Here... and Now...

it is a good thing you aren't here right now...

you would see my messy hair from rushing this morning...

the note smeared on my left hand as a reminder to bring a book to a coworker (forgotten again by the way)...

my nails for some reason are still hosting a bright blue polish beneath the nude professional overlay...

my barely charged cellphone Barry the Blackberry (who is quite whiny of late)...

non-mascara-d eyes that scream for eye make-up love...

leggings that really are not the same black as the lovely tunic on top (darn fading cotton)...

but most of all you would see the expression of utter craziness on my face...

You see right here and now I am sinking/diving/careening/wrecking/jumping/crashing into 'StoryLand'. I did not realize that the Hook bringing me back would also come with its on crashing ball as well. Did I order the insane dreams with crazy characters as well? I really need to check my dream card statements!

I actually dreamed one of my MCs was holding the word "DIVULGE" and chasing me down the freeway...not sure I want to even try to decipher that one.

But I did notice one thing during my "Great Word Escape" last night. The MC was screaming while she ran:

Not my name.

Not HELP!

Not "I'm gonna get you my pretty!"

But the single word: NOW.

She screamed it over and over again. I actually woke up with the word on my lips. Okay that is weird. All day I have ran Divulge and Now through my head. What do I divulge? What is the urgency? Why don't I understand?

Have you ever done this? Woke up from a dream and KNOW there is a message, there on the tip of your consciousness it waits for you...

If you were here you would see me ponder a dream that beckons me to act on something...and you would laugh as I walk to the freezer grab an orange TwinPop popsicle, pull back the wrapper and with utter sincerity scream:

NOW... WHAT?

Have a Nonsensical & Terrifical Tuesday...

Dream Sequence Blogfest!!

Amalia T. is hosting today's blogfest: Dream Sequence Blogfest!! So this one was interesting to approach; dreams and flashbacks can really change a character's path. I am excited to read all the other entries and hope you will too! Since my current WIP does not have a dream sequence (though I am considering one) I decided to do one on the fly! I treated it a little like my Wednesday's Written Word because that stimulates me quite well. So I just used Dream and well this is what I came up with...

***

A cool breeze glides over my skin as I walk into the room.

With every step unease crawls over my body leaving a trail of tremors. My eyes sweep the floor - shards of glass blink in the sunlight. The window's shattered center crunches beneath my shoes...

My fingers itch to touch but even in sleep I know the dangers...the barrier of reality is thin at best.

Two nights now and I find myself beyond the veil. The first time was not only terrifying but a disaster. Maybe this time I can keep my head and wake up alone...the darkness that I took back with me was more than a nightmare. I know now that time is different here, that beyond the veil of sleep I have no control.

A small round blue shard catches my eye. Immediately I bend down. It is the one. The symbol.

If I just grab it, take it now...

My knees begin to shake as I lean closer to the glass. The perfect round edges, the star and dagger etched into the center and on the dagger the initials that haunt me in light and darkness...

Z I H - what does it mean?

My body begins to react to the shard; pulsating pain beats against my skull, my eyes water as the stinging grows, I want to scream.

I taste blood and realize I've bitten my tongue. Cautiously I straighten up, the need to touch is beginning to make me weak.

WAKE UP!

My own voice disappears as darkness colors the walls.

The light breeze from earlier no longer filters through the busted frame; sticky, heavy air weighs me down. I know the shifters will be here soon, my presence beyond the veil would not go unnoticed for long.

I feel him before I see him - a dark silhouette, not real, not imaginary but a culmination of every nightmare. He hovers along the line waiting for me to make a mistake or for me to choose...the darkness.

He craves me but is forced to bank his desire. I desire his touch but must never act on it. We study each other, violet eyes meeting silver across the room.

Glancing at the shards then at me he speaks "Why are you here?" His voice is deep and rich, a gravelly tone that soothes and intimidates.

"I don't know." My voice, a whisper that hangs amid the humid air.

