all of a sudden, Alisha felt her body becoming lighter and lighter.

"Yes! let yourself out my daughter" the strange figure whispered.

In less than a second, Alisha felt herself separated from her body. It was a long event that happened withing a very short period of time, in nanoseconds.

Alisha saw herself standing right next to the bed she was sleeping on, she saw her body laying there as if lifeless. She gasped, she thought she was dead but she saw her body breathing in and out. She tried to make sense out of the whole event but couldn't. A familiar aura suddenly covered her, she turned around and saw the human figure who wrapped her wrist with his hand, a little hope flushed through her heart.

In a shaky voice she asked; "Who are you? What is happening to me? Am i dead?"

"I will answer all your questions but from last to first. And I need you to calm down and relax yourself." The figure answered.

[Alisha Nods in understanding] "Ok..".

"First, You are not dead... secondly; You just entered a dream state called Lucid dream and lastly, my name is Matthew, I am your Father."

"B-but my father is dead.. Died some years ago. How can you be him?" she asked surprised.

"I died, that i know. I was never gone, I still live in the dream realm. From the very second I left my earthly body in my sleep, there I stayed co-existing with you and your mother but only through dreams." he explained.

"So you really telling me that this is a dream?" she asked.

"Affirmative! But not ordinary dream. This is a Lucid dream, here you can be fully conscious."

"Woww! Ha ha.. This is too good to be true. I am dreaming and yet so conscious. [Looks at the room in amazement] So this is like a lucid dream room right? Are you saying that I am not in the hotel room right now? Is that what you want me to believe.. You know i won't feel too bad if you could just tell me right now that I died in my sleep, I will understand but you can't tell me that I am in a dream. I have heard about lucid dreams, even read about it in books but have not found any prove of it reality." She scuffed.

"Ahaa.. You don't need to believe in it.. and I didn't need to lie to you about anything. I just need you to summon your inner Will, open your eyes and you will see. I didn't even impose the lucid dream on you tonight, I only flowed through it so that I can show you myself, to let you know that I am alive. Your mind actually invited me here because I was the last person you thought of before sleeping. You see how logical this is?"

"Ah! Dad? Now that you said it, your face is now very clear and I recognize you."

Matthew smiled and sigh in relieve.. For even though he died years ago, he wouldn't go away. With a heart like his, he wouldn't stay away from his wife and daughter. For every dream they had, there was a glimpse of him inside. In every thought, every emotional expression, a glimpse of Matthew would always be there. Right now, he had one of the rarest chance, the chance to be with his daughter in a lucid dream.. In a place where both of them can meet and see and touch and yet in another realm different from earth reality, since he no longer possesses any physical body figure he relied on dreams,especially the lucid ones.

"Show me Dad.. Show me this place that you have turned into your world." she asked.

"Alright my daughter.. Follow me and I will show you my world."

Both father and daughter smiled, held hands and flew into the world where both the dead and the living can meet and commune.