He Who Weaves Nightmares | PUBLISHED (Available in Print and eBook Format)

Chapter 14 - Led Zep

Chapter 14 – Led Zep

Dreamer

I woke up that morning with a thousand ideas whirling in my head I thought I was going to explode. I grabbed my phone and started dictating snapshots of my dream while I was getting ready for the day. Usually, I'd forget most of my dream when I woke up, but today, everything stayed vivid and I didn't want to miss anything.

It was a whole new universe I could immerse myself in and I wanted to return to the world I saw.

How I wished it were a weekend and I could camp at the café. But it was only Friday and I couldn't skip school, as tempting as it was. So I decided to get to writing early instead.

It was a good thing Dawn's Diner opened hours before the crack of dawn. I was there at four earlier. I'd quickly prepared breakfast and my sisters' packed lunch. I left my mom a note where she could find everything ready on the dining nook and told her I'd gone ahead to work on a "project."

Hours had passed and I had been so absorbed in my newly-formed cosmos that I didn't notice Francis sitting in front of me until he placed his face right on top of my netbook.

I yelped, startled, and clutched at my chest then I unplugged my earphones.

The young angel was grinning at me as he took a bite of my croissant.

"How long has this bread been sitting here?" Francis asked as he grimaced at how chewy the pastry had turned. I was sure it was still tasty though and my gut grumbled. I realized I haven't had anything yet.

I rubbed my eyes and looked at the time. "Uh... two hours?"

Francis took my cold coffee and added sugar and hot milk he got from the counter. "I'll take this, too. You're looking a bit twitchy today. Maybe you should just have milk or juice."

I laughed. "Twitchy huh?"

I scrolled down the document I was working on and was surprised when I saw I had finished thirty pages in two hours.

How was that even possible?

I felt like Led Zeppelin writing Stairway to Heaven.

And I didn't feel tired at all. If anything, the momentum to build my universe felt stronger than it did when I woke up earlier.

Then my stomach growled louder.

Francis laughed and pushed a plate of pancakes dripping in syrup and butter toward me.

I smiled my thanks then inhaled one piece. And another. And two more. Then I downed everything with a glass of water.

"Thanks! How much do I owe you?" I asked the kid.

"Let's call it even. I got your cold breakfast and you got mine. It was also pretty entertaining watching a small girl like you wolf everything down in less than five minutes. I'm impressed," Francis answered as he forked a plate of bacon and eggs. Another time, I'd burn in embarrassment, but Francis knew me. We were kindred souls when it came to food. I smiled sheepishly then got back to writing.

Francis ate in silence, but I felt his eyes on me as I typed. Before, I would easily get distracted when I knew someone was watching me, but today, the visions from last night blocked everything else. I could say I was definitely in the zone that I had to set the alarm on my phone to make sure I wouldn't be late for school. I had a little over an hour more before the first class.

"It's amazing your netbook hasn't caught fire yet," Francis quipped.

Huh? My fingers hung over the keyboard, itching to type the next words, but Francis had said something. Did I have syrup on my chin? Was Markus visiting today?