[[Dreaming Vividly-> Goodnight Sleep well]] -Cynthia Jones On dark nights... Sky full of starlight On snowy bluff, how bright! woods so full of [[life->Morning]]. Under open [[sky-> Flying]] trees expand miles on and on animals cry out Trees rustle.. wind blows people shiver I hate the life I'm stuck with. I hate going home and seeing what's left. I hate [[what my life has decreased to->People are Damned]]. I hate not being free. I hate not being connected. I hate my ambition. I hate the promise of [[love->Promise]], and have love disapear. I hate being responsible. I hate the toxins people infect others with. I hate the idea of death. I hate when I can't [[wake up->Wake Up]]. I hate that I'll never be able to live the life I wished for. The water is perfect! It must be about seventy degrees. I look off to the horizon it melts into the sky. It sparkles like a billion bright crystals. My sister and I aren't too far from the shore. As I sit next to the bow of the row boat I look out over the edge and into the water. It's so clear, I can see to the bottom. The water is so vibrant. Vivid bright blues and deep greens. I can't help it. Splash. So cool and refreshing. Coming up I tell Dylan to come in. She insists she good. "It's so nice tho Dylan." [[Something->Storm Brewing]] catches my eye. Smiling my upper lip twitched once then twice. Smiling had become my natural state when dealing with the officers. The officer after awkwardly staring at me disappeared behind and around the desk. I heard his feet shuffle along the floor and stop. As he did so I heard him muttering to himself as he counted the numbers on the shelves for my personal affects. He came back. I glanced at his name tag and it said Officer Carter. As he approached the desk he declared, "here we are prisoner 5672. Here are your clothes and personal belongings." He took the large envelope and tore the top open. Took out the legal paper work and read: "One jean button up shirt, two diamond stud earrings, one pair of jean pants, one pair of tan boots and one leather wallet. Please sign on the bottom of the page, you will then be escorted to the bathroom and allowed to change. After that you are free to leave." In the most sincere tone I could; "Thank you Officer Carter." As I left the desk and toward the bathroom the walls began to whisper to me again. "Why are you going? Didn't we have such fun?" They cry about my going. I block them out. I approach the doorway and place my hands on the door ready to force them open if needed. It's been [[ten years!->Flash from the Past]] I hesitate and take a deep breath. A shiver of excitement, fear run through my body. I have doubt. Is this real? Door opens. The bright light. We are the damned, unforgiven, forgotten, and the blest. We admitted we were powerless. We became unmanageable. The wisdom is lost. We over took him and demanded our future. Knives, desires, battles and death Consume us. We took our souls Stole ourselves Stole each other. Individually through our eyes, Collectively from our bodies. We walk on Screaming, frighting, searching for what we once had among the [[ashes->Ashes Falling]] Me whisper you always fun happy forever hug dance laugh together truth married run sleep secrets night dream live kiss keep YES flowers cards miss respect be.Baby? Baby you're okay. I got you. Shhh please don't cry. I'm here holding you right now. Take a deep breath in... okay now let it go. there we go. Love you.The sky darkens and the clouds move in too quickly. "Almost as if someone is controlling the storm." Come on Dylan lets go! The water is getting really choppy. "It was so perfect, how does a storm move in so quickly?" Steph. Steph!! Steph were we' going? Lets get to shore and pull the boat up ok. We'll be ok. "Is that a house? It looks abandoned, or maybe the lights are out from the storm" Hey Dylan, theres a house. As we paddle in closer we see how huge it really is. It looks way to creepy. I don't like it Steph. Were else are we going to stay? We'll be fine, come on lets go. The door is ajar... It appears no one has been there for years. Steph it doesn't feel [[safe->Out of the Storm]]. Knock. There's a knock at the door. Errrr. The chair screeches across the floor as I get up. "I got it mom," I shout as I get up and cross through the kitchen and living room. Walk Walk Walk Walk... Knock. Knock. Knock. Bang, Bang, Bang, Bang, BANG BANG!! I'M COMING! So rude it's dinner time. People have no decency anymore. Hand on door nob, twist turn. eeeeek. Open door. Shadow of a man standing there. "I know you know why I'm here'" he says. "Yea." "I'm here to see that you've paid." "Have you paid your dues?" "We'll have it tomorrow." "So not yet then?" "No, tomorrow." The streets are deserted, everyone tried to avoid being outside. Especially when the Shadow Man was around. I could feel the heavy weight of the gun in my hand behind my back. "Danny who is it," My mom shouts over the music booming from downstairs. "Just a kid from across the street asking for sugar." I look he's look across the street. I raise my gun hand and [[shoot->Wake Up]]. One shot. close the door. walk Shit. Shit [[Shit.