One Little Spark: Part 1

Chapter 11

          The Dreamfinder's compassion flows through his body from his heart into Rachel's body. This new love inside him, unbeknownst to Rachel, is fueling both him and the girl's system cuddling her flesh and warming her blood as she slept beside him in his arms. And for once, Figment is not teasing him about it. Meanwhile, Rachel alone has been left in a frightening darkness that had crawled inside her during the fall and landing of the Dream Machine. What seemed like an hour since felt like a century of mind-blowing terror. But that was until Dreamfinder started hugging her in her unconsciousness. A flash of warmth began filling her torso to everywhere else from top to bottom. He was so warm it nearly made Rachel cry again only this time, no whining. Never before had Rachel ever felt a kind of warmth such as this. As if the sun isn't enough. She curled up gently, bringing her slightly closer to Dreamfinder's embrace. The fear that had been filling up inside her is beginning to melt away. Whatever Dreamfinder was intending on doing to Rachel is working smoothly. When there was enough warmth inside to not feel so much danger coming back for her, the girl lowered her tensity. In this new warmth she felt so safe, safer than she had ever felt in her entire life. She did not want it to ever end...that is unless she begins to sweat.

          This new warmth from Dreamfinder has made it a lot easier for Rachel to sleep. Deep in her mind the darkness is like a canvas waiting to be painted by inspiration, memories and dreams. The darkness helps her think clearly. All Rachel could do in that darkness is float silently until a newly created world appears itself in front of her. With Dreamfinder's newfound spirit for her glowing in that darkness, it began to paint a new world for Rachel to enjoy. A pastel rainbow of primary and secondary colors red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple swirled around her like tye-dye providing enough light to see around her. A grassy surface formed at her feet. Trees of great height grew tall above her covering the atmosphere around her in green. The sky remained in its pastel colors. Little critters like bunny rabbits and chipmunks playfully scurried around her greeting her presence. Adorable, she thought to herself!

          As Rachel reached out her hands to pick up one of the rabbits she notices something different. Her hands are a lot smaller than they normally are. She then notices her feet being smaller, too. In fact, she hadn't worn these red shoes since she was in kindergarten. Even the small dress she is wearing is the same from back then. Nearby, Rachel spotted a pond clear as diamonds. She ran over there with a rabbit and chipmunk following behind her to see her reflection. In that pond, which served as a mirror for her, the girl sees herself so much younger. This dream has made her age backwards to being a six-year-old again! Her cheeks were blushing with baby fat, her hair was as long as her back filled with natural highlights, her little mahogany headband sat in her head, her dress yellow with little orange and pinks flowers, and her big brown eyes widened with amazement. She is exactly how she remembered herself so long ago. Perhaps in what might have been the most decent year of her life compared to how she had lived all this time.

"I'm six again." said Rachel, "But why?"

          Intending on thinking about it for a moment, she was interrupted by a sound. No, a voice, two voices in fact. The first voice was soft like a loving mother's. She was singing. It sounded very quiet from a distance. Who is singing with that voice? After seconds of careful observation, Rachel recognized whose voice it is. That female voice is the same voice that sounded in her mind and echoed in her bedroom earlier today before the fall! Why was she calling out to her in the first place? Rachel followed the source of that singing. If the voice wasn't going to show itself in her bedroom, then she might as well find it herself. What started off as jogging turned into sprinting. The louder the voice became as Rachel ran, the closer she was. All of the trees zipped past her as she ran to the voice. The grass was like a runway at an airport. The girl's speed stomped on that grassy runway as she went on. She was determined to find that voice and not let it get away from her again. Faster and faster she ran until at last she comes across a clearing.

          In the middle of that clearing a small bluish light with hints of light violet and pink illuminated in midair. Clearly, the singing was coming from that light sprite. There is no one else around who can object to it. Rachel inched her way towards the little singing light. The singing grew louder as she came closer to it. When Rachel reached the colorful light at last, the singing stopped. Maybe Rachel stepped in a little too close to it. She stares at the light floating there for a moment. She had never imagined something like this entering her mentality before. It must be a new dream, yet something about it seems so familiar to her like a distant memory long past has somehow found its way back to her today. Even the colors in her light look a little familiar to her, but she could not be sure. The light gently quivered and flickered as candlelight would. It must be trying to communicate with the girl. Rachel took a few steps back. She figured she was invading the light's space. But as she did, the light came closer to her.

"Sing." the light whispered.

"Huh?"

"Sing for me."

"I don't sing." said Rachel.

"You can, can you not?"

"I could... I just don't prefer to."

"Nonsense, child. You have a remarkable voice! Sing for me. No one will judge you, nor will I."

"Uh...well...no.

"Child, you must not let fear get in the way of all the great possibilities you can undertake just as you have been throughout the course of your young lifetime. Trust me, I am your friend. I could never laugh or show disgust over you for what you do."

"Who are you?" Rachel asked.

"Do you not remember, child?" the light asked Rachel in return, "We have known one another for only one day many years ago yet we have connected wonderfully despite it."

"When was that?"

"You were the same age as you stand before me now, at the same height, with the same conscience, and in the same outfit. What you differ today is your mindset. In other words, your internal temperament building up inside you."

"You can tell that?" Rachel blushed in guilt.

"Indeed. At least you are able to understand your social flaws." the light pointed out, putting Rachel to her shame, "Still, that is not the Tomorrow's Child I know."

"The what?"

"All will be explained when ready. But for now, this is your dream and you can do whatever you wish. Though I do wish for you to sing for me just this once."

"Well...alright. What do you want me to sing?"

"Whatever you wish."

"Hmm...o-okay, I've got something."

"You may begin when ready, child."

"...Are you sure no one is around?"

"They are only nearby when you believe they are. You may clear them out of your mind if you are not comfortable with their presence."

          Rachel thought over what she should sing. There are so few songs she loves listening to. Most of which is classical music, trailer soundtrack, and of course Disney. But then she thought of a song from a musical that one of her favorite singers covered, You'll Never Walk Alone. There was something about that song that made her feel happy, perhaps both the tune and the lyrics. Rachel positioned herself making sure what the light was saying was true about people watching. So far, nobody is here. And then she began: