The Stroll

Yet another story within a dream.

And so, like other dreams, some are considered eccentric and others are quite superb to be even deemed realistic. That’s why it is a dream, right? But in some, they are brimming well enough with reality that you would have thought, and sometimes wished, that it isn’t a dream.

. . . . .

Strolling or walking alone is never a solitary task for me, so when I found myself wandering around a certain market – which was quite wrong to be called as such since it literally isn’t a market in the first place; rather, a place of modern stores that would likely interest teenagers – I wasn’t much astonished. It was situated in a steep mountain (which I didn’t know at the beginning) where the weather was cold; and the surrounding was pervaded by thick mists and fogs. There were pine trees everywhere, giving the place quite a traditional feel.

The stores were of synthetic pavilion in the shade of gray and black. On one, there were numerous anime discs and posters and I have to admit that I really was tempted to stop and have a glimpse on every thing they offer. But to my absolute surprise, I didn’t and I seemed to be searching for a particular store, or to be precise, a specific thing. As I searched, I realized that I was insidiously, obliviously, getting nearer unto the interiors of the open space, thus bringing me farther from whence I came.

I was now on a place that was full of stores of necklaces and other sort of accessories. My first thought? Terrific. And I was obliged to believe that even in a dream I have real taste.

On one, there was a crimson shroud hung over the pavilion vertically, and on it, the necklaces were aligned. The necklaces weren’t of metal, rather of black thin rubber but the pendants were of silver.

I did wonder, why were they (all those people there) staring at me as I passed by, laughing wickedly, albeit soft, and murmuring something to their comrades while they have their eyes fixated on my direction? It was definitely insulting, but I decided to just ignore their childish acts. Perhaps they were envious of me, being able to walk on such a place all by myself.

And then the howling wind began to blow stronger, with a frightening whistling sound, sending tremors to my body, pulsating my heart heavily against my chest. The lofty pine trees began swaying to the music in a rhythmic pattern. In short, fear was starting to encase my being.

The laughter, which sounded more spiteful now, indeed, was also getting louder.

“We were quite successful, weren’t we?” a voice hollered. “The brat played with our little game.”

“And been a prisoner of our trap,” someone added.

“Now where can she escape?” another one said. “She has nowhere to run and she’ll die in this mountain.”

The mountain?  I scrutinized my surroundings and shuddered at the truth: Yes, I was on top, on the zenith, the summit, the peak, of such a massive mountain.

“And suffer the wrath of nature; the fury of the weather.”

Well, by then, it has already hit me. They intended to make me go inside the ‘market’ by enticing me with all those interesting things being sold in endless stores, with my mind being ordered to think, “No, that’s not what you want, look first inside!” They planned it in perfect order so by the time the of the storm’s influx, I was already in a state of the inevitable, and that I would die. But why? Why in the world would this strangers plan my death?

I couldn’t even open my mouth in protest. Oh, perfect. I couldn’t even move a single finger and my senses seemed to vacate my body. What was I supposed to do? I didn’t know… but goodness, would I really be such a loser in a dream?