| From Our World To Yours |
| By: Child of The Ancients |
| Chapter One I had dreamt the dream many times before. Every night it was the same thing: a ball of light dangling in front of me, taunting me, calling me. I tried to grab it, but I never succeeded. I chased after it through a forest and always ended up standing in front of an old building. I would reach to open the door, knowing that whatever it was that I was after was in there. As soon as I would touch the doorknob, I would wake up. It was the middle of the night when I sat up in bed, my covers twisted around my body. My breath came short and raspy, and my long red hair was matted and sweaty. My skin was pale and damp. My blue gray eyes stared at my surroundings, taking in the familiar room with its many books. A large window was by my bed. Moonlight shone through it, lighting up the bed and room. I untangled myself from the sheets and went to the bathroom. It was a small bathroom, but it held all my makeup and hair accessories. I was not there to do my hair and face. It was water I wanted so I could clear my mind. I turned on the faucet and splashed cold water all over my face. More water went on the back of my neck. I stared at myself in the mirror. I saw a 17-year-old staring back at me, dressed in an overlarge gray T-shirt and blue pajama pants. My face was nice looking enough with a small nose and mouth. My eyes were blood shot from the other nights when I had gotten little sleep. With a yawn, I went back to my room, curled up under the covers, and went back to sleep, letting the familiar dream wash over me once again. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ It was five in the morning when I finally rolled out of bed, still half asleep. I quickly got ready for school, but I was so tired I was just merely going through the motions. Before I even realized it, I was in the car at the school parking lot. Shaking my head to clear it of sleepy thoughts, I locked the car and went inside. The school day was long, boring, and uneventful for me. My friends expressed their normal concerns about my health, and my teachers gave out the usual amount of homework. When the school day was over, I felt no different. I was still tired and a little out of it. Giving a yawn, I went out to her car and drove home. As soon as I got home, I went into my room, sat at my desk and did my homework. Two hours later, when I was finally finished, I flopped down on my bed, wanting nothing more than an hour or so of sleep before my mother and father called me up for dinner. I didn't get what I wanted. That was because I had a younger brother who was very active and hyper. "Katrina! Katrina!" he shouted, running into my room. "I'm gonna try out for the basketball team! You wanna help me practice?" "Not right now, Sean," I groaned, rolling over so I faced the wall. "C'mon, please?!" he begged, completely unashamed of how pathetic he sounded. "I'm tired, ototo," I complained. "Please just leave me alone." "You never do anything with me anymore!" he whined. "You're no fun!" "I'm so sorry," I said sarcastically. "I'm gonna tell Mommy on you!" Sean threatened. "Good, and while you're at it, tell Mom that I went for a walk in the woods," I got out of bed and put on my shoes and coat. I needed a long break from the brat. "I'll be back by suppertime." "No fair!" he stomped his foot, demanding to have his way. Sean had a habit of acting spoiled. Mother and Father doted on him a bit too much; but they did the same to me as well. "I don't care," I retorted and went outside. The woods was very close to my house. All I had to do was walk out my back door to see the line of trees. Grumbling about annoying little brothers, I took my favorite trail through the forest, kicking up leaves as I walked. The little forest animals were scurrying about as they chattered amongst themselves. Birds sang their spring songs as flowers were just starting to bloom. Even my favorite tree, the cherry tree, had begun to bloom, showing the world its pretty, pink blossoms. I breathed in the fresh air, enjoying the feeling of freedom and peace. Nothing out there mattered, and I loved that fact. No one demanded anything of me out there, and no dream could follow me into the shade of the green trees. The forest was the best place in the world, in my opinion. Sighing with happiness, I came to a fork in the trail. Feeling spontaneous, I chose the trail that was overgrown with weeds. I had never taken that trail before, and I had been warned that I should never, ever use an overgrown path. Though at that moment, I didn't care. My chance of meeting someone out in the woods dropped from slim to nothing when I set foot on the unused path. I wasn't worried about disobeying the rules. If I wanted to go home, all I had to do was turn around and head back the way I came. Even if I wandered off the path, I could just head west, and I would eventually run into the highway that was near my house. Whether it was just coincidence or not, I began to notice how similar the area of the forest was to the place in my dream. The trees were the same, and the air smelled similar. After I had followed the path some more, I came across the old, small building that I had dreamt about many, many times. I debated whether it was a good idea to go into the building or not. Although it looked old, the wood was still solid and sturdy... in appearance at least. Gathering up as much bravery as I could, I walked up to the building and placed my hand on the doorknob. I took a deep breath, half expecting to be shocked by the thing in my hand. When nothing happened, I opened the door and entered the small structure. The floor creaked beneath my feet, but didn't collapse. Surprised by how bare the tiny room was, I took a few more steps toward the center of the floor, which was marked by an ancient looking well. I suddenly remembered reading some kind of manga about a girl who used a well to go back in time. For some reason or another, I couldn't remember for the life of me what the manga was called. There was something about a dog demon in it... Oh well. I would just have to look it up on the Internet when I got home, or I could ask my best friend. She was really into the manga thing. Curious, I leaned over the well. It was dry at the bottom. That really didn't surprise me. If the building was old and dry, then it was logical that the well would be too. The only thing that was in the bottom of the well was a shiny object. I couldn't figure out what the light was reflecting off of. I quickly judged the depth of the well. It couldn't be any more than six feet deep. Assured that I would be able to climb out of it, I jumped down into it. My feet hit dry dirt, sending up a small cloud of dust. The walls were even dry when I reached out to touch them. Once I stopped choking on the dust, I picked up the shiny object. It looked like a tiny piece of colored glass. Laughing at myself, I put it in my pocket. It would make a nice reminder of my moment of stupidity when I jumped into a well. I shook my head sadly and climbed out of the well. There was no building when I emerged. There was no path. The woods didn't even look familiar. Something was very wrong, but I couldn't even begin to imagine what it could be. What had just happened... and why? |
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