“Hopeless Romantic” by Janncarlo F

And there we were. You standing in front of me, and I in front of you. I couldn't see you all that clearly, but I knew you were there, beckoning me to come over. For some reason, my instincts told me not to: it could be dangerous, it could hurt me, it could drive me insane. But nevertheless my feet, my mind, and my heart all pushed me to go. They drove me forward with a spring in my step. As I neared, I found that I couldn't see you clearly, but I knew that I desperately wanted and needed to have you. I extended my arms out, but when I reached for you, you vanished from my vision.

I fell forward and found myself seated in a restaurant, across from you. We were dressed very nicely and plates of food and cups of drink lay before us. However, we didn't eat much as we were too busy in conversation. We talked about life, school, interests, etc. I laughed at you and you at me and we just had a great time. I took a sip of my drink as you began to say something. I can't recall what it was, but it I threw my head back in laughter and almost choked on my drink.

When I returned, I found myself walking on the beach hand in hand with you. Neither of us said a word as we walked together. The waves crashed onto the shore. Behind them was the sun projecting its red haze through the sky. We sat on the warm sand and I laid my head on your shoulder. After a moment, you got up and pulled me to the water and began to splash me. I tried to get up, but I slipped on the wet sand, and fell face first into the ocean as a wave blanketed me.

When it receded, I found myself lying there in the park on the grass next to you. We looked up at the myriad of stars  that glittered in the night sky. We talked as we lay there, about our hopes, our dreams, our fears, about anything and everything. In that moment, I finally felt complete. I looked around, and saw the brightest star in the sky and made my wish and hoped for it to come true.

We grew bored and began to run. I didn't know where, but we simply just ran. As I turned a street corner, I saw the sun begin to rise from the horizon. I grew tired, and you managed to get a small lead on me. You ran into a nearby building, and I quickly followed. When I entered, I found myself in a church. For a moment, I stood there paralyzed, not knowing what to do. The church was elaborately decorated: rose petals were strewn down the aisle, white linens lined the pews, the altar was decorated with ornate ornaments, and plethoras of flowers were everywhere. Music from pianists and violinists and flutists danced in my ears. Guests filled every pew. As I walked in, they turned and smiled. I looked down, and saw that I was dressed in a sharp, well-fitted suit. I was deathly nervous, and began to shake. I took a deep breath to calm myself, and started to walk. The people smiled as I passed. I reached the front of the church, and turned around. I looked towards the back doors, and as they opened, a blinding light rushed in and filled the room; I shyed away. The light dimmed after a moment and there you were, standing there, as amazing as ever. The Canon in D Major began to play as you neared. My heart began to pound harder and faster, and it felt as though it would fly right out of my chest. You reached the altar and I turned to you. At that moment, everything was perfect.

The music stopped, and for a moment, it was just you and I staring into each other's eyes. The pastor began to speak, but I was so transfixed by you before me that I didn't even hear anything he said. Then, you began to speak, and your words flowed like honey from your mouth through the church and into my ears. This was the perfect day.

Then, the ground beneath my feet began to shake. I didn't think much of a slight tremor, but they only continued and intensified. Ornaments rolled off the altar and shattered into a million pieces. Candles fell over and set flowers and decorations ablaze. As all this happened, a sharp pain began to radiate in my chest, and my mind began to throb as though it were about to explode. The tremors grew so strong that I lost my balance and fell over. I lied there for a moment pondering what happened, what I did wrong, what I did to deserve this. I looked to the crowd: some pointed and laughed; others shook their heads; others simply stared in contempt. The pain in my chest became unbearable and I screamed in anguish. Ghastly demons began to emanate from my chest, circling around me and screaming with a deafening Banshee’s wail. I tried to swat them away, but they wouldn't leave me alone.

Then, you came over and looked down at me. You shook your head with scorn and said something imperceptible. The tremors grew so strong that the ground beneath me cracked and crumbled. It could no longer support my weight, and I fell through into the dark abyss. The screams and pain continued as I fell. Above me, you remained, still shaking your head. I fell for what seemed like eternity while the darkness consumed me.

I don’t know what happened. It was like a dream turned into a nightmare. Perfection into darkness. A hope crumbling down...

And then, I woke up…