[A short story created on the theme "You wake up in a forest".]
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I’ve arrived.
Everything seems to be right. Green grass, tall trees, trickle of water. About bloody time. I've been reading that damn textbook for over a week, following every instruction to the letter. I felt ridiculous sprinkling leaves over my bed. "Visit your heavenly dreamplace," the book said. "Drain away your stress while you sleep." Well, we'll see.
I set out towards the water. It's all quite nice, I suppose. Reminds me of the background on my office PC. The little stream is in a clearing, so I can see the sky. There's a rainbow in it. Can't complain.
A bush by the stream looks a little bit like a chair. I test it with a curious hand... soft as silk. I sit, and sink.
Leaves rustle - it's a rabbit. It hops over with a strawberry in its paws, drops it in my hand, and bounces away. The fruit is juicy, sweet as syrup. I think……I think I might actually be enjoying myself. Time slips by like sand through my fingers.
Snap.
I look up. There's a teenage boy on the other side of the stream, glancing around. He stepped on a twig, ruining my moment. When he sees me watching, he gives me a wave. Annoyed, I get out of my seat.
"Excuse me," I say. "Who are you? And why are you here?"
"Oh, um, hey dude,’ the teenager says, ‘I found this book called Dreamplaces, at the library. It told me how to get here, you know? In dreams. I, uh, didn't realise there'd be anyone else here." He grins sheepishly. "This is my first go."
I frown. "Yes, well, you've made a mistake, I'm sorry to say. This is my dreamplace. You'll just have to leave."
"Oh. Right. Are you sure? Because I did everything just like the book said."
"Of course I'm sure!" My voice is getting louder. "Just leave me alone, alright?"
"Hey man, that's not really fair. There's room for both of us. We'll just have to share."
"I don't think so. I was here first, so this place is mine. Just piss off, okay?"
The stupid boy stands his ground. "Don't be a jerk! Why can't we both stay?"
I've had enough of this. I grab a rock from the banks of the stream, and stride over to where the teenager's standing. He looks unsure.
"Hey, hey dude, what're you doing?"
I smash his stupid fucking face in. He falls over, face down in the brook; the splash echoes out, then falls away. I breathe out, and once again, I start to relax.
Then the water turns red. The grass in the clearing shrivels away, and the trees wither to blackened husks. The rainbow in the sky turns to grey clouds that hide the sun. Everything smells of ash, sulphur, and disease.
My dreamplace is a wasteland of charred plants and rotting rabbit corpses. The teenager's body is a skeleton. It sits up.
"What did you do that for?", he asks.
"Shut up," I tell him.