Prologue: A Dream That Yielded a Promise
"Mr Emmit?…"
…
"…Mathias Emmit…"
…
"Mathias!?" A feminine voice called out.
Mathias, who had fallen asleep heard his
name through his obscured sleep. Waking
slowly, he opened his eyes to have rays of
gentle sunlight warming his face.
"Yes?"
He answered raising his head from his
crossed arms. Sitting across from Mathias
was Dr. Alison, his physician.
"I was saying… the c.a.t scan came back
clean. There isn't anything physically wrong
with your head" Dr Alison explained.
For weeks Mathias noticed he hadn't quite
felt like himself, like he was living in a waking
dream. The hobbies that once occupied his
attention no longer appealed to him. The
more days that had passed the more numb
Mathias felt.
"Oh.. I see." Mathias replied dishearteningly.
A part of him wished the c.a.t scan revealed
something, anything, that could explain his
misery. Seeing Mathias' crestfallen expression
Dr. Alison had one last idea to offer.
"Mathias, how would you feel about
participating in a sleep study? I'll be blunt with
you… this is a long shot… but maybe… just
maybe, we can figure out what's causing your…
situation"
Dr. Alison gave him an empty smile in an
attempt to offer her patient hope. Mathias
didn't care if it was a long shot
'A chance, no matter how small, is still a
chance' he thought. With a nod, Mathias
agreed to participate in the study Dr. Alison
went on to explain what Mathias
would need for the sleep study, which was
simply some night-wear. However he was
forbidden from consuming alcohol 48-hours
prior to the study. Luckily Mathias wasn't a
drinker… not anymore anyway.She then notified
Mathias that the earliest available study would
be for the next night… providing he hadn't
consumed any alcohol on the current day. After
finishing up his appointment Mathias left the
hospital with his visit summary and sleep study
instructions in hand. In moments Mathias would
be in his car with: Home, as his destinationOn
his 20-minute drive home all Mathias could
think about was getting some sort of answer…
some sort of closure…
'Just one more night… you can survive one
more night.' He kept telling himself in his head.
After arriving at his apartment complex he
made his way up to the third floor, apartment
number 3-06. He opened the door, turning on
the light that would illuminate his entire studio
apartment. In contrast to the bland white paint
of the apartment hung mathias' framed
achievements, some of which were from his
childhood and some more recent. The
achievements ranged from physical therapy
certificates(recent), gold medals for
sharpshooting in archery(adolescents) and
even a few colored belts for different martial arts.
(Early adulthood)
"Hhmmh"
A thin smile sprouted on Mathias' lips as
nostalgia reminded him of better, brighter times, which alleviated some of his melancholy.
"Time to turn in." He said to himself as he
prepared for bed.Finally excited for Tomorrow
to come, Mathias rested his head upon his
pillow whispering: "tomorrow can't come fast
enough" as he drifted off to sleep.
_~_~_~_~_~_ Nightmare_~_~_~_~_
I find myself standing atop a craggy
mountain-scape under a starless ebony night
as foreboding clouds began to congregate.
'If ambiguity had a color, these clouds were it'
The wind held its breath, as if in anticipation
Waiting to see what would come first:
the rain? Or the Lightning?
soft raindrops fell upon my head, as if they were
soldiers off to battle, resigning themselves to
their fate, knowing that they wouldn't return.
their gentle "goodbyes" rang in my ear as they landed
-plip-
-plip plip-
-ploop-
I look up to the sky.
'If these droplets are giving me their
goodbyes, I'll show my respect for their bold
departure by watching them till the very end'
I'm not sure how much time passed as I looked
up to the heavens,But the ambiguous clouds
dispersed. and I find myself suddenly falling.
The wind that had held its breath violently
exhaled, thrashing me to and fro in my free fall.
Terror courses through my veins as I fall
towards the ground,Every terror-filled second
felt like hours.Unlike the rain drops I am unable
to resign myself to this fate, struggling till the
end…When my body collides with the ground.
-splat-
~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_
Mathias, drenched in a cold sweat, sprang out
of bed screaming.
"AAAAAAHH!!!!"
Finally able to calm himself, mathias wiped his
face with a shirt that messily rested on the bed
The sensation from the nightmare stuck
with Mathias as he took his morning shower