I awakened, drenched in cold sweat, my forehead burned as if it was being touched by white-hot iron. There was even a great pain in my right wrist. What was happening to me? If I was supposed to be dying in my sleep, I don’t think I was to suffer like this. My head grew warmer, and warmer, and warmer, until my room felt like a furnace. My shirt was even plastered to my skin, from all the sweat. Every time I looked upon my shadowy walls, they seemed to melt, twist and turn, making me dizzy and nauseous. I tried to lift my arms, but I might as well have been trying to lift an elephant. I even tried to squeeze my hands together, but when I did, pain, like that of a thousand needles and hooks, seemed to embed itself into the flesh of my palms. Suddenly the weight that was anchoring me to the soft mattress of my bed, ceased by only a little bit. I at least was able to lift my arms, just enough to see that the golden hummingbird bracelet my grandfather gave me on my birthday, was glowing. Its golden body and chain was like the soft light of a lamp, while the ruby eye was like a fierce red flame, radiating a blood colored light, bathing the interior of my room in red. Then I saw them.

Faces, over 20 of them, seemed to glare at me from within the shadowy corners of my room. What was horrifying about these…things.. were their eyes, oh their eyes, their pupils were just black slits, like that of a cat’s. Deep bruise-colored bags hung below the monstrous eyes, giving them the impression that they have had little to no sleep, or were punched in the face too, many times. They wore no clothing or coverings of any kind. They just stood there in their bare skin. Well, almost bare. The very tops of their bodies including their arms, were plain, soft human skin, but from the chest down, their human skin shifted into a reptilian covering. Their resemblance to each other was so precise, it was hard to tell which ones were male, and which ones were female. Their hair was in disarray. There were leaves, burs and the occasional feather. Then one with a gruesome, pale, white scar across its left eye, stepped forward. It now stood about 2ft away from me and my bed. It pointed a long, claw-like finger at me, then everything was gone, and into darkness.

Lost. That is what I was. That’s where I was. Was I standing on solid ground, or was I floating, hovering in mid air? Was I in a vast chamber or large room, or was I just merely outside? I was not in my room, or was I? The repulsive creatures that seemed to come out of the shadowy domain of my room were not in what sight I had, for it was hard to tell if I only saw 2ft in front of me, or miles and miles of nothing. I looked around, and all I saw was space, space here, space there, space everywhere. Was this heaven or was this… this.. hell? I tried to pinch myself, hoping it was all a dream. But, I couldn’t decide if it hurt or not. It was almost like I couldn’t feel pain, but neither was I invulnerable. Lost, that’s what I was. Then, like a veil being lifted, I could finally see where I was.

By the looks of it, I seemed to be standing in a vast, circular, and tall chamber, which seemed to be entirely made out of crystal, maybe diamond. The ceiling was an intricate design made of… vines. And when I focused better, I realized that they weren’t just any ordinary vines, but vines made of rubies, emeralds, and even blue sapphires. Their source was unidentifiable, probably hidden in the shadows of the ceiling. The floor, reflected the pattern engraved onto the ceiling, like a giant circular mirror. Then, out of no where, a great fog clouded my vision from the beautiful room. But it was not gone for good. I searched around, groping in the fog, until I found myself looking upon a single human like silhouette. Then another, then another, then 3 more, and more, and more, and more! Until I was totally surrounded. Then as one, they all charged at me. All I could see was a slash of claws, talon feet, reptilian skin, and cat like ey-


"Thomas! Come on dear, its time for dinner!" shouted my mom from within the kitchen.

"Coming!" I shouted in reply. I gave a great heavy sigh and set down the fat leather book I was reading.

"Man!" I said with disappointment, "I was just getting to the good part too!"