Chapter 3: A New World?

FRANCESCA

I was sprinting at lightning speed through a violent wind. It was as though I was being carried away by the wind and as I sprinted, a quick documentary of my life played before my eyes

Images of my adulthood down to my childhood flashed before my eyes as I ran but these images vanished when it got to my babyhood.

It was strange because I thought it should be from babyhood to adulthood and not the other way around, but I willed myself not to care, rather I focused on my environment, trying to make out where I was.

Was I in heaven or hell?

The last thing I could remember was being hit by a vehicle. So where was I and how did I move from lying on the bare ground to flying in the sky?

Everywhere was bright. The light was blinding and I squinted a bit to shut the light from hurting my eyes.

I sure must be in heaven, I thought to myself. I had heard stories about the heavens being filled with light so I must be in heaven.

A soft voice was humming a melodious tune and I smiled brightly, wondering whose voice it was. Perhaps, it was an angel and I searched with my eyes for who it was but all I could see was the blinding light. It was as though I was close to the sun and my smile grew wider.

Though I did not know where I was, I felt I was in heaven. This was the only explanation I could give for the joy threatening to burst out of me. It clouded my senses and I felt so light as I floated away. Was this how it felt to be in heaven?

However, I was brought out of my euphoria when the violent wind that had been carrying me ceased. I dropped to the ground and fell on my butt with a thud. Immediately, everywhere became totally dark except for the ivory-shaped moon in the sky.

How had I moved from being so close to the sun to being under the moon? That was a big contrast.

I sighed, my eyes scanning my surroundings as I sat on the ground. I had been here before but when was that?

It took me a moment before it dawned on me where I was. I gasped loudly.

Fear began to seep as I realized that I had been dropped in the middle of a forest, the same forest I had seen in my dream the previous day. It was just the same way it was in my dream and I opened my mouth to scream in fright.

However, just as it had occurred in my dream, no sound came out. It scared me.

My heart began to pound heavily in my chest as I looked around, the tall trees even scarier this time. I could hear the same owl hooting from a distance and the chirping of the crickets was much louder.

I could not believe I was in the same eerie place I had always dreamt about. I could not believe my dream was playing out before my eyes. Who would have thought that this had been a real place? How had I even gotten there?

The soft voice was still humming the same melodious tune and I looked around, still searching for who it was.

I listened more carefully, trying to tell whose voice it was but I couldn't. I knew it belonged to a female but it was such an unfamiliar voice.

I tried to get up but then the voice stopped humming and I heard it say to me,

"Easy, child. Stay still."

But I did not stay still. If anything, I struggled even more and it was then I realized that my eyes had been closed all the while. Everything I had thought I had seen had all been in my head.

Alarmed, I forced my eyes open, even though my eyelids seemed to be made of brass. They were suddenly too heavy to open but I kept struggling until my eyes opened fully.

My sight was blurry for a while but after blinking repeatedly, it became clearer and I was finally able to see where I was.

The room was dark. The only source of light was from the fireplace which was making a cackling sound as the woods burned. The walls were made of stones and there was a wooden table at the center of the room.

"Welcome, child. Welcome." The soft voice spoke again and when I looked at her, my eyes grew wide with fear. It was the same old lady from my dream and she was wearing the same white gown and a cloak.

She was sitting on a wooden chair beside me, holding a wooden bowl of water and a wet cloth. Up close, I could see the wrinkles on her face clearer and her kind grey eyes danced with mirth as they stared at me.

There was no denying her happiness but I was not sure I shared in her mirth.

Without thinking, I pulled myself from the bed but I soon groaned loudly, pain shooting through my veins like an electric shock.

"Easy, child. Do not try to get up that violently."

"Who are you?" I ignored her advice, still holding myself up as I kept staring at the strange room. There was just one window and from it, I could see the ivory-shaped moon on the dark sky. "Where am I?"

"Relax, child. No harm will come to you." The old lady smiled, reaching forward to touch my hair but I backed away.

A glint of pain appeared in her eyes but it disappeared when she smiled.

"I won't hurt you."

"Who are you and what am I doing here? Where am I?" I asked her once again, my heart skipping with every passing second.

"You're home." She whispered, her smile getting broader. "Finally."

"This is not home!" I yelled even when I did not mean to.

But I could not help it. I was already getting so worked up by the confusion that was clouding my senses. If I was supposed to be anywhere, then I should be in a hospital, not lying in a strange room with a mysterious old woman who had featured in my dream.

My eyes dropped to my body and I scrunched my nose in disgust as I saw the woven blanket used to cover me. It was just as strange as every other thing in the room and without a second thought, I pushed the blanket away and it dropped to the wooden floor.

I stared at my body, hoping to see injuries on it but surprisingly, I saw none — which was strange because I had just been involved in an accident and I could still feel the intense pain, especially in my head.

"This is your home, Mila." The old woman softly stated, picking up the blanket I had thrown to the floor.

"This is not my home and my name is not Mila. I told you in my dream not to call me that. My name is Francesca, an old woman, and I'm not your child. My mother is dead. She died of cancer. Today is her anniversary. So please, take me back to wherever you picked me." I spewed out without control.