Another day, another dollar. I didn't think anything of the typical evening as I walked down the rain-ridden street. I wore my best red dress in an attempt to help coax my boss into letting me have a raise at the accounting place on 4th and Main street. He didn't take, but he did offer me a date. Needless to say, that was a step backwards in my mind.
I strode down to the end of where 4th meets 3rd, then turned to head for the subway station. The streets were relatively clear since it was much later than most people were out. Except that one individual in black who follows me to the subway station every day. One of the perks to staying late today to ask for a raise was that when I went home today, I was supposed to avoid that creep, but he must've waited for me. He never follows me to my house, but always to the subway station.
He wasn't an awful creep, he had a gorgeous voice. He'd often talk to me on the subway but mostly talked about mutual happenings. He never spoke of his personal life, nor asked me of mine. ...except for once: it was the second time we met, he asked me if I enjoyed science out of the blue. I had longed to be a scientist since I was out of high school, but then real life caught up with me and I was lucky to get something as crappy as my accounting job.
I stepped on to the subway that was entirely vacant, until the man in black stepped in and sat across from me. I had forgotten how his eyes were almost entirely pupils, that kinda creeped me out a little.
"You're a little later than usual, miss," he remarked.
The statement he observed made me a little uncomfortable, "work-related stuff."
"In that dress, I was going to assume a date or bribe. Since you're a singular person of not strong social skills, I was going to guess the latter. You have some nerve, miss."
I jerked my head up in shock, "how do you know about me? Why do you keep stalking me?"
He looked to the left and right in a relaxed motion, then smiled, "you wouldn't believe me if I told you."
I felt my face start to turn red with anger, "listen, I'm fine with sharing a sub with you and the occasional chats, but when you stalk me and tell me about my life, that makes me very uncomfortable. I want you to stop!"
"Defensive, too. An only child. One who depended on her peers as a young miss to uphold her securities, and perhaps, still does," he said without a blink of emotion.
I stood, "I'm getting off at the next stop, I don't like you reading my mind."
He stood and lightly grabbed my arm, "I will explain everything, please just sit."
I complied with his request, "but this will be the final time we talk. Ever."
He suppressed a smile, "I'm not sure about that. I want to show you something. Did you know I am an illusionist?"
My eyes flared with shock, "you're not going to do anything freaky, are you?"
"Depends on what you define as 'freaky.'" He started to lightly stroke a specific part of my arm that caused it to go numb. I was about to ask what he meant by that before I dozed off into a deep sleep, but not before whispering, "the freakiest thing you've ever seen."
.~/~\~.
I love running through grass barefooted. I was usually paranoid about stubbing my foot on something hidden in the grass when I ran barefoot, but something told me the grass was perfectly safe, and each blade of grass glistened in the sunlight like straw emeralds. I was about to do my girly twirl in my favorite pink summer dress when I saw him standing there- the man in black who haunts me on the subways! I turned to run, but looked at mountains reaching for their stormclouds above them.
"Fascinating, isn't it?"
I didn't turn to look at him, "what is?"
"This." I felt him hold his arms out as if to point to the scenery, "I've seen much worse than this. I must say, it'll get boring rather quickly, but at least you stick to the basics when you're dreaming."
I whipped my head around to look him in the eye, "I'm... what?"
"Dreaming." He took a step forward in his charcoal-grey suit.
I looked around, usually when I dreamed, and I realized it, I woke up instantly.
"If you're wondering why you're not waking up, it's because I have you sedated."
"How would I know that if I'm the one dreaming?" I was so confused now.
"You didn't, but you could've figured it out. I came here to show you two things: First, cooperative dreaming. This is really me you're talking to, not a mirrored image of me."
I sat down on a rock that I made appear behind me, "but... how?"
"As your mind imagines action, it sends electrical impulses through your brain and down your nerves. Hence, why some people twitch in their sleep. I have spent years practicing how to translate and sent these signals to other people by simple touch, but a impulse machine makes it easier."
"I'm hooked to a machine?!"
"No no. I wouldn't do that to you. We're actually holding hands on the subway as we speak." The thought repulsed me. "But don't be alarmed by it, the wrist is the most accessible place that has the most vulnerable nerve where I can read and send dream impulses to you, which is how not only I can see what you're dreaming, but you can see what I'm dreaming."
I folded my arms over my chest, "I don't think I want to share a dream with you."
"Most people don't, miss. But if you wish it be, this will be the only one you will share with me. I simply wish to show you something."