"You know the rules beyond the veil...I cannot protect you. I cannot change it here...they are coming for you now. You are weak...."

"I know."

"You need to wake up."

"I don't know how."

"If I help you - it will hurt..." His form slides across the space and I can feel his breath next to my ear.

In the distance an eerie screech has me flinching. They are close.

"Please. They are coming..."

"Close your eyes." I look at the shadow once before obeying his command.

Immediately a chill grips my throat. I want to claw and scratch as he pulls me into an abyss. Hate swamps me, anger, desire, passion rolls around my stomach and I raise my arms. Then I am overcome with sadness. Closing my fists I wait for the pain. The door that will open when he cuts into my soul.

It comes. A ripping starts in my chest as he moves beyond my feelings and into my core. My skin aches, and my head begins to pound. Heat burrows into my right hand and the fire has me screaming. The sound bounces off the walls. I feel as though he has cut open my chest and torn me apart. Suddenly my breathing begins to slow and I feel like I am floating.

"Sweet dreams." His voice is like silk against my skin.

I lick my lips tasting the tart flavor of blood then I open my eyes no longer trapped by sleep.

I lay on the floor covered in sweat. My hand aches and I look down: Z I H has been burned into my wrist.

***

Wishing you a Fabulous Friday!!

A Dream and A Husband

Just to warn you: this was last nights dream...

Small pieces of parchment fall haphazardly around me....

A glimmer of blue ink catches my eye and I reach for it...

The paper dissolves before I can read the words....

Larger pieces land silently along the ground and I bend to touch them.

Soft green ink creeps along the paper and I yearn to read them before they disappear.

My fingers caress the edge and I watch the language shift,

Each letter disappears...one after the other...I think of dominoes on a kitchen floor...

I straightened. Looking up I see them fall from the dark blue sky....no end...no beginning...

A piece softly touches my nose, eyes closed I remember snowflakes and warm hot cocoa...

The pieces are piling up yet I am not held down...

They are in front of me, yet I know I can step forward...

They are behind me, yet they do not close me in...

A drawing slides to the ground in front of me..

A girl of seven climbs a tree and I smile...the branches were strong, the wind was light and my thoughts were happy...

Another lands upon my head and my hands grasp it quickly...

Soft music from a harp...flowers all around..dancing..laughing...vows...a tear slides down my cheek with joy..

The picture fades and the flashes begin..

Myself at a computer... reading in a wheelbarrow at ten years old...

A father's strong hands...the sweet sound of a mother laughing...

Christmas morning...Thanksgiving in the heat...summer waves along a coast...

Dogs rolling in the grass...cats lounging in the sun...children chasing each other...

The scenes are not all full of beauty but I see the beauty in their existence...

They fall around me as I sink to the soft grass..

I watch them with excitement..

I worry as they disappear so fast..

Then I see it...the paper that is like a mirror...

Its surface is clear and I pick it up...I see my reflection..

Unlike the others before it does not change...

At first I am worried..I look to the sky...

They still rain down but more slowly and fewer increments...

Then I see that they all are like the one in my hand...

All around me the silver surface shines back...a lake...clear and without distinction...

I stand and frown...

One falls... a picture of me standing and frowning...

I smile...

I wake up.

4 a.m.

I was just nervous when I woke up. I was not sure what in the world it meant. I told my husband about it at lunch today.

He laughed at me.

Yes HE LAUGHED!

Then he blew my mind...

Husband: "Don't you see..that lake was everything you have yet to do. The pieces were memories. "

Me: "I got the memory part but was not sure about the mirror pieces."

Husband: "I think it is your own mind telling you that everything you want, everything you are going to do is there... out there... for you to make happen. Whatever step you take next will be the next pieces...So keep doing what you do. Just think if you have it again it might be you sitting with your agent...talking to a publisher..reading aloud from your own book..."

Then he proceeds to eat his lunch as I sit there and think about the dream.

He is right you know and I love him for it...