Untitled: Chapter One

The sky rumbles and darkens. The nightime stars glitter weakly before flicking out, covered by black clouds. I feel my feet running across the ground. But I am being pulled back, like I'm running up a river with a strong current. The tide around my legs seems to change, and I see the ocean.

Standing on the beach is a women. She is middle aged, and looks straight at me. She smiles.

Everything changes.

I am now looking at a child. She's standing next to me, in a rushing river. I reach out to pull her out, though she's not fighting the current. She looks at me suddenly, and she grabs my arm. She pulls me down and under the water. The water feels calming, and I keep my eyes open. Suddenly, I can't breathe anymore. The cold water chills me and fights the warm air inside my body. I start to feel lightness in my head and I close my eyes.

I am laying on my bed, taking deep ragged breaths. I swear I can feel the frozen water sloshing through my lungs. I look up and see an old woman-more like an old hag looking down at me. Her face is emotionless. She reaches over my face and places her gnarled hand on my forehead. I close my eyes.