Short Story Wednesdays #6- Dream Diary (Part 1)

Welcome back to another Short Story Wednesday. I hope you're excited for the release of this short story. In case you missed the trailer, you can catch it on my youtube channel. The link is on the left. Please subscribe by clicking the subscribe button on the right. 

Enjoy the first part of my latest short story, Dream Diary. 



Dream Diary

‘Sometimes, I feel I am not myself anymore.

My body is disappearing…

 I see distant images in my dreams.

 Someone calls me, asks me to become one with them.

 Some days, I can’t wake up from my dreams. I am trapped. 

It pulls me away from the harsh reality.

In my dreams, I can be anyone I want.

Anyone but myself. 

Please help me understand what’s happening….

-emma1234’

“Trrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr” the loud alarm clock rang ferociously. Emma woke up suddenly and fell out of bed. The alarm clock continued to ring. She snoozed the alarm clock and curled up on the floor. She pulled the duvet and wrapped herself in it. She saw a hand. Her hand wanted to reach it. When she closed her eyes, she became part of another world. The alarm rang again. Her eyes opened with a start. She was in the last phase of her dream. Why did the alarm clock have to ring? 

She brushed her teeth while examining herself in the mirror. Who was the person she saw in her dreams? She had been having vivid dreams of another world for two months now. The dream recurred every night. She saw one new scene each night before it was time to wake up. Over the course of two months, she had gained some understanding about the world she saw in her dreams. She wasn’t sure if it was her creation or now. It was vivid and real. Every time she slept, she found herself being sucked into a new life in the new universe. 

The universe was called Alpha. It was made of dreams. The walls were stardust, the trees hope and the skies love. People lived in harmony. The cliffs were made of crystal and the stars were as large as planets. The universe had two moons, one red and one blue. When Emma closed her eyes. Visions of Alpha flashed in her mind. She wanted to go there.

Beauty wasn’t all she saw. She saw a stranger extending a hand out to her. She never saw his face. His form was a long shadow in her memory. He held out his hand to her. He called her to be a part of Alpha. Night after night, she saw the same person. A pink shadow appeared in her dreams. He asked her to come with him and forfeit this pretentious existence. He promised a miraculous future where they would be one. But, before their fingers touched, she would wake up. 

Emma wanted to know more about her dreams. Were they really a gateway to another world? Could she come back once she left? Could she leave? She wrote a dream diary every morning. She scribbled a few words in her dream diary that day. That was the only way she could keep track of her dreams. Sometimes, she forgot what she had seen. But, the pink shadow always called out in the distance. He extended his arm and called her. Their fingers never met. 

She logged on to her laptop. She had received an e-mail from dream interpretation forums. She had recently signed up for it. She had the nagging feeling that maybe somebody out there had the same problems she did. Maybe they could help her. She was surprised to know that she had received a reply. She quickly clicked on the message and read it. 

‘Dear emma1234,

I am John. You may not know me yet. I have been working on a new invention called ’The Dreamscope’. I have tried it on myself. It will help you look into your dreams. If you want a trial, enter your name in the ‘comments’ box and I will contact you again. 

-John 4567’

The message read like spam. Somebody was trying to foist a useless product on her. She wasn’t sure if it was a good idea to trust people on the internet. 

The idea intrigued her. If she could look into her dreams, she would be able to see the stranger who appeared every night. She could communicate. Maybe their fingers would touch.  

A wave of courage came over her. Her hands moved rapidly across the keyboard. Emma boldly typed her name  and address and replied to the message. She clicked her fingers on the table anxiously, waiting for an answer. There was none.

 She left for university. She had classes all day. She returned in the evening and turned on the laptop. There was no reply. She dismissed the comment as spam and went on with her life. She ate a bland microwave meal and watched some TV. She lived alone. She was lonely. She didn’t know why she was getting a PhD anymore. She didn’t English Literature. It wasn’t what she had imagined it would be. She had gotten through college to please her parents. Now, at twenty eight, she had no direction in life. She hated reality. It offered nothing. Her existence was lonely and incomplete. She couldn’t see her future. She might get a job, get married, have kids and grow old but would those things ever satisfy her? 

