Road Trip [1]

The sound of a soft rock tune appears from the end of an echoing tunnel as I fall out of a deep sleep –the music takes me on a journey to consciousness, and a giant orb of blinding light irritates my shut eyelids as it disappears and reappears between thin, tall shadows of black.

Where are we?

We’re on the road. Driving. Somewhere. Between streetlights; along a straight, clear road.

Who are ‘we’?

It has to be Ethan. Ethan was the last person with me.

I think about the glowing orb before processing that it is in fact the sun.

But… a glowing orb in a doctor’s office?

Was it all a dream?

Perhaps I had eaten far too much chocolate on my lunch break –my dreams are becoming weird again.

I open my eyes and immediately surrender to the unmerciful, stunning light of the afternoon sun.

“Good morning, sleeping beauty,” Ethan says, noticing my movements.

I stretch. “How long was I asleep? Feels like it’s been ages.”

“Just a little over a half hour,” he says.

“Feels like I slept through the apocalypse,” I say. “My body’s aching like I fought in a world war or something.”

Ethan hums along to the song on the radio as he continues to drive.

I chuckle and look at him as he focuses on the road. “I had the weirdest dream.”

“Oh, really?” he says, smirking. “What adventure did you go on this time?”

At this point, it occurs to me that we’ve been driving for at least half an hour and I had no idea where we’re off to.

I turn to the road, remembering the route ahead. A strange, unfamiliar feeling overwhelms me. I’ve been down this road so many times before… but something is different. Somehow, this path that has taken me to and from on countless occasions, seems like it will lead to somewhere I’ve never been.

“Faye?” Ethan calls.

“Hmm? Oh- um…” I pause. “Is it just me or does it feel weird to be driving down this road today? Something seems different.”

Ethan goes quiet for a moment and looks around while keeping his hands on the steering wheel and continuing to take us forward. He shrugs.

“Nothing has changed… nothing noticeable, anyway,” he says.

“Where are we going?” I ask.

Ethan smiles. He relaxes into his driver’s seat again and handles the steering wheel with confidence. “Somewhere magical,” he announces.

I roll my eyes.

As the sun beats down on the side of my face, I raise my pale, slender fingers to offer myself some shade.

“Now,” Ethan says, “what was this dream of yours?”