Lucid

Lucid. part one.

" You're sleeping too much." The counselor insists. Eyes the doctor sitting next to him.

 I cross my arms. " I don't sleep too much! There's nothing else to do here and I get tired if I don't sleep as much as I do." I've been in the hospital for two months now. The psych ward specifically. And for no reason. I am a healthy, sane person. My family doctor thought otherwise though and convinced my parents to send me here. 

 The doctor speaks up. " Maybe we should think about adjusting your meds a bit. Maybe adding something to stop the dreams, and something to help keep you awake during the day." he shifts in his seat, taking a few notes on his phone. " Sleeping twelve hours a night every night, plus a nap in the afternoon... That's simply not normal for someone like you."

 " I don't need to go on more or different meds! I need to go home!"

 " And how are your dreams?" Asks the counselor.

" I've already told you. What I talk about aren't dreams. They are other realms... Two realms I enjoy much more than this one at the moment. The spirit realm and the night realm." The doctor and counselor look at each other. " Sam-"

" No! I'm not crazy. These things are real. Just research them a little... I know how much you like to research." I stand up and stare them both down. " Then again, I also know the more meds you sell, the more money you make. So even if you know I'm right. which I am. I know you're going to shove as many pills down my throat as possible and label me crazy. All so you can line your pockets with more money and avoid admitting that you are wrong about something!" I storm out of the office and slam the door shut, then walk down the stark white hallway. The nurses and other patients eyeing me like I could explode at any moment.

 " I'm fine!" I yell as I walk into my doorless room.

 * * *

I enter the night realm, opening my eyes. Becoming aware of my surroundings. This is my favorite realm to be in. I look around at the pure white expanding out in all directions, and smile. Now to have a little fun.

 I make new clothes appear on my body. No shoes, loose, wavey pants and no top. My short hair no longer matted down from wearing a hat. Much better. Next, I wave my hand in front of me, imagining a forest made up entirely of paper birch trees, and watch as what I imagine appears all around me. I make birds form in the bright blue sky, and a waterfall sounding in the distance. My destination. This is my paradise.

 I walk down a path through the trees barefoot. The moss and decomposing leaves soft beneath my feet. If only everybody could experience this... No. If only they allowed themselves.

 At the base of the waterfall near a small opening in the trees, I wade through the cold water to a circular rock sticking out of the water in the middle of the circular pond. Small bumps raising on my skin from the frigidness. One of the most refreshing feelings.   

 I hoist myself onto the top of the rock and sit in the lotus position, hands in a power mudra, and close my eyes. Now to try and connect with Jasper. Hopefully, he's already in this realm. I need my best friend right now. I take a few deep breaths, imagining my energy reaching out from me in blue streams. Knowing full well that there are actually blue streams of energy that look like smoke emanating from my body,

 " Find Jasper," I whisper, imagining him sitting near me. His green eyes brightening up his caramel face when he smiles. Suddenly, I feel the surrounding environment shifting around me. He is here! I focus even more intensely on being near him. Wind whirring around me like a storm. Then it stops.

 " Sam, Hi!" I snap my eyes open and look around smiling. Of course, this is where he is.  

 " Hey, Jasper." I stand up from my place on the now wooden floor. " I should have known you'd be here again." He winks at me.

 I look around the small, nearly empty room. Three of the four walls are made up of windows. The fourth wall is made of stone. Jasper is in the middle of the room standing in front of an easel. I walk over to him. The floor creaking beneath me, This is his paradise.

 " Don't you get tired of drawing in the waking realm?" I stare at the picture on the easel. It's a half-finished drawing of a dragon fighting a phoenix in mid-air. Lightening striking behind them.

"Yes, I do. that's why I draw in here." He can barely hold in his chuckle as he says this.

" That's not what I meant and you know it... I'm just curious how you can still want to draw at night when you've been drawing and learning about art all day."

 He stares at the stone wall, making a grand fireplace appear. " Because art school can be boring. I don't get to draw what I want and there's always pressure to get it just right... Here, I get to do whatever I want." He puts down his pencil and faces me. " Anyway, how are you? Two months is a long time to be stuck there."

 I throw my hands up. " Horrible! They still think I'm crazy and refuse to research anything I say. Oh! And they want me to take meds to stop me from coming here and they want me to sleep less!"

 He starts on his drawing again. Unable to resist his passion even when talking to somebody. " Maybe you should pretend they are right so you can come home."

 "that's idiotic. I'm not about to let them think they are right. They need to learn they aren't always right and that they should at least try to understand what their patients are telling them." I drop to the floor, sitting with my legs criss-cross. " I need to figure something out though. I can't stand it there."

 "Could you use the spirit realm?" He asks passively.