Almost in Paradise

16. Gramps

"LUCY!" I shout and sit up. I find myself in a simple room, a house. It looks quite like Jericho's, but it's filled with weird machines and stuff that I've never seen in my life.

"Good, you're awake" Gyorg says and hands me a notebook. "Write down everything you remember."

"Wha-what do you mean? What's happened, why am I here?" I ask and browse through the empty lined pages in the book.

"I'll tell you later. Now think of the dream you just had. Get it down on paper. I'm going to the tavern for a short while, when I get back, you're done, understood?" He says and walks out the door, not expecting an answer. My dream? What dream?

"You'll understand eventually. What's important is the choice you make"

"LUCY!" I shout again, then slap my hand on my mouth, looking around in embarrassment. Lucy, I remember you! Or, at least a little. I take the pen on the table beside me and try to write the goddess's name down, but when nothing happens, I start to think there's something wrong with it. Oh, right, I gotta dip it in ink first.

I begin to put everything down on the paper, just like Gyorg told me to. It's kind of fun, and I'm already used to it since I used to have a dream journal back in my normal life, before I went through the portal that is.

After 15 minutes, I've written everything I can recall. The dark room, the music, how she talk about some kind of choice and then told me her name. That's it, right? I feel like I've forgotten something important.

"Do you wish to keep on the trail you've left behind you, turn to another route, or follow the dimonds all the way back to where you started?"

No, that's not right...

"Do you wish to finish your goal, begin another one or give up your quest and go home?"

"I... I want to keep going. Meet new people. Finish my goal. I don't give up, that's not in my possession."

There it is! I quickly write down a shortened version of my answer and then put the pen away. I close the book, and in just that moment, Gyorg opens the door again.

"You done?" He asks bored.

"Yeah I just finished writing. Why did you want me to do it anyways?" I question him and turn around to him.

"As you might have noticed, you'll forget these encounters as easily as a regular dream. Better write them down while they're still in your memory."

"Wait, what do you mean 'as easily as a regular dream', wasn't this a dream? How do you know what I dreamt about anyways?" I ask in big confusion.

"I'll tell you everything later, I think you should just get back to those friends of yours for now, before they wake up and find that you're gone. That girl doesn't seem to trust you very well" Gyorg says with a rusty voice and throws me my coat. I stand up and put it on, then look out through the window. It's still dark outside, but the sun seems to be rising soon.

"Can I meet you soon?" I say and look at Gyorg who's simply annoyed over that I ruined his night.

"Whatever, see ya" he says and pushes me out of his house. I stumble over the stairs and fall to the ground. Not too long after, the book I wrote in lands on my back.

"Truly necessary, Gyorg" I mumble and try to stand up, only to see that little boy's face looking at me with curiosity. "Hello... again" I say surprised.

"I really can't see why gramps's so obsessed with you. You're nothing more than I am, you can't even catch yourself falling!" And with that, he runs away. He seems much more different now, not like the unsure kid I watched the stars with, and then saved from- wait, what?

I pick the book up, get on my feet for real and shake my head. While walking across the streets, I realise something. "Wait a minute– gramps?!"