She wanted more. She wanted to transcend time. She wanted to see beyond the three dimensions of space. She wanted to unravel the mysteries that haunted humankind for centuries. She wondered if she would ever be able to do it in this world. She had been born in the wrong time period. But, it could change. It would all change if she went to Alpha. Her dreams were the reason she lived. They promised her a better life. They drew her towards another world, a world that she wanted to live in. 

That night, she dreamt again. 

In her dream, she was climbing endless flight of stairs. She didn’t know where it led. The end point was shrouded in dark clouds. A hollow voice called to her, drawing her away from reality. 

She took a few more steps. The closer she got to the source of darkness, the louder the voice got. She had a long way to go. She took a thousand steps closer to utopia. 

The pink shadow called out to her, jerking her eyes open. Their hands didn’t meet that day either. Emma’s eyes were torn between living in the dream and waking up. In the distance, she heard the alarm clock ring. The sound became distant. She found herself being drawn to Alpha. She saw people. They had smiles on their faces. She wanted to be with them. She fell into a waterfall. She saw herself in the depths of the ocean. 

Her body was wet. She couldn’t get her eyes to open. The clear picture of heaven turned hazy. Ripples lined the surface of her mental image.  She had never found it so difficult to wake up. 

“Wake up!” she heard a deep voice say. Her eyes opened abruptly. She panted violently. She saw the white ceiling, calm as ever. She turned away from it. With her hands supporting her body, she sat up and looked at the window. Daylight broke in through the glass. The window was open. She heard someone breathe. The doorbell rang. Emma walked out of bed and opened the door. 

A stranger stood in before her. His piecing black eyes examined her carefully. He wore a long, grey coat. Emma was self conscious. She looked at herself and noticed that she was wet. Her clothes clung to her body. She didn’t know how she had gotten wet. Her yes trailed to the bed. It was wet all over. The stranger’s eyes followed hers. Emma cleared her throat. 

“Who are you?” she asked in a rushed tone. 

“I am John4567. I sent you a mail about my Dreamscope yesterday. Remember?” he asked. His raised his dark eyebrows. Emma looked around. The water had formed a trail across the carpet. This was not the best time for him to show up. 

“Yesterday? What time is it right now?” Emma asked.

“Five in the evening. You said you’d be back from the university by that time.” he said, expressionlessly. He flashed the message at her. She read the words she had written on his phone screen. 

“Come in.” Emma said, her voice low. She opened the door wide. “Give me a second to-“

“Sure.” his voice was low and calm. He dragged a large metal telescope. It looked like a piece of old aluminium that had been picked out of the trash can. Was he serious?

 Emma quickly changed her clothes after drying herself. He heart drummed with anticipation. She had forgotten all about college that day. Her dream had carried on until the evening. It was taking over her mind. She was losing control. She could’t return to reality as quickly as she usually did. Emma was puzzled. She wondered if she should ask John about her dreams. She didn't know if he could be trusted or not. He looked serious and reliable but she decided to wait it out. 

She emerged out of the bathroom wearing a pair of blue jeans and a white t-shirt. She breathed normally. She took a seat facing John. Her blue eyes turned to him. 

“Can you tell me more about the dream you wrote about?” he asked. 

“Umm… sure….” Emma was hesitant. She began to describe her dreams in detail. She showed him the dream diary that she had written over the course of two months. 

John had a very serious look on his face. He rarely smiled or showed any other sign of emotion. He wore a pair of jeans and a black sweater under his coat.

“The entries are written poetically.” John remarked dryly after analysing Emma’s diary. He set it aside. “All right, let’s begin.”

“Begin?” Emma swallowed hard. 

“I wanted to cross check a few things before I use the Dreamscope on you.” John said. 

“Hmmmm?” 

“These aren’t mere dreams,” he said. His voice sounded serious. 

“What do you mean?” Emma asked. She leaned in. 

“Your dreams are a portal to another world,” he said. “Gradually, your dreams will become your reality.”

