Clovers End - 1. The Dream

ALEX P.O.V

Panting heavily, I wake up, drenched in a cold sweat. I peel the white linen of my body and catch my reflection on the adjacent wall mirror. A pair of milk chocolate eyes and a nest of unkempt hair stare back at me. The room is dark but I watched as the first of the morning light trickles through the gaps in my curtain, from what I could make out it was still dawn. I sigh and let my thoughts consume me. Vivid flashes from last nights dream dances across my vision twisting its tendrils around me reeling me back in.

It was midnight, the moon rose high in the starlit sky illuminating the still world with its heavenly light. I was in the woods surrounding the town. I was alone in the center of a clearing. Nearby you could hear the gentle rippling of water down the stream. Then it comes, a pair of stark white eyes piercing me with its intense glare. A low growl can be heard emanating from the creature's throat. I try to move and to get away, to run, to flee but somehow I am unmoving. I glance down and find my feet fixed to the floor. A shard of fear hits my abdomen and works its way through my system. I begin to quiver uncontrollably and stare unblinkingly at the massive beast prowling toward me from the shadows. The next thing I remember is darkness.

It's unnerving. I've been having the same recurring dream for the past three days only to be awoken by the shrill screech of my alarm which I promise does absolutely nothing to make the situation more dignified. It is odd, however, maybe it's just pure coincidence but my mind keeps running back to the morning I saw that man on the beach, call it what you will but my gut has an inkling, perhaps he has something to do with it, but how could he? I'm probably reading too much into it most likely just another " deluded fantasy " as any reasonable person would call it. You see I've always had this decrepit fascination, borderline obsession with the mystic. I can't quite explain it. I guess it has to do with my Mom and Dad.

" Mom, Dad ", I exclaim in a pained whisper. I sigh heavily, shaking myself from my thoughts. It's been years since they passed away but I can honestly say that the time I spent with the were my happiest memories. Everything happens for a reason, right? Life has a funny way of showing it. I know this much but, I can't help but wonder what it would be like to have them by my side. Perhaps things would be different. Briefly, I take in the unfamiliar surroundings reminding me why I'm here.