Dream Eater - Ch. 2 - "Heffalumps and Woozles"
Title: Dream Eater
Chapter: 2/? "Heffalumps and Woozles"
Rating: G
Notes: Pixels. Like, when you have a picture that's too tiny, and you zoom in on it too much, then the picture gets blurry and fuzzy around the edges? That's what I mean when I say pixels. Each little block of color in a picture. :D
Looking back at this, it doesn't quite match the chapters I'm writing now... But because I'm lazy and I liked how this turned out, I'll leave it for now. It's all just a dream, isn't it?
Oh, and I spaced it differently this time so it's easier to read!
Chapter 1: http://themikachu.livejournal.com/10968.html
~~
“Evan! …EVAN!” I called out as I made my way to the corner of the hallway. My voice echoed off the dull-colored lockers around me, but still Evan didn’t look up from the book he was absorbed in. It was quiet as usual. We always met for lunch here, the quietest floor with the least traffic and a nice view of the courtyard below. The courtyard was filled with people since it was nearly the end of lunch.
“Evan, you’re never going to believe this!” I said, finally reaching him. There was a long pause.
“Waaaait,” he said calmly. “Lemme finish this page…”
I let out a sigh and sat down next to him, placing my dirty backpack against the wall. “C’mon! This is important!”
“Mmhmm..,” he answered. “You finally aced one of your calculus tests?”
“I-…what?! No! What’re you talking about?” I asked. “…Ugh, whatever. Listen, have you ever had dreams with really strange people in them and you’re, like, falling out of the sky?” Evan nodded silently. I looked at him with disbelief. “EVAN! Are you even listening to me?!” I snatched the book out of his hands and glared at him. He looked at me with wide eyes; I couldn’t tell if it were from fear or shock. Either way, it wasn’t important.
“Ah… No. No, I’ve never had a dream like that,” he said, his full attention finally on me. “What’s gotten you so worked up, anyway? You’re not usually like this…”
My eyes narrowed. “Have you ever seen a guy around school with brown hair and a blonde highlight over his eye?”
Evan looked around thoughtfully. Slowly, he nodded.
“REALLY?!” I shrieked, my voice again echoing down the hallway. “Last night I had thi-“
“Actually,” he said, cutting me off. “I’ve never seen anybody like that, now that I think of it. …Sorry.” He looked at me apologetically.
“…Well… Last night I dreamt-” Suddenly the bell rang and the hallway started flooding with people. “Oh, forget it,” I said, raising my voice so Evan could hear me. He shrugged, grabbed his book, and we went our separate ways.
_____
For the next few nights, all I had were nightmares. At least, they’re all I could remember. Me being chased by creepy elephants. Me being slashed at with tiger claws. My brain being sucked out by leeches. I would wake up in cold sweat and my heart would be pounding through my chest. I didn’t dream of free falling, or of meeting strange mysterious boys. In fact, I hadn’t been seeing the boy I met in my dream anywhere at school. I was starting to question my sanity.
“You okay? You look like you’ve seen a ghost. Or five,” Evan said, greeting me at the end of our hallway.
“Haven’t been getting good sleep…” I mumbled, rubbing my swollen eyes.
“Oh… I guess you do look tired and not… huh…” he trailed off in his own thoughts. “Studying all-nighters?”
I looked at him. “…No… I’ve been having nightmares. Every single night.”
“About what?” he asked, curious.
“Elephants,” I said flatly, then realized how stupid it sounded out loud. I heard Evan stifle a chuckle, and then pause.
“Me too…” he said without looking up. I stared at him.
“B-but dreams though,” he said noticing my expression. “Nice dreams… Tea parties with elephants in top hats and funky-colored snails giving me candy.” He laughed. I laughed too, picturing how silly Evan would look surrounded by rainbows and cartoonish animals at an Alice in Wonderland tea party setting.
“Yeah, maybe elephants are no big deal.” I started cracking up again.
_____
That night I didn’t have any nightmares. But they definitely weren’t happy tea party dreams either. I was searching. Searching for… someone. I could hear them whispering behind me, but when I’d turn around there would be nobody there. It was dark, but I would catch glimpses of a person because they glowed softly like a candle in a dimly lit room. When I’d chase after them, they too would disappear. This continued for awhile, frustrating me. Instead of endlessly searching, I somehow found the will to stop and shout out.
