The Mystic World (BOOK 1): Lost Ones

Chapter 1: Dreams That Begin

"Where am I at this moment? Is anyone present? Is there anyone who can hear me?"

"Arman, get up!" Trying to wake Arman up, his mother said, "You'll be late for college again." "So it was just a dream, I guess," Arman asked, his expression bewildered. "You and your dreams..." his mom, who was by this point becoming irritated with his tardiness, asked, "Don't you think you should just stop being in your little dream world and be on time for college for once?"

"Oh no, I'm going to be late for the lecture again," he exclaimed as he hurriedly crawled out of bed. "Remember to turn in that assignment you worked so hard on," she said, gesturing to a well-made book that was arranged neatly on a desk that held several study aids. Arman quickly stood up to leave, saying, "Yup I won't, I got to go, bye." Fearing he would be late for his lecture, he hurried out of his residence. He picked up a piece of bread and began to run at the same time started eating it.

Arman Sheikh, a 19-year-old slender second-year undergraduate student, stood out from the other guys in his class. In fact, he was so good at school that everyone referred to him as Mr. Extraordinarily perfect, since he consistently excelled and achieved high marks in his subjects. He was not only talented in his academic pursuits but also in music. Because of his great academic success, he was loved and hated by many.

"Sir, may I please enter?" Arman exhaled heavily. In a severe tone, the lecturer remarked, "As usual, you're late." Arman shyly responded, "Sir, there was a traffic jam and... there was this." The professor cut him off, saying, "You and your list of excuses. What am I going to do with you?" The professor walked back to the board to rub the notes that were written on it, and Arman stammered, "Umh...." "I shall only allow you in my class because you are a very bright student, but make sure this doesn't happen next time," the professor added, pausing to discuss the matter. "Lets continue with the topic" he said as he returned his focus to teach the class.

The lecture ended after a while. Arman put his books back in his bag and muttered, "Phew, that was definitely a close one. What do you think about my assignment Ashita?" "Well it is definitely a well researched one, no wonder why the professor was quite impressed by it" stated Ashita. "You do know you could get into trouble with this 'frequently coming late in the class' habit of yours"

Arman's good buddy Ashita Deshmukh, a 19-year-old, is enrolled in the same class as him. She was gorgeous and always well-groomed. Although she didn't fit the stereotypical girly-girly mold, she was constantly conscious of her appearance. She was a self-assured young lady who understood her goals in life. Arman and Ashita have been friends since they were young children.

"What can I do? I guess the dreams are becoming more interesting than the lectures itself," he joked as they were leaving the classroom. "These dreams of mine don't allow me to attend the lectures," he replied. Curious, Ashita asked, "You and your dreams, so now what did you see?" "Well, not really—just a few hints of something I couldn't make sense of—the typical thing," Arman replied. "You saw her again?" Ashita enquired. "Not at all! This time, though, was different; I had the impression that I was facing something sinister, someone with gleaming red eyes and that it was looking at me with hatred"

She questioned tensely, "Hatred?" He replied nonchalantly, "Yeah, but before I could ask or say anything, the scene changed and then I was in some dark place of some sort." "After that? Then, what took place?" Ashita was eager to find out. "So, before I could finish my dream, my mom woke me up," he chuckled. "Weird dream, but nothing special; by now, it's just becoming normal," Ashita teased. "Yes, but I'd like to know why I keep having these bizarre dreams."

A guy standing behind them remarked, "You get those weird dreams because you yourself are weird." Ashita angrily remarked, "Go away Rajnath, you shouldn't be eavesdropping, that's bad manners." Rajnath gestured for his other friends to approach him, saying, "Oh look, the bloody nerd has a bodyguard to protect him now."

Arman's other classmate, Rajnath Singh, detested him. Because he was on the sports team, he had an athletic build. He has been bullying Arman since they were young because he despises him.

"Hey, can you stop talking? That's my friend you're referring to," Arman snapped. "Or else what?" Rajnath pushed him to the ground. "Cease! "You coward, leave him alone," yelled Ashita angrily. "Coward, huh?" While Arman was helpless to defend himself, Rajnath began to thrash him around. "Let's see if a coward can pull this off."

Despite Ashita's best efforts, Rajnath was an athletic man and could easily push her away. He kept pummeling Arman, but as he approached and grabbed him by his T-shirt, he stopped. "You piece of shit, you get all the perks, and we other students are compared and treated like shit because of you," Rajnath uttered. Casting him back to the floor, he began to dust his hands. Arman gave him a furious glance. His eyes gleamed with anger and were filled with fury. Rajnath laughed and turned to leave the two of them, saying, "What are you looking at you douche bag, you were a loser and will always remain one, you could not do anything in school nor can you do anything here."

"Arman, are you okay?" Ashita worriedly enquired. Arman said, "He's right, I'll always be weak," as he brushed his clothes off. "Don't say that," Ashita remarked as she attempted to assist Arman in standing up, but he turned away from her after telling her he didn't require her assistance. She was sorry that she was unable to protect him from harm, but all she could do was offer him emotional support.

Arman turned to return to his house. He began to wonder, "Why the hell am I so weak? These people have been taking advantage of my weakness since I was a child. This is terrible; I don't know why I'm always the weaker person. Despite my best efforts to improve, all I seem to achieve is getting repeatedly beaten up by people. It was school at first, and now it's college." He was quite dissatisfied and kept thinking about the same thing.

"You appear distressed," remarked the elderly man sitting with a crystal ball and covered in a cloak. "No, I'm okay," Arman reassured. "I don't believe so. Say what? I'll assist you with your issues," the elderly man grinned. "How?" Arman inquired inquisitively. The old man held the crystal ball in front of him and said, "Well, I could see your future in this crystal ball of mine." Arman thought, "Yeah right, as if that would help" but he didn't want to offend someone's beliefs. He responded, "Well, sir, I don't believe in this, but I could give it a try."

"Good," grinned the elderly man. Then the old man gave the crystal ball a close examination, as though he was trying to find something. After staring at it for a while, he turned to face Arman and grinned, saying, "Follow your dreams; they will lead you to your true self." "My dreams?" Arman questioned incoherently.

The elderly man answered, "Yes, your dreams will lead you out of your problems." "Every dream you have is a story; consider the story to be the narrative of your life." Arman looked confused by the statement. "All right, let's say I accept what you've said, but my dreams are bizarre and don't have a conclusion like the story you're comparing them to," Arman remarked.

"To end a story is up to the storyteller himself" the elderly man grinned. "Since the dream belongs to you, you are the storyteller of your own life." Arman's confusion grew, but he refrained from being impolite to the elderly man. He thanked him then and started to walk home.

"Should I pursue my dreams?" He was more perplexed than ever and asked himself, "How can I follow something that makes no sense itself?" I have the most ridiculous dreams that have no connection to reality,"

As Arman continued to move away from him, the elderly man gave him a look. The old man said to himself, mentally, "All you have to do is be patient; soon everything will make sense to you."