The Dream

It was always the same…

I began to walk through a strange forest, lost, looking for something. For a time, I thought I heard a faint calling in the distance. It almost sounded like a name…my name? I couldn’t quite make out the words though, along with the

direction the voice came from. I did not have the energy to make my presence known, shouting back, “I’m here, over here!” The shouts became more spaced, until the last call. Now there’s only silence.

 I must have wandered for hours now. Night had come, and navigation was near impossible now. I had no compass, no map, and no view of the heavenly lights. The towering trees had such a thick overhead, it blocked most of the light trying to pierce through. I’d see occasionally floating light bugs here and there, but as I neared any they’d rapidly disperse. I’d catch glimpses of the landscape they illuminated; it was breathtaking and unreal.

 I thought early on to retrace my steps, but it was near impossible now. I could not see further than 6ft ahead or behind. I wasn’t walking on any clearcut paths. I began coming to terms with the reality of my situation. I sat down against some random tree and uncontrollably started crying. 

            I’m not sure how much time passed, as I sat there on the ground. I heard a rustling noise. It was faint at first but was getting remarkably louder along with a heaving breath. I then I noticed the glowing eyes coming towards me. I frantically got up and turned to run, but next thing I know, I’m knocked down to the ground. I turn around to see my attackers face, only to be met with a very anxious dog. The lack of light made it difficult to make out her breed, as well as check her collar for a name. I was certain of her being female though.

“Hey girl, where’d you come from?” 

She just looked at me with her doe eyes. She seemed kind enough. I was confused by her sudden appearance, but my relief

outweighed the concern. I pet her for a bit while she caught her breath. Suddenly she hopped out of my hold to leave, from the direction she came. I kept my eyes on her. After a few paces forward, she stopped and looked back. I remained in

the same spot. She continued a few more paces but noticed my stillness, stopped again, waiting no more than a few seconds this time before running back to me. She nudged at me to get up. I thought to myself, stay here lost and alone, or

take a leap of faith with this new companion? I don't know to explain the feeling of sincerity and comfort I got from her.

I looked her in the eyes and asked, “Are you wanting me to follow? To come with you?”

She responded with an eagerly wagging tail. 

“Ok, let’s go.” 

In saying that, she pulled away from me again to follow her, and this time I did. 

After walking for some time, we came to the edge of the woods upon an open clearing. I paused for a moment to take in

this new view before me. With the towering trees now behind, the full moon’s glory illuminated the beauty of all the surrounding landscape. It kind of looked like a vineyard or orchard of a sort was before me. The grid was peculiar, structure in a way to hide whatever lay beyond it. There were some flickering lights spread out here and there. They looked too large to be lightning bugs.

As we trekked on to the edge of the

grid, my companion came to sudden stop, perking her ears. Within a few minutes, I began to hear it too. My heart raced. There was not enough time to run back uphill from whence we came. So, I stood there, frozen. I couldn't read her well. She seemed adamant to stay where we were but gave no clear signs of fear or excitement for what was coming. The moving lights were clearer. They were lanterns.

A small group of men on horses and their

hounds approached us. They all stopped a good distance from us, making room for a man to come from their midst. I didn’t fixate much on their faces, until I saw him. He looked no different than the others in attire and stature. They all had varying likeness to him specifically, yet all had a distinct features apart from each other. His hair though, no man likened to. It appeared to be intentionally distinct. It was dark, long, and like wool. He dismounted from his horse, handing one of the reigns to the nearest man on his right. I heard a deep voice call out. In hearing that man’s voice, my companion looked at me waiting a moment, then eagerly left my side for him. They appeared familiar with each other. He then fixed his gaze on me, locking his eyes on mine.

“Raeyah, is that you?” He said in a shaky, perplexed tone.

Time seemed to freeze for a moment. His eyes are the type you can lose yourself in, in a heartbeat. They were kind and welcoming. You know how you sometimes get a feeling about someone, just by looking into the windows of their soul. With him, I felt nothing but genuine comfort and sincerity.

I snapped out of my sudden trance to respond. He was now no more than an arm’s length away from me. As I began to converse with him, within the moment of a snap, everything around me faded away to complete darkness; but then I heard a door open and a voice. 

“How are you still in bed! You’ve nonstop been the talk downstairs. You know how important today is. You’ve got about 30 minutes, before your absence will be fully noticed by more than just me.” She proceeded say, while opening all my curtains and windows. “The fresh air will do you some good,” she said as she turned from the last window, heading back to the main door. 

“I had the dream again.” 

She stopped in her tracks. 

“It was different this time. I could clearly see his face, and he spoke to me like we were familiar.” 

She remained calm. Then turned and said, “We can talk about it later. Right now, you need to get ready. Your mother will not live this down if today is anything short of perfect.” In making that statement she abruptly left my room closing the door. I waited until her footsteps receded before getting out of bed. Last night was sudden. I had not had that recurring dream since the incident. Something must be wrong. What are they not telling me? As I started getting ready, I kept replaying our interaction in my head. There had to be some clue or symbol I was missing. Then it hit me. I know that crest.