Butterflies danced in Emma’s stomach. She couldn’t believe what she had heard. She never knew that her dreams could be more than imagination.

“Wh…what do you mean?” she asked shakily. “What is happening to my body?”

“Your body is becoming aligned with the other universe,” he said. “Today,I noticed that you were drenched in water. Did you dream of clouds or waterfalls?”

“You’re right,” Emma said, her eyes widening with shock.

“You dream of the same shadow every day. Each day, you take one step closer to your goal-”

“What does the pink shadow in my dream mean?” Emma asked. “How do you know all this?”

“I’m sorry, I forgot to introduce myself,” he said. “I am John Stone. I am twenty eight years old in this plane. I have spent most of that time researching dreams.I believe that dreams are our bridge to dimensions that out physical form has not yet discovered. The ultimate product of my research is the Dreamscope. It bridges imagination with reality. Or, what exists with what could.”

He handed Emma his visiting card. He was a Professor at her university. Her eyebrows went up. She had never seen him. He was part of the psychology department, after all. She didn’t interact much with other departments.

“That’s an interesting theory,” Emma said. “Have you managed to gather any proof?” 

“I’ve performed many experiments. I didn’t live in this world but I began to have dreams like you. They made me come here,” he said. Light flickered in his dark eyes. “I’ve been trying to conduct experiments. I’ve published some articles in journals. But, people like you are rare. It’s hard to find suitable tests subjects. Not many people experience what we have.”

“And why do you think that is?” Emma asked.

“Your desire to rise beyond the physical is what is pulling you so strongly. The walls between imagination and reality are cracking. Before long, they will be gone. You’ll going to face a huge challenge when they wish to dissolve.”

“What kind of challenge?”

“It’s hard to describe. You’ll know when it happens.” 

“When will it happen?”

“Very soon.” he said enigmatically. “Until then, I’ll leave you the Dreamscape.” 

“What does it do? How is it going to help me?” 

“Besides recording your dream, it will find out how close you are to breaking the invisible ‘wall’ between your dreams and reality. Do you want to go to the place you dream of?” 

“I don’t know…” Emma began hesitantly. She saw his deep eyes lowered on her. “I do but I don’t know what will happen once I have here. Will my body go too? What will happen to my family?”

“Your existence will be erased and transferred to the other world.” he said. “But, the process can be hard and not everybody succeeds at transcending space.”

“What do you mean?”

“You may get lost in the layers of time and space,” he said. “But don’t worry, the Dreamscape will help you reach the other universe successfully.” 

“How will I know I’m successful?” Emma asked.

“There are levels which you body and mind need to go through,” he said. “When you are ready, you will know.” 

“Sounds like levels of a video game”

“Something like that.” He said. “I will attach this machine to your television so that I can see your dreams. It’ll show you how you are progressing. When the ultimate challenge comes, you’ll be on your own. Here, take this.” He handed her a chip help by a round piece of thread.

“What is this?” 

“Make sure to wear it round your neck all the time. Since you have lost the ability to move in and out of your dream dimension by will, this will help you find our way out of your dreams.” 

“I need you to sign this for me,” he said handing her a contract. “Read through the terms and conditions before you agree. I need to track your dreams to be able to help you.”

Emma glanced at the contract. She looked around nervously.

“If you need time to think-“

“No, it’s fine,” she said. “I want to successfully make it to Alpha.” 

She scribbled her signature across the pages. She felt that she was alone all this time. But here was a man who had crossed worlds. She could use his help to surmount the ultimate obstacle. Only, she didn’t know what it was. She handed the pages back to him. He folded it and put it into his folder. He tucked the folder in his arm. He gave her a copy of the agreement. 

“I’mm come by when you’re at level five,” he said, showing her how to read the buttons on the Dreamscope. “You’re at level two now.”


He explained the setup and left. Emma looked at him disappear from the corridor. As she closed the door, she saw the pink shadow in her dreams coming towards her. She stopped. Her fingers froze over the door handle. The shadow came closer. She heard its hollow voice. 

“Come to me,” it said. 

Emma took a step forward and extended her hand. 


(To be continued....)