OOC: Dream 001
It was a warm summer evening. As the sun set, the cicadas began to sing their melancholy tune over the landscape. Were they singing for her? Were they trying to warn her of something?
A traveler found herself standing right in the middle of crossroads. Each road seemed to fade in the horizon; she didn't know where any of them would lead, but she couldn't just stand here forever. A thorough inspection was given to each pathway in the instance that they could give her some idea for which path she should choose. One of them in particular almost overwhelms her in feelings of grief, anguish, and resentment; she immediately eliminated it from her choices.
She looked out across the next road.
There was a small girl playing there.
She was a blonde with bright, carmine eyes, who found herself a small butterfly. Exhilarated as much by the life in herself as by the dance of the fluttering creature, she bounded after it, hands cupped in the hope of capturing the elusive entity. It evaded her, but the little pursuant didn't seem to mind; if anything, it motivated her to capture it even more.
The girl noticed her spectator. The butterfly, forgotten, fluttered off into the breeze. "Nee-nee!" she called out. "Nee-nee, do you want to play with me?"
The traveler found her legs walked her out onto that road to the child, and she gave her a quick hug once she drew close enough. "I'd be happy to," she told the girl, "but it's getting late. You need to get back to your friend's house before it gets any darker."
The girl looked up at her and pouted. "Fine," the child conceded, "but only if you walk back with me."
She took the small girl's hand in her own and offered a warm smile. "Of course. I’ll always protect you. That's what I promised."
She felt absolutely content, walking quietly down this road with this spirited child at her side. All noise was limited to the somber cry of the cicadas that echoed around them. If only this moment lasted longer, even for a few more hours.
But the scene became cloaked in shadow, and she found herself running as fast as she could down a midnight road. There was a cold continual wind blowing from the direction she faced. Carried on it was Fear. Fear flowed around her, through her. Fear burned her throat, her lungs, her legs. Fear mixed with her blood; Fear was pumped through her heart. Fear pushed her onward. She couldn't stop running. She had to survive. Her travels couldn't end yet.
She still held tightly the little girl's hand, and was vaguely aware of someone else's fingers pressed against her other palm. Around her, three other unrecognizable but familiar shapes raced with her in the dark, propelled by the same fear. But one by one, they fell away, their bodies disappearing from sight as she continued to flee. She couldn't stop for them. She had to protect the child--the children that clutched her hands. She had to keep her promise.
But, in the end, her flight came to a halt, and she looked in despair at the scene before her.
The road stopped.
It was a dead end.
In the forest of lamentation, the cicadas sang out a requiem.