Mr. Misty-Eyed | Josh Dun

dream sequence | two

My body floated, suspended, as if time had stopped. I was no longer in the dark forest I had grown so accustomed to once I had closed my eyes for the night. There was no longer a hand to grip around my neck. But the feeling was still there, wrapping me tightly in its arms and dragging me further under.

It was pitch black and as my eyes finally opened, they blurred from the murky water that surrounded me. An undercurrent came unexpectedly, tossing my limbs this way and that. My heart raced as the freezing temperature hit me all at once and flashes from my childhood enveloped me with fear. I clamped my eyes shut as I was pushed in all directions by a force unknown to me.

My lips parted in surprise and the frigid water rushed down my throat. The feeling was so familiar as I choked down more of the liquid. But this wasn't just a feeling anymore, I was submerged underwater unable to resurface.

I opened my eyes, petrified as something in the darkness below tugged me down into the depths of nothingness. My arms reached above my head in search of something to help propel me upward. I pulled at the water, kicking my feet rapidly, but it felt like quicksand, my frantic actions only sending me further away from my destination.

As I looked up I could see a tiny speck of light and without warning the light grew, barreling toward me at full speed. I reached a hand out to shield my face from the inevitable impact, but instead came into contact with a smooth, rippled surface. My fingers ran across the thin wall that separated me from the light and the fresh air that lingered above. My fingertips turned purple as they scratched against the icy underside of the lake I knew all too well from my younger years.

My body convulsed from the continuously dropping temperature, which only caused me to push harder against the barrier. I remembered this feeling like the event had happened only yesterday, but I refused to succumb to my lightheadedness. I needed to breathe.

I willed the ice to shatter, knowing that this was all in my head, but it didn't budge. The sun shone brightly only inches from me and yet it couldn't break through the ice shield to reach me.

The need to breathe became more apparent as my lungs burned from loss of oxygen. I lifted my foot above my head, repeatedly kicking the sheet of ice, but it was to no avail, the water slowing my harsh movements to a snails pace. My lungs itched for air as all my attempts to break free ceased. I was trapped and I should have known my mind would never allow me to escape so easily.

My eyes squinted through the growing darkness. The water's surface beginning to move away just as fast as it came. A faint shadow loomed on the opposite side of my icy grave, laughing at my helplessness as it drank in all the sunlight. It was there to remind me that I would never feel that warmth again.

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