REGAN

It was the summer of June when the sun was overhead and everyone was inside to
escape its scorching heat. June, not so good a month for me to shift into a new flat.
As I just turned 24, I was allowed to live alone in a flat also I had my placement in
Bangalore; way far from my home back in Delhi. It was for the first juncture that I
had to make a solo trip to my new flat as I always had a friend or some family by
my side all the time. Finally, that nervous moment arrived when I stepped in my
new flat and each step of mine would arouse a feeling of uneasiness. I decided to
relieve myself from this uneasiness by reading a novel. I was done with unpacking
and I didn’t have any work anyways...

As I went deep into the novel, I felt drowning myself into it. It was so addicting yet
so mysterious with a twist of science in it. In that novel I got to know the fact that
while we are dreaming, we tend to see inverted images in mirror. As it was 2 in the
morning when I completed reading the novel, I decided to call it a night.

I wake up in the morning all sweaty and scared, I looked around and sighed with
relief, it was just a dream. I went to the bathroom to get ready for work. I hate my
job, but it pays my bill, that’s my only motivation to get up and go to work in the
morning. I pick up the brush half interestedly, applied the toothpaste on it and
looked at my bathroom mirror.

I was startled and wanted to scream and it was not because of the pain of going to
work as you would think it could be. Some strange figure with just two eyes
without nose, without mouth or any other facial feature was looking right back at
me through the mirror, it was distorted, opaque and dark and only its eyes were
visible which made it even scarier. Frozen, I stared back at the eyes looking back at
me through the mirror. The time when I was about to lose it, the figure spoke
something but the voice was so smooth and relaxing that I was forced to listen to it.
“Hey, you,” it said with a husky yet peace evoking voice. I was still frozen from
the sight and wasn’t able to make it. Although it sounded relaxing but the sight
amused me and it felt so distorted and delusional. “Why are you not running away?
Are you not scared of me?” the figure said. I still had no answer to this, yet the
question made me wonder why am I not running away. I replied back with a
shivering voice, “I don’t have the courage to do so”. The figure made a funny yet
creepy sound and said, “Then find the courage, and run, run away from me or I
will destroy you.” RUN AWAY! It screamed. “I CAN’T” I screamed back.

At one point of time I thought it might be my own soul from the parallel universe, I
was unable to identify which was trying to show me my bleak future or trying to
prepare me from something disastrous. The figure in full astonishment then
murmured “Wow you’re some sort of stubborn, I will leave you now, but
remember one thing, there are some things which you find uncomfortable but
later they start to make you comfortable slowly. This will one day destroy
you.”It was then the figure left the mirror space and I could see myself again. I
could see myself standing so pale, scared, my face turned lighter shade of yellow
and my eyes all ready to pop out. I could not really understand what it meant to
say. I brushed it off as an illusion and got ready for work.

As I entered my bedroom, I got another wave of shock when I found my body

sleeping and here I was standing on the doorway of my bathroom. As soon as I
started to go near the bed, everything started flying and all of a sudden it all thrusts
down and make a thrashing voice. I got scared even more that I tried to run away.
But when I went to the doors, I found them locked. I started growing even more
panicky. I was able to hear my heartbeat so loud that It was about to get out of my
chest anytime. I was all so scared and clueless. I couldn’t make out if this was just
a dream or it was some sort of shocking reality. I tried to calm myself down but I
was unable to. Gathering all my courage yet again, I went near my body and tried
to touch it. As soon as I touched my body, I found myself on the bed like I was
shaken by somebody so hard. I sat on my bed, touched my face and even pinched
myself to make sure that I was in my body.

I was so shaken and I found it hard to go to work. I hate my job. I told myself
about the thousandth time this week. But I have to go. Suddenly the sentence hit
me again “There are some things which you find uncomfortable but later they
starts to make you comfortable “SLOWLY”. This will one day destroy you.” And
I felt Goosebumps rising all over my body. For the first time in my life, I didn’t go
to work. I called up my workplace and said “I want a resignation, will complete all
my formalities tomorrow.” and hung up. I felt a heavy weight being lifted off my
chest. I felt as liberated as a newly freed bird from its cage. I will go on and follow
my dream to become a writer.

Suddenly I heard the alarm ring. 7:00 AM. I wake up all sweaty and scared I
looked around and was disappointed it was just a dream. I have to get ready for the
job I hated the most. Dreams can’t be true. I go to the bathroom. And look at the
bathroom mirror. I start to get ready for work and this time I was able to leave my
new flat for work. I somehow went to my office. Today, I was supposed to attend a
conference so I went to the conference room. As soon as I entered the room, I saw
the same lines written backwards. “OUY YORTSED LLIW SIHT” was written on
the wall which made my head spin even more. The line from the book flashed into
my mind which said that we tend to see inverted images while dreaming. Then this
thought came into my mind where I questioned myself once again, “Am I still
dreaming?”…..