Dream Catcher (ON TEMPORARY HOLD)

Prologue: How Did This Happen?

      I'm driving down the road and relaxing to some music as I make my way toward my new home. I got a new job here in the small state of Maine which is a small place located on the Northeast Coast of America the country directly below my home country, Canada. I'm born and raised in a tribe called Ojibwe, many people who know my tribe recognize it because of the "dream catcher" tool. A dream catcher is a handmade willow hoop which has a form of net or "web" woven within it. The dream catcher originates from a woman we call Asibikaashi, a spider woman who took care of children and people of her lands. However, as my people the Ojibwe began expanding our horizons she could not take care of us all on her own anymore.
      In order to keep us protected and close to Asibikaashi women began making protective charms such as dream catchers out of objects like willow hoops and sinew or cordage which came from plants. It's design was that of a spider web to keep us connected and close to Asibikaashi. Even children had these protective charms and it was common to hang them along walls. The netting part was made of yarn and fibers sometimes dyed red. The idea was that the web caught any harm that hung in the air, that if anything dangerous came into contact with the dream catcher it would catch it and a knot would appear whenever it caught something bad.
      Nowadays, dream catchers are believed to catch nightmares and a knot will appear whenever it caught one. Some people may be offended by this but I personally think it makes a lot of sense. After all the most harm can come from a persons own mind. I smile to myself almost chuckling as I watch the small snowflakes hit the windshield of my car. I always loved listening to my mother discuss old legends and mythology, she just had a way of telling a story and making it feel so real, so believable. The way she moved her arms and bug her eyes out, it was so comical. I chuckle again and shake my head to myself, a small pit of sadness stirs in my chest as I realize I won't be hearing her tell any stories for awhile.
      My mom was really hellbent on making me a new dream catcher before I left. I remember her going on and on about how important it is. "You're opening a new door to your life, you're going to come across new troubles and it's very important to face them with a clear page. Or in this case, a clear web." She spent I think a month making a new dream catcher for me. Completely traditional and old fashioned with all the good old materials rather than the cheaper ones they produce nowadays, the ones that break so easily. I think she was right though, it's good to start things new. 
      I take a small sip of my hot chocolate that I grabbed from a restaurant on the way. I think I have only an hour left before I reach my house. I know the moving company already got everything unpacked for me so that helps a great deal. My mother and her boyfriend paid them a lot of money to do that, I asked them not to but they were hellbent so I had to surrender. With the sun beginning to set I quickly check the clock for the time, about 4:00 PM. It does get dark fast during the winter here! People told me a bunch of things about Maine like to be cautious when driving because sometimes wild moose just casually walk across the freaking road! I was really surprised when I first heard that. I was also surprised when I discovered how small it was and that it was mostly countryside and suburban type areas. Even the existing cities are smaller compared to the ones I've been to and lived.
      That's okay though, it'll be nice to live in a such a quiet area. There are lots of woods here too so that also makes me excited. I love to be in nature. "Speaking of nature," I say aloud to myself while parking on the side of the road. I hop out quickly and make my way toward the woods nearby, I hide behind a thick tree so no one whizzing by in their vehicles would see me. Attached to the back of my pants hooked through the belt loop of my pants is the small dream catcher my mom made me. I quickly to my business and adjust my pants accordingly before I walk out behind the tree, however, to my surprise when I look up I don't see my car. I turn my head left and ride to see where I parked but I don't see it anywhere. I shake my head in disbelief and begin trudging through the snow back to the road.

      There's no way someone could have stolen it. I would have heard it! I would have heard the door open and close! I would have heard the wheels going! I think to myself in a panic. I look up to see that I have made no progress toward the road. I narrow my brow and keep walking forward but I swear I have been walking for five minutes and I haven't made any progress. My walking steadily turns to speed walking which gradually turns into a job. Before I know it I'm running, I am hauling ass running as fast as I humanely possibly can. I smile to myself as it appears I'm reaching road. I happily leap up the small hill and place my hands to my knees releasing small pants, beads of sweat dripping from my forehead.
      I wipe my brow and shake my head. It must have been some sort of hot chocolate hallucination! I chuckle to myself and walk onward when suddenly I feel... something, some sort of force pull me back. My brown eyes shoot wide open as I watch the distance between me and the road suddenly increase well over a few hundred feet and keep going. The distance keeps increasing and increasing until soon I can't see it anymore. I shake my head and slam my hands over my eyes in disbelief. 'It must be dream! It must be a dream! I'm just dreaming!' I internally yell. My chest tightens and I can feel my heart skipping, my throat as dry as a sandpaper. After a few minutes once I feel myself calm down I remove my hands from my eyes.

      I allow my chestnut brown eyes to wander the area around me. Surely enough there is no road and my car is gone. The only things around me are trees. Long, thin, both naked and pine trees covered in snow stretching for what feels like miles upon miles. I adjust my glasses wiping them off with my sleeve a bit as if they're broken and filthy and is corrupting my vision. After placing them back over my eyes still the only thing I can see is woods. A snowy forest that goes on and on. I rub the back of my neck and turn around. There aren't any animals and outside of naked trees, pine trees, and a few bushes here and there my eyes do not reveal any other form of plant life or vegetation. Everything is just empty. I look upwards but the sky is completely covered by thick branches sheltered by heavy snow.

      The sky isn't visible. The shadows shield the entire forest floor masking everything in this pitch black look of nothingness. A tight knot of discomfort and fear conjures low in my stomach. I place my hands over the sides of my head. I attempt to open my mouth to speak but nothing comes out. The only thing I can think is how did this happen?