I rolled my eyes a little. I began to wonder if I could summon a lion in my dream to destroy him. But at the same time, now that I realize it, no other dreams have felt this real before. It seems like real life. "Alright, show me, and then let me be."
"Deal. Come with me." He smiled then took my hand to lead me to the north. His hand felt like satin.
He led me to a cliff looking over mildly bumpy grassland with a river running down the east side. "What's down there?"
"Grass." I said without emotion.
"Close your eyes," he instructed. I complied. "Now is there a city down there?"
"No, just grass." I said again.
"No no! IS there a city down there?"
Suddenly, it dawned on me: he's trying to get me to create things in my dreams. If this came true, then I'd never dream the same way again. I decided to trust him from here on out, just this once. "Yes, a major metropolis with three bridges over the river."
"Very good," he said, "now open your eyes."
I opened my eyes to find a silhouette of a city encasing the entire valley with three bridges over the valley. I was astonished. But it was short-lived as the man in the suit began to laugh. "Oh my! You have a bit of work to do, but I will show you how to do it."
He put his arm around my shoulder and pointed twords the city, "where are all the lights?"
I wondered this too. But the longer I wondered, the more I wished there were lights. The buildings were simply three-dimensional silhouettes. But the longer I wished, the more lights appeared in spots I imagined there to be lights. I gazed back and forth across the entire city, adding different lights in windows, different shaped windows, different lights.
"You're doing very well! You're a quick learner. Now, why are all the building silhouettes?"
I used the same trick from creating lights to create detail and architecture on the buildings. One by one, I created basic-looking structures, then more unique structures, until I ended up spending about 15 minutes creating a beautiful cathedral in the middle of the city.
"Hold up, miss. I think you've spend enough time on that old church of yours," the man said with a laugh.
"This is incredible! This is unreal! This is unreal!" I squealed with excitement!
Suddenly the earth under me shook. It turns out we weren't standing on solid earth, but earth that was held up by a very strong tree. Then water that tasted sweet (and resembled Sprite, oh how I loved Sprite!) engulfed in levitating rivers around us.
"How do you do that?!" I screamed with even more enthusiasm than before.
"How's your city doing?" he asked very casually.
I looked over the edge of the earth to see my city flow away from me as if it was liquid. Then it grass appeared around it until it started to take on a circular shape. My city became a planet.
"Again, I ask the question, isn't it fascinating?" he asked with his arms held out wide.
"I don't want to leave this dream." I almost whispered because it sounded stupid.
"You won't have to, miss. Your mind is the most advanced machine mankind will ever know. We only use a very small percentage of our brain when we're awake. ...but when we sleep! ...when we sleep we use a much higher percentage and all sorts of things are possible!"
"I wish I could sleep forever like this," I foolishly said to myself.
"You wish you could imagine things like this forever. And you can. Miss, have you heard the term, 'you are what you eat?'"
"Yes, everyone has."
"It's also true you are what you think. As you learn how to dream more like this, you will learn how to think like this when you're awake, and you will be able to process more and more knowledge faster and faster. Some people have mastered this and don't know it, and society classifies them as geniuses.
"There's something I want you to try. We don't ever 'forget' things, we simply don't think about them until they're out of our cognitive processes. Try reading a book, miss. Actually, simply skim through it, then when you dream, create and read the book, and you will find that you can read the book for the first time in your sleep since you have the words on the page filed into your brain."
"That sounds too fantastic to be true." I said with disbelief, this certainly was dream!
"Oh it certainly takes practice, it took me 13 books to do that. Start with simple things like pamphlets, then work your way up. A quick learner like yourself will pick it up almost instantly."
He gazed at his watch, "speaking of which, the sedatives will be wearing off soon. I will see you on the subway." He smiled then turned to walk away.
"Wait!" I screamed, "don't leave me! Tell me more! Tell me everything I can do in these dreams! Tell me how to dream like this! Tell me how to read books instantly!"
He stopped, "practice may make perfect, miss. But practice and patience makes the unreal, real."
I jerked my head up as it started to slide off the metal subway seat. I was drowsy as if I had fallen asleep, which I know I did. That was one crazy dream. I looked around, but didn't see the man in black anywhere on the train. I shook my head, of course it was a stupid dream! None of that could really happen!
I grabbed my purse to step off the subway at my stop when I noticed something green and blue in the seat next to me. It was a can of Sprite with a note on top that said, "dream on, I'll see you again tomorrow."
