The Dreamers by Ryan Elizabeth Penske

Author:Ryan Elizabeth Penske [Penske, Ryan Elizabeth]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2024-07-23T19:01:36+00:00

She moves away, returning to her chair, knowing she got her point across.

“Why do you care? You got four dreams from me that seem to be worth your while.” I can’t hide the anxiety in my voice.

“I care because you are dreaming about another Dreamer here. And it isn’t just a dream about your two little friends, but of someone who is also having the same dream about you.”

I’m floored by her declaration. “Charlie had the same dream as me? That seems impossible.”

“I also never knew that to be possible—that is until a few hours ago.”

The fluttering in my stomach begins again. This time it is in my chest, near my heart.

“Maybe our dreams are broken then, like records that just play the same song over and over again.” I hope she will see sense in my silly explanation. “Our dreams are obviously not useful, you should send us home.”

She laughs through her nose. It’s genuine this time, but still unsettling. “Wouldn’t you like that to be the case? Unfortunately for you, you just became number one on our priority list.”

“I wasn’t already? That hurts.” I feign disappointment, do my best to look wounded by this information.

“Your spot was pending.”

I cross my arms and legs. I’m tired of her dancing around the truth. “What does this mean for me then?”

“It seems that you can dream coherently no matter how many times your brain begins a new dream.” Her words sink deeply into the pit of my stomach. “Think of all the things you can dream about, at double, triple the rate the rest of the Dreamers are dreaming them at.” She has never smiled so big in her entire life, I’m willing to bet. “You are our greatest wish come true.”

My heart plummets to the floor. Ms. Withers’s veiled compliments about my ability to dream feel like punches to the throat that I can’t defend. “Can I go?”

“One more question.”

I wait in the painful silence that so comfortably sits in.

“In many of your dreams we noted a presence within them. Another person. Not just people you were dreaming about, observing, but a presence that felt like they were actively experiencing your dreams alongside you. You wouldn’t happen to know who that is, would you?”

I answer her with complete honestly, “I have no idea.”

“Interesting.” The tone of her voice sounds like she doesn’t believe me. “We noted a drop in your serotonin production during your fourth dream. You became quite sad. And then, this figure appears on the beach. I’ll ask again, does this mean anything to you.”

“No.”

She looks me dead in the eyes, as if searching for the answer within them. But I’m not lying, so no matter how hard she looks she won’t find the answer she’s hoping for.

“Can I go now.”

She doesn’t answer.

“Please?”

“Be my guest,” she says. “We’ll see each other soon.”

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