->People are Damned]] Good morning! The sun is rising. You survived the night, if you had some tense dreams, maybe even a nightmare. Or you had a great night sleep, saw and experienced some beautiful and wondrous things. It is the start of a new day. The hope and wonderment in the sun rising. The beauty of the world around you. A fresh start.Freedom Lightness in weight Yearning Increase Neverland Greatness You are aware of the feeling of lightness and freedom. You are aware of a slight breeze against your face. Your smiling, the weightlessness is the best sensation you've had in along time. You can feel your whole body moving and adjusting in tiny little increments. It hits you... your eyes aren't open. How can you do all these things without the need for your sight. You panic am I blind?! You snap your eyes open. around you are clouds. They are soft and hazy. The morning sun is sparkling through them as if they are prisms to expand and enhance the light. It's breath taking. Wait. What? How did you get up here. You are human. We haven't evolved to this? Have we? This is crazy! Looking at your body...yes they are human arms and legs and hands and feet. Okay. Ok. How'd you get here you ask yourself again. Never mind, it's amazing! The valley below is so beautiful. The deep greens, the [[river->Ocean]]running through. I call out to the house. HELLO!? A voice from inside. hello. Is someone there? A elderly woman appears from the darkened door way. She's wearing a nun's habit. She smiles and gestures for us to come inside from the darkening sky and rain. Dylan is standing behind clutching my forearm. I take her hand, Sis it's ok. Just stay close to me. As we approached I saw for the briefest moment a gleam in her eyes that suggested danger. "No, that can't be right." "This woman is woman of God." "Under no circumstance would she do harm to another." She said... Come in I'll find you a room. As she disappeared with her one lit candle into the dark of the entryway. I could feel Dylan right on my heals. It was if she expected me just to vanish. As if I'd leave her. We took our time crossing the deck. I felt the doom the oozed of from the house but we couldn't go back now. Dylan and I crossed the threshould of the doorway and found the old lady waiting for us about five feet in. I got my phone out and turned the flashlight on so Dylan and I could keep and eye on the old lady. As we walked through the house we say years of dust and debris off to either side of the "cleared" pathway. As we walked further in I was what appeared to be...bones, I think. Down the hallway we saw candle light flickering in a room. Here we are, she said. This is your room. She walked us [[in->In]]. Nothing is no longer free. the sky is falling and so is our hearts death is nothing to be afraid of for it is only something that happens You can't patch up death its nearly impossible everything used to be so simple Now; It's impossible to think about what used to be. The Sky is black with shades of gray, ashes fall. I think of the restless nights the person I've become I'm going mad; I know EXACTLY what the problem is 1. I'm insane. 2. Unemployed. 3. I need prayer. "God answers paryers." "Don't lose faith, "Don't let go of such a beautiful mind" This is what people say to me. People want so much! So much of me! I know they think and blame me as the root of all their suffering. Wow! Dylan and I gasped in unison. The room is so luxuriously furnished. Large tapestries hung on the wall to keep the walls insulated. There's a fire roaring in the fireplace. Dylan run's past me and onto the huge bed. HUH!! This is so nice. She's rolling around on the mattress as the old lady shows me the bathroom thats adjoined to our room. Thank you. I... we really appreciate this. Well I'm going to go a start working on super. I'll come and fetch you. Ok. She starts to leave, out of the conner of my eye I see her pull out some keys and test them on the door. Wait, I say rushed. Can we have the keys to our room? Oh you shouldn't need them. I was just checking the locks. You should be just fine in here. No! I'd like to have our keys. Please. She tosses them to me without anymore words. has they land in my hands they turn to human bones. What is this! Who are you? What do you WANT FROM US! She slowly starts to back away from me with a menacing grin. I rush at her and struggle to gain control over her. As we fight I know Dylan is standing in the corner waiting for it to be over. She's probably thinking Wake Up! Wake Up!! [[WAKE UP->Wake Up]]! The old lady's face starts to change. She becomes more angular and her hair becomes wispy white and wild. In that second I know she is a witch. I finally over power her and shove her into to open fireplace. ARRHHHH!! she shrieks. She looks truly evil, even though she's this tiny little boney creature. She grasps the grate as I lock it closed and the metal bars start to disintegrate. I have no idea what made me think I could counter that but I grabbed them and they turned to platinum. You're going to burn forever in HELL! I grab Dylan and we run out of the house and burn it to the ground. I only hope that we can make it out to [[morning->Morning]] Everyday slows to a rhythmical hum of background noise as we prepare for sleep. We can't wait to close our eyes and escape from the day. It might be the sound of crickets hidden within tall grass chirping in your back yard. The dry grass swaying and vibrating low musical notes as the wind sweeps by. Together they sing a slow haunting lullaby as dusk settles into the coolness of night. Maybe it's the call of nocturnal beasts waking from their slumber. [[The howl of a wolf->Deep in the Woods]], the cry of a coyote. The echo of bats flying about. The grunts and barking of a wild boar. Perhaps you're in a neighborhood of a great city and the sound of continuous traffic, horns honking, people chattering, laughter, stereos blasting, sirens racing by in the distance, and your furry friend curled by your feet is what signals the end of the day. The comfort of people close by, as if in your room telling you not to worry that they are watching over you while you sleep. Or better yet, your under the endless night sky as the far off [[stars twinkle->Under Different Skies]] lightly on your closed eyelids. The [[waves->Ocean]] roll in and out on the sand. They drum deliberately up and down creating a relaxed atmosphere. The sweet smell of fall mixed with the salty air sooth you into slumber. How ever, where ever, and on something we all fall asleep. This is not about our days or how we spend our time wake in our thoughts. This is how we spend our time asleep. What preoccupies our thoughts in our subconscious. What we experience when we close our eyes and drift into the land of possibilities. Maybe, this is your preferred [[state of consciousness->Good Morning Sunshine!]]. Well sleep and it's amazing what we create.