Trisha
Everything is dark and I’m cold.
“Where am I?” I whispered to myself.
I stood up but I can’t see anything.
“Am I dreaming?”
What happened? I continued to walk but I don’t know where I’m heading.
‘Welcome’
I saw the familiar signs when the dream welcomed me.
“Okay, so I’m asleep. This is a dream, but why am I asleep?”
I reached out my hand as I walked slowly.
“Hello? Is anybody there?” I shouted towards the darkness.
I tried to look for the signs that could help me get out of this place but all I can see is the word ‘Welcome’. I closed my eyes and imagined a place, but as soon as I opened them I’m still in the middle of this darkness.
“Okay, calm down Trish, this is just a dream.” I tried to comfort myself but I’m still cold.
I embraced myself to provide heat for myself. I can feel my teeth shaking as the cold wind caressed my entire body.
I then imagined a flashlight, or any kind of light that could guide me through this darkness. But nothing appeared.
“Okay, calm down Trisha, this is not a good time to panic.” I tried to calm myself.
Then suddenly I heard someone screaming in pain.
“Hello? Who are you? Are you okay?” I shouted towards the direction of the scream, but the person continued screaming.
I immediately ran towards the direction where the person is probably located.
“I’m coming to help you! Where are you?!” I shouted towards the darkness but the only response I got was continuous screaming.
I continued running, I had the urge to save the person who’s screaming. It’s so painful to hear how much more if its felt.
Then I bumped into something - no someone.
An arm? I traced the figure of the person and figured out that the person is a man.
“Am I in a horror dream?”
He’s tall, he feels familiar. He’s panting as if he’s struggling to breath.
“Are you the one who was screaming?” I asked him.
But he pulled me into a hug.
“Who are you?!” I tried to pull myself away but he’s strong.
Is he going to suffocate me to death?
I tried to pull myself even harder but he tightened his grip around me even more.
“Trish.” He called me then I stopped struggling.
I know this voice, although he had a different voice in person, I know it’s him. It’s Harry or in real life, Chris.
“Trisha.” He whispered weakly then loosened his grip as he leaned against me.
“Chris? Hey are you okay?” He felt heavy, it’s as if he’s unconscious.
“I-I’m not Chris.”
“What are you talking about? Of course you’re Chris.”
“I-I’m not.” He said as the darkness was then replaced with blue skies and there are trees around us.
I found ourselves on a cliff, overlooking the city. I looked around.
“I’ve been here before.” I whispered as I placed him on the ground. I stared at him even more, but I see nothing, it’s all a blur but I can feel he’s in pain.
I looked around again to confirm my suspicions. The rocks that we once used as tables and chairs when we came here are all here.
I looked down as I placed his head on my lap. His eyes are still close and I know he’s still in pain, he kept on grunting to himself.
“Art?” I asked him.
He opened his eyes, and smiled weakly at me. What is happening to him?
“Finally.” He said as he reached out to touch my cheek to wipe a tear.
I did not even notice that I’m already crying. I’m crying because of what’s happening to him and also because I did not recognize him right away. I still can’t believe that the person I’m with every time I’m asleep is Art and not Chris.
Then our surroundings changed again. We are now at the seashore, the last place we went together.
I looked at the cliff where we climbed down. The cave where we put the tent and the rock he used to sleep against.
“You really are Art.” I said as I cupped his face.
Art then screamed in pain again.
“Why? Why are you in pain? What’s happening to you?” My tears continued to flow.
The surroundings changed again. The Great hall from Harry Potter, the island where we went surfing, the house on the cliff where we cooked batchoy, the frozen lake where we went skating. The surroundings kept changing to every place we spent together in this dreamland as we stayed in the middle of the transitions. Him resting on my lap, being in extreme pain, and me crying, wondering what’s happening to him. His screams filled the spaces we went through. Then we landed lastly on a familiar beach.
“This is the beach where I used to live in, why are we here?” I looked at Art full of curiousity but then I remembered that he was hit by a truck in real life.
He continued screaming in pain.
“Art, please, please hang in there.” I pleaded.
What can I do? Is he going to make out of this alive? Is he going to leave me, when I thought we could start a life together? When I just realized that I wanted him more than ever? When I only learned that he was with me every time in this dreamland?
He’s wriggling in pain, as he reached out his hand again to cup my cheeks. Then he calmed down and his hand fell.
“No! No! No! Art!”
“Shhh.” He whispered and coughed.
“I wanted to die time and time again because of what I did to you… but it’s also because of you that I wanted to live. The universe is too cruel.” He paused to catch his breath. “The moment I wanted to start living again, it decided to cut my life short.”
He exhaled.
“No, no, stop talking you’re making your condition worse.”
He smiled sadly at me.
“Trisha, I’m so glad you got to tell me how you felt about me. I, too, want you…. No, not just want. I love you. I loved you, I love you, and I will continue on loving you. I have always loved you… even at a young age, I already knew it was love.”
He’s breathing heavily right now as if he’s clinging to every breath. His tears are running down on his cheeks but I can tell he’s smiling brightly at me.
And for the first time inside our dreams, I saw his face clearly. His beautiful face, his eyes that used to look at me so coldly but is also filled with extreme sadness, his eyebrows that he used to raise as if he’s challenging me, his lips, the lips that kissed me earlier before this accident. He’s crying but smiling genuinely at me. Compared to the pain he’s feeling earlier, right now, peace and satisfaction were written across his face.
“I love you, too. Please don’t leave me.” I continued to cry.
“Shhh, it’s okay don’t cry over me.” He chuckled as if what’s happening is all just a joke.
“No don’t talk, conserve your energy, you’ll get through this.” I told him.
“I’m sorry for leaving you this early, but I do hope.” He paused as he cried and cleared his throat.
“I hope you’ll no longer live with fear from your past.” He inhaled and exhaled slowly.
“My only wish is that you could recognize who I really am, but I guess I’m asking too much.” He smiled one last time at me and slowly closed his eyes.
“Hearing you saying that you love me too… it’s enough.” He whispered as I immediately embraced him inside my arms but as soon as I held him tightly he vanished like he was never there in the first place. Sparks flew from my embrace.
I turned to look at how beautiful the sparks were, they were even in different colors. But no matter how beautiful they were, it’s still to painful for me to enjoy what’s happening before me.
Although this is a dream, I somehow knew Art was gone.
I clutched my chest as if I could stop my heart from these bitter feelings building inside of me.
“NO!” I kept on screaming. “Why!? Why is this happening to me?! To us?!”
I cried it all out until my throat hurts. I’m still filled with questions, but I’m too occupied to think about them. I’m too filled with pain and anger towards everything.
I punched the ground until my knuckles hurt. I stayed there cursing at everything, asking the universe why.
Earlier, Art’s screams filled with pain filled this space, right now my screams filled with pain and loathing replaced it.