“HEY!” The softly glowing figure I had been following stopped. I ran over to them, but as I touched their shoulder to turn them around, they exploded into pixels. Before I could react, suddenly it was as if my surroundings were melting into pixels, too. Through the holes that formed, bright light shone though. I covered my face with my arms, bracing myself for the brightness I expected to come.
“Look at me,” a voice said. I felt a light touch on my arm. I slowly peeked out from my shelter, and was met by a shadow surrounded in white. ‘No… no, not a shadow... A boy! Augh! Why did I always mix the two up?!’ As his face came into focus I recognized him.
“Mystery Boy!” I blurted out. I quickly covered my mouth, embarrassed. ‘I can’t believe I just said that out loud!’ Suddenly a small, blue pixel whooshed behind him. I gasped, remembering what had happened in my last dream with Mystery Boy. I felt my heart begin to accelerate as my eyes followed each pixel that passed us. “No! No, not this again!” I muttered, genuinely afraid this time. ‘It’s too much, it’s too much! I can’t take it!’
“Please don’t be afraid,” Mystery Boy said, cutting off my thoughts. He gently grabbed my face, so that I was forced to look at him. My hyperventilating slowed as I was mesmerized by his different colored eyes. When I was aware of myself again, I looked around, surprised to find us standing among a puff of clouds over looking a beautiful, deep blue ocean.
“Whoaaa…” I couldn’t believe my eyes. ‘How could those menacing flying pixels have turned into such a wonderful thing?’ I turned to Mystery Boy to ask him why, but he was oddly staring at something behind me. Curious, I began to turn my head.
“It’s about time you left,” he said seriously, holding on to my shoulder to prevent me from turning around.
“Wha-? …Wait!” I shouted as my vision began to blur white around the edges. “Wait, please! I… Who are you? Why are you… here? Why are WE HERE?” I had so many questions running through my mind.
He looked at me and said “…I can’t tell you.” The look on this face was almost… apologetic?
The white blur was quickly growing, and I was in a panic. “Please! At least tell me your name!”
His face had become a shadow but finally, “…Kei,” escaped from his lips.
With that, the white consumed me.
Chapter: 2/? "Heffalumps and Woozles"
Rating: G
Notes: Pixels. Like, when you have a picture that's too tiny, and you zoom in on it too much, then the picture gets blurry and fuzzy around the edges? That's what I mean when I say pixels. Each little block of color in a picture. :D
Looking back at this, it doesn't quite match the chapters I'm writing now... But because I'm lazy and I liked how this turned out, I'll leave it for now. It's all just a dream, isn't it?
Oh, and I spaced it differently this time so it's easier to read!
Chapter 1: http://themikachu.livejournal.com/10968.html
~~
“Evan! …EVAN!” I called out as I made my way to the corner of the hallway. My voice echoed off the dull-colored lockers around me, but still Evan didn’t look up from the book he was absorbed in. It was quiet as usual. We always met for lunch here, the quietest floor with the least traffic and a nice view of the courtyard below. The courtyard was filled with people since it was nearly the end of lunch.
“Evan, you’re never going to believe this!” I said, finally reaching him. There was a long pause.
“Waaaait,” he said calmly. “Lemme finish this page…”
I let out a sigh and sat down next to him, placing my dirty backpack against the wall. “C’mon! This is important!”
“Mmhmm..,” he answered. “You finally aced one of your calculus tests?”
“I-…what?! No! What’re you talking about?” I asked. “…Ugh, whatever. Listen, have you ever had dreams with really strange people in them and you’re, like, falling out of the sky?” Evan nodded silently. I looked at him with disbelief. “EVAN! Are you even listening to me?!” I snatched the book out of his hands and glared at him. He looked at me with wide eyes; I couldn’t tell if it were from fear or shock. Either way, it wasn’t important.
“Ah… No. No, I’ve never had a dream like that,” he said, his full attention finally on me. “What’s gotten you so worked up, anyway? You’re not usually like this…”
My eyes narrowed. “Have you ever seen a guy around school with brown hair and a blonde highlight over his eye?”
Evan looked around thoughtfully. Slowly, he nodded.
