Chapter 5 #2
She had no idea how long she wandered before she came upon a massive tree, its trunk thick and imposing, with heavy vines cascading from its sprawling branches.
High up in the canopy, something stirred, concealed behind layers of dense, padded leaves.
Then, a soft trill echoed through the air.
The rustle of wings followed, and a red bird with flowing, brilliant feathers dropped gracefully from the branches above.
It circled the tree trunk once, its wings cutting through the air in a blur of crimson, before landing atop a gray stone sculpture just ten feet ahead of her.
It was a beautiful creature. The bird reminded Soraya of a peacock, if a peacock were red, orange, and yellow. Its black reflective eyes gleamed, and she could see her reflection in them.
Twigs snapped to her left, pulling her gaze away from the bird just in time to see rabbits hop into the clearing.
Their bodies reared up when they spotted Soraya, whiskered noses twitching in the air.
Shock washed over her as she examined their bodies.
Not only were their bodies vibrant in color, but their fur was shaped into delicate floral designs…
or they could very well be made out of flowers.
They reminded her of her stuffed rabbit on her bed.
“You look taller.”
Soraya snapped her head back toward the firebird, only to find a woman perched where the bird had been a moment before. The woman’s skin was like polished onyx, and her hair was a shade lighter than that, and she wore a beautiful white gown that glowed against her skin. She looked ethereal.
“Who are you?” Soraya asked with wonder.
“I am what I am.”
Soraya didn’t know how to respond to that when a thought occurred to her. “I’m dreaming.”
The woman smiled. “If you would like to think so.”
Nodding, Soraya looked skyward. Between the leaves, she could see the star-studded sky. The tails of shooting stars flashed, there and gone. “I do.”
The woman chuckled, and a soft breeze hummed through the trees in response.
“You want something,” Soraya said. It wasn’t a question. She could feel it.
Cocking her head, the woman replied, “The time has come, and I wanted a good look at you.”
A beat of silence followed.
“Where are we?” Soraya asked. Dreaming strange dreams was not new to her, but for the first time, she felt grounded in one.
“A place that is a little bit here and a little bit there. It exists, but there is nothing tangible to hold on to.”
Soraya expected dreams not to make sense. They were dreams, after all. “Are you a goddess?” She looked like one.
“To some.”
“Do you consider yourself one?”
“Why, no.” She smiled. “Do you consider yourself a goddess?”
Soraya, taking in her fill of the sky one moment longer, looked back down at the woman whose piercing gaze seemed to see right through her. Favoring the woman’s crypticness, she answered, “I am what I am, and I can be whatever I am.”
The strange woman laughed, the sound like a forgotten melody to Soraya. Another breeze kicked up, blowing through Soraya’s robe, the cool air tingling on her skin.
“You most certainly are, Soraya.”
“Are you my mother?” She had always wondered what her mother looked like, even in dreams. Though she didn’t look anything like the goddess, she still wondered.
The woman’s brown eyes softened. “I am your mother, the same way the moon and sun are your sisters.”
Soraya hummed. “Figures. I always wanted a mother.”
“What comes first, the mother or the maiden?”
Furrowing her eyebrows, Soraya tried to think, but her head became fuzzy like before. “I don’t know.”
“No one ever does. Not clearly.” Soraya blinked, and suddenly the woman was standing right before her. “You have to go now, my dear girl. I’m afraid I was being selfish in bringing you here. I wanted to see you before…before it was time.”
Before Soraya could respond, a foul stench of spoiled meat wrinkled her nose.
The woman’s head snapped behind her. “He approaches.”
Soraya shrugged her shoulders while fighting the urge to cover her nose. “Let him come.”
A deep sadness filled the woman’s eyes as she faced Soraya. She nodded her head back toward the path she had taken before. “Go. I will hold him off until your return.”
With another shrug, Soraya turned and headed back through the jungle.
She had just passed the first tree when she stopped and glanced over her shoulder, wanting to ask one last question.
It was on the tip of her tongue when the words died off her lips.
The woman was gone…and so was the entire clearing.
Turning back, mystified, Soraya blinked in surprise at her surroundings.
She was at the jungle’s edge, back at the start of her trek through the trees.
A shiver ran down Soraya’s spine as an imposing pressure prickled the back of her neck, urging her to move. Ahead, the jade staircase leading back to the palace stretched before her, but just the thought of the climb made her legs feel heavy and fatigued.
A breeze blew against her back, stirring the hair framing her face. Turning to look over her shoulder, Soraya’s eyes caught on something.
Deep within the jungle, a darkness began to spread, a void creeping forward like a living thing. She watched as the tree trunks in the far distance started disappearing—one by one, swallowed up by the black void coming closer and closer to her.
Finding her feet quickly, she looked straight ahead and hurried up the staircase without wasting time.
When she reached the hall entrance, a gust of wind whipped around her, urging her pace to pick up.
When she reached the end of the hall, back to the outer walkway of the courtyard, the wind began to howl through the opening, ripping at her braided hair and robe.
Looking back, she saw the darkness swallowing up the tops of the trees where she had stood just a moment before. Turning on her heel, she sprinted back the way she came. Quickly locating the staircase that led back to the balcony, she took the steps two at a time until she reached the metal gate.
She wondered if the darkness had reached the courtyard when, out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the sun no longer shining down upon the fountain.
The vibrant green glow from earlier had vanished, and the water, once burbling and splashing down from the top like a mighty river, was now silent.
A thunderous wind swept through the trees, making them tremble.
Soraya made a beeline for the door, pulling it open and shutting it quickly behind her. The sense of urgency never left her as she rushed back to the gossamer curtain. Pulling it aside, she leaped into the bed, only to realize that Tariq was gone.
She turned to see if he had gone to the bathroom, but remembered it was just a dream.
But it didn’t feel like a dream when the latticework shuddered under the sudden onslaught of wind, causing her to jump. It was like a hurricane had hit.
Ducking under the silk covers, Soraya slammed her eyes closed, willing herself to wake up. She tried pinching herself, but there was no pain.
Just as the rattling winds had started…they ceased.
Soraya peeked out from under the sheets. The room had grown quiet. Not a sound could be heard.
Closing her eyes once more, Soraya willed her heart to calm down. A drowsiness of sorts overtook her then.
Can you become exhausted in a dream? She wondered before blacking out completely.