Katherine had trouble breathing with the wind rushing past her, loose strands of her hair flying out of her delicate braid and tickling her neck.
Kat had a peculiar talent for forcibly passing out in order to go back to the dream she was having. Yet . . . something was definitely wrong this time around. She wanted so desperately to go back into the dream world that all her strength instantaneously depleted from her. This wasn’t supposed to happen. She was supposed to feel as if she were falling, not dying.
Her head buzzed, skin boiling and itchy, body tingling, eyes rolling back and–who would’ve thought–she was back. She opened her eyes, her headache gone and fresh air surging through her lungs. Kat sighed in relief, eyes wandering back over the ethereal world. This had to be her favorite dream.
Mellow music swirled around her, her heart beating to the playful rhythm. The sun had just risen and everything was tinted a light blue. Her brown hair was still in its braid but this time flowers of all sorts were placed in it, with an almost fragile touch.
…her lungs suddenly seized up and she was going in-and-out of dying and drifting once again.
She let out a euphoric laugh as her bare feet sank into the soil, green-blue grass sticking out between her toes, took in a deep breath of the sun-soaked earth, and couldn’t believe how stunning it all was. She felt at peace.
As she took in more and more of her surroundings she noticed something even more marvelous than the world before her. The most beautiful girl she had ever seen was sitting down in the large field before her, wild flowers standing up on either side of her. She had brown curly hair that stopped a little below her jaw, and her outfit—being simple as it was—was a baby blue dress and white boots. Kat couldn’t believe how it all suited her perfectly.
She mindlessly picked some flowers and a gentle smile washed over her face as she looked behind her and right at Kat. The girl’s smile turned into a giddy grin as she got up and gracefully walked towards her, dress swaying above her knees.
Katherine had never witnessed anything so breathtaking. Piercing blue eyes met her doe brown ones. They unnerved her for a moment but she found her cool as fast as it left. Even though Kat was entranced by her eyes, what really made her fall head over heels was the girl’s voice.
“I believe these are for you,” the girl with the baby blue dress said, handing over an odd arrangement of flowers to her. Kat stood there, shocked. The girl’s voice was as melodious as the music playing around them. She just giggled at her expression like she didn’t know why Kat was acting so strange.
The girl placed a soft hand on Kat’s shoulder, making her turn around sweetly. She placed more flowers into Kat’s hair, ever so gently, as if trying not to wake her up from a dream.
Kat closed her eyes and smiled. The girl’s touch was as soft as the petals from the flowers themselves. “What’s your name?” she whispered.
She could sense the girl smiling as she responded with “Stella.”
The girl had finally run out of flowers and simply admired Kat from up close. Stella liked the way the daisies contrasted with Kat’s skin colour, making them pop, and how the lilacs seemed to add a more meaningful touch.
“It’s beautiful, thank you,” Kat said, voice hitching, eyebrows knitting up with confusion. Her throat started to suddenly close up. She was starting to have trouble breathing for some odd reason. Kat didn’t have a clue as to why but as she choked on air, the sky’s blue tint seemed to drain away, the music sounding like a record skipping. Everything started to fade around her except the girl in front of her.
Stella sighed and made Kat turn around to face her. She noticed the haziness in her eyes and a melancholy look passed over her features, almost breaking Kat’s heart in two. Stella delicately got up on her tippy-toes and laid a soft kiss on the swaying girl’s lips. As soft as petals, Kat thought.
“Be good. Okay? Promise?” She looked at Kat pleadingly. Her dress had started to lose it’s baby blue but her eyes stayed as radiant as ever.
It took Kat all of her strength to mouth out a single word, “Promise.”
And with that, her lungs suddenly seized up and she was going in-and-out of dying and drifting once again. The flowers seemed to fall out of her hair in slow-motion, petals curling, stems snapping.
And then . . . she was awake. Only this time with a little gift. A tiny daisy was in her grasp. She looked down at her hand, a smile dancing on her lips and a laugh escaping her mouth.
“Stella,” she seemed to hum to herself, twirling the daisy between her fingers. “What a beautiful dream.”
