The evening light crept through the large stained windows, occasionally being obstructed by the

flowing trees breezing in and out of sight. A quiet hum permeated through the bus, along with
the sound of tires rolling across the pavement. I checked my phone for the time, it felt like it had
slowed down to a halt, but it had been an hour. The rays trailed up the walls and reflected off of
various surfaces on the bus. Radiant beams converged and shined brightest on a seat occupied
by a strange man. The blinding light made it difficult to identify who the man was or how he
looked, but after I noticed him, it was hard to look away. I didn't know who the man was or why
he was there. The light beaming off of the man was interrupted only for a moment. But by the
time my eyes had adjusted, there was no man. I looked around to see if anyone else could
reassure me that I wasn't seeing things, but I was the only one on the bus. When the light
returned, I walked up to the seat the man was sitting on, each step made me second guess
what I was doing. I wondered if I had gone crazy, if I was seeing things again. I had finally gotten
close enough that I could see him, he had no eyes, and he smiled from ear to ear. His face filled
with wrinkles, like he had lived on the bus for a hundred years. I wanted to jump back in fear, but
his alluring presence drew me closer, I was too deep in. One step after another, and every step
was harder than the last. I had finally stood right before the man. He looked up at me. When I
saw him move, I was so scared I stumbled over and fell. The man lowered his head and
reached out his hand to assist me. I paused for a moment, then came to my senses. I extended
my hand out to grab onto his, however, my hand was engulfed in a cold breeze as it drifted
through the light. I had looked up to check on the man, but when my eyes had reached the
man—
The evening light crept through the small cracked window. Quiet murmurs permeated through
the plane, along with the sound of jet engines roaring. Time felt like it had slowed down to a halt,
but it had only been an hour. My eyes adjusted to what was happening, while my brain was
racing trying to figure out what that dream had been about. Low chimes flooded my ears as my
eyes slowly adjusted to the light. The distorted voice of an intercom flooded the room as my
brain was trying to make sense of what happened. Am I going insane? I thought to myself trying
to make sense of what was happening. The calming comfort of being grounded back into reality
set in, as I began to reassure myself that I am sane. My body is glowing. I panicked, trying to
move to a darker spot to return back to normal, but I couldn't move an inch. I am going insane.
Reiterated over and over again in my head as I started to lose my grip on reality once again. I
looked around to see if anyone could see me or help me, but the plane was empty. The strings
keeping me sane were starting to break. As I desperately tried to maintain my composure,
incoherent, endlessly flowing thoughts flooded my mind. What was once quiet murmurs from the
plane grew louder and louder, getting more and more disorderly. The noise grew louder as my
vision began to distort, my brain in a frenzy as everything comes crashing down—
Silence. The translucent silk curtains danced along the calming breeze, waving the light around
filling the room. The calming orange radiance expanded its way through the room, illuminating
the walls. A ringing filled my ears, slowly reverberating in my head like a siren. I could hear
someone talking beside me but I couldn't tell who it was or what was happening. My head turns
to observe my surroundings, and that's when I see it. His smile wide and his presence drawing
me ever closer. I wanted to get up, to run away and escape, but my body still wouldn't move. I
felt like a spectator in someone else's life, like I was seeing things through someone else's eyes,
but I myself couldn't move. The room seemed to fade out as my attention locked onto the
strange man. There was no longer an escape, I had become completely entranced in the
mysterious man’s enigmatic presence. A faint echo breezed by my ear, calling something out.
The sound reverberated repeatedly, getting louder and more incoherent with each reiteration.
My mind felt like it was drifting from my body, with my limbs growing more and more numb. I
looked down at my body, but what I saw was almost unrecognizable. My body looked twisted
and distorted, like an abstract piece. As I continued to admire the insane structure my body had
formed, the surrounding area got darker and darker.
Shadows danced and distorted through the pitch black room. A dim lamp lit up a small area on a
wooden desk. Light seeped in through small cracks in the blinds as car horns and mutterings of
people could be heard from outside. Thee ticking sounds of a small clock propped onto a wall
broke the eerie silence flooding through the space. I raised my head awkwardly as my eyes
adjusted to the dark. I drew my attention to the desk illuminated by the lamp, and grew curious
about a newspaper under the light. As I rose from my bed, the murmurs grew louder. Jet
engines followed as my own thoughts began to obstruct my thinking. The room began spiraling,
my path to the newspaper getting more and more confusing. I rocked and swayed with each
step, crashing and bumping into objects all around the room. The loud ringing of each crash
reverberated in my head. I struggled to keep my composure, and in a desperate attempt to
return to normal, I reached for a spilled bottle of pills laid out on a nightstand.
Silence filled the room as the distortions faded. It’s over, I said to myself. The darkness that
originally covered the room had faded, revealing a dimly lit home office space. I looked around
to see if everything truly was back to normal. I checked the time to see how long I was out, it
felt like time had slowed down to a halt, but it had been an hour.