“REALLY?!” I shrieked, my voice again echoing down the hallway. “Last night I had thi-“
“Actually,” he said, cutting me off. “I’ve never seen anybody like that, now that I think of it. …Sorry.” He looked at me apologetically.
“…Well… Last night I dreamt-” Suddenly the bell rang and the hallway started flooding with people. “Oh, forget it,” I said, raising my voice so Evan could hear me. He shrugged, grabbed his book, and we went our separate ways.
_____
For the next few nights, all I had were nightmares. At least, they’re all I could remember. Me being chased by creepy elephants. Me being slashed at with tiger claws. My brain being sucked out by leeches. I would wake up in cold sweat and my heart would be pounding through my chest. I didn’t dream of free falling, or of meeting strange mysterious boys. In fact, I hadn’t been seeing the boy I met in my dream anywhere at school. I was starting to question my sanity.
“You okay? You look like you’ve seen a ghost. Or five,” Evan said, greeting me at the end of our hallway.
“Haven’t been getting good sleep…” I mumbled, rubbing my swollen eyes.
“Oh… I guess you do look tired and not… huh…” he trailed off in his own thoughts. “Studying all-nighters?”
I looked at him. “…No… I’ve been having nightmares. Every single night.”
“About what?” he asked, curious.
“Elephants,” I said flatly, then realized how stupid it sounded out loud. I heard Evan stifle a chuckle, and then pause.
“Me too…” he said without looking up. I stared at him.
“B-but dreams though,” he said noticing my expression. “Nice dreams… Tea parties with elephants in top hats and funky-colored snails giving me candy.” He laughed. I laughed too, picturing how silly Evan would look surrounded by rainbows and cartoonish animals at an Alice in Wonderland tea party setting.
“Yeah, maybe elephants are no big deal.” I started cracking up again.
_____
That night I didn’t have any nightmares. But they definitely weren’t happy tea party dreams either. I was searching. Searching for… someone. I could hear them whispering behind me, but when I’d turn around there would be nobody there. It was dark, but I would catch glimpses of a person because they glowed softly like a candle in a dimly lit room. When I’d chase after them, they too would disappear. This continued for awhile, frustrating me. Instead of endlessly searching, I somehow found the will to stop and shout out.
“HEY!” The softly glowing figure I had been following stopped. I ran over to them, but as I touched their shoulder to turn them around, they exploded into pixels. Before I could react, suddenly it was as if my surroundings were melting into pixels, too. Through the holes that formed, bright light shone though. I covered my face with my arms, bracing myself for the brightness I expected to come.
“Look at me,” a voice said. I felt a light touch on my arm. I slowly peeked out from my shelter, and was met by a shadow surrounded in white. ‘No… no, not a shadow... A boy! Augh! Why did I always mix the two up?!’ As his face came into focus I recognized him.
“Mystery Boy!” I blurted out. I quickly covered my mouth, embarrassed. ‘I can’t believe I just said that out loud!’ Suddenly a small, blue pixel whooshed behind him. I gasped, remembering what had happened in my last dream with Mystery Boy. I felt my heart begin to accelerate as my eyes followed each pixel that passed us. “No! No, not this again!” I muttered, genuinely afraid this time. ‘It’s too much, it’s too much! I can’t take it!’
“Please don’t be afraid,” Mystery Boy said, cutting off my thoughts. He gently grabbed my face, so that I was forced to look at him. My hyperventilating slowed as I was mesmerized by his different colored eyes. When I was aware of myself again, I looked around, surprised to find us standing among a puff of clouds over looking a beautiful, deep blue ocean.
“Whoaaa…” I couldn’t believe my eyes. ‘How could those menacing flying pixels have turned into such a wonderful thing?’ I turned to Mystery Boy to ask him why, but he was oddly staring at something behind me. Curious, I began to turn my head.
“It’s about time you left,” he said seriously, holding on to my shoulder to prevent me from turning around.
“Wha-? …Wait!” I shouted as my vision began to blur white around the edges. “Wait, please! I… Who are you? Why are you… here? Why are WE HERE?” I had so many questions running through my mind.
He looked at me and said “…I can’t tell you.” The look on this face was almost… apologetic?
The white blur was quickly growing, and I was in a panic. “Please! At least tell me your name!”
His face had become a shadow but finally, “…Kei,” escaped from his lips.
With that, the white consumed me.