[Inside the Lucid dream realm, Alisha and Matthew sat beside each other]
"Tell me more about that pool Dad"
[Frowns] "The Pool of Nenkeh?" he asked.
"Yea! If that is possible please" Alisha pleaded.
"Sure it is possible"
"Ok thank you.. I will tell Mom everything you tell me" she said.
Matthew sighed, maintained calmness and clasp his hands tight. He turned to look at his daughter sitting right beside him, he knew that in the real world she is sleeping right beside his wife Aliya. A heart wrecking fear gripped him for a second. If he wasn't there to see Aliya get into the enchanted pool, he wouldn't have been able to warn Alisha about it and he would have lost his beautiful wife forever. "Stocking them paid off after all" he thought.. "I would have lost her to that deadly water"
"Dad?" Alisha interrupted.
"Sorry dear, I got lost in my thought" he explained.
"No wahala" she said.
"What's that?" Matthew curiously asked.
[Alisha smiles] "Oh I forgot you don't do well with pidgin English." she said.
[Matthew chuckles] "When you are with me, try to speak English"
"Yes Sir." She answered in agreement.
[Matthew began to explain]
"I do not know so much about the pool of Nenkeh, but I know it is a deadly enchanted pool.
I was told that the pool is not just an enchanted pool but it is a formidable protector of the invisible doors of an invisible world. Everyone who got into that pool never came out. The moment you get in, it is only a matter of Ten minutes before the waters starts attacking your psych, it will get you into some kind of time dilation, where time that seems like Five minutes in the pool would actually be Five years in reality. You will get old there without your knowledge. It will later on get you submerged inside, it will show you beautiful illusions that would hold you inside the dept of the water, till you loose energy and finally meet your dead."
Alisha shook on hearing words about the pool of Nenkeh from her Father. A terrifying feelings of fear gripped her. Just like Matthew some minutes ago, she began to imagine what would have happened to her Mother if her Father had not seen her get into that pool.
"Oh my Goodness.. Dad. That's what would have happened to Mom?" Alisha asked.
"Yes daughter.. and perhaps even worse"
"Worse? What do you mean worse?" she asked.
[To answer her question, Matthew Explained further]
"During my early roaming on the Earth plane I met some souls who gave testimonies of that pool. Their crime was that they tried to open the invisible doors of the invisible world. They believe that the invisible world is a home to an ancient race of supernatural people whose mountains are made of gold and whose waters gives healing and youthfulness. They set to open the doors but when they got to that pool, they were enticed to get into the pool as they believed it would quench their taste and take away their tiredness and cool their skin from the hot sun. Unfortunately for all of them, they were submerged into the deep by water beings they could not fight due to the weakness that comes form the pool's enchantment. Their time was not just taken away from them but their souls were also ferociously reaped off from their bodies. The pains they felt could never be explained with words of the mouth."
"Alisha! Alisha!! Alisha!!!" Aliya's voice interrupted.
Alisha quickly stood up. "Mom is calling me" she said.
"Yes, I can hear it too" Matthew agreed.
"I need to go then.. See you in another night, in the dream realm." she calmly said.
"See you Alisha.. Don't forget to tell Aliya that I love her so much and that I am always with her."
Alisha nodded before free falling with her back on the ground. The moment she did so, she woke up in the real world, inside their camp tent.
Two hours later, the group embarked on their forest adventure again, and after what happened to Aliya, the group decided to stick together. After walking and hiking for three hours, the group decided to find a place to rest. Aliya and her daughter excused themselves from the rest of the group to have some Mother-daughter moment for few minutes before the break is over. Few matters were bugging Aliya's mind and she needed to discuss them with her daughter. When she was sure both of them were relaxed, she sipped some water from her water bottle and began to talk to her daughter.
"You were with him again?" she asked Alisha.
[Alisha sighs] "Yes I was with him"
"Hmm! So you two have gotten a way of hanging out now without me and you are cool with it?"
"Mom.. Don't talk like that please. I only walked into the Lucid dream realm to ask him a few questions about the pool that almost ate you up."
"Ok I see. Perhaps I should start doing this lucid dream thing too.. [paused]"
She turned around to check if anyone was behind them but saw no one. She only saw a faint path that led to a tiny road which passes through between two huge rocks.
"Are you Ok Mom?" Alisha asked her mother. She could not understand why her Mom suddenly stopped talking and started turning round as if suspecting someone was within.
"Do you hear that?" Aliya asked.
"Hear what?" Alisha asked back.
"I heard voices just behind us, like a little far around those two rocks"
"Uh.. What two rocks Mom" Alisha asked with a surprised look on her face.
"What do you mean 'what two rocks'.. are you not seeing those two rocks with a footpath between them?" Aliya asked with even more surprised look on her face.
[Frowns] "No Mom.. Am not lying. I can't see any two rocks there." Alisha insisted.
[Sighs] "Ok then.. I gotta check" Aliya said.
She started toward the footpath with speed. She needed to know who was talking in the space between the two rocks. In her mind, she kept wondering why Alisha couldn't see the two rocks just few minutes away but she kept running toward there anyways.
[Scared] "Mom you have to stop" Alisha shouted.
"I can,t. I have to check it out" Aliya shouted back.
"What happened to 'Sticking together'?"
"You should come with me then"
"I don't even know where you are going. I still can't see any two rocks"
"But I can" Aliya said.. "Just come with me and perhaps you will see it" Aliya persisted.
While Aliya waited for her, Alisha took off with speed too. She ran to her Mom and before they knew it, both of them drifted far far away from the other group members.
When they reached a particular point, Aliya slowed down and stopped, Alisha also followed suite and stopped. Both ladies were panting heavily, looking at each other unsure what to do next.
"Why did we stop Mom?" Alisha asked.
[Still Panting] "We are here" Aliya replied.
[Confused] "Where?" Alisha asked.
"Right in front of the two rocks" Aliya replied.
"Mom this whole thing is getting me even more confused.. I still can't see any two rocks right now" Alisha insisted.
[Aliya Frowns] "Are you trying to say that I am seeing things that are not there?"
"To be honest Mom.. All I can see in front of us right now is a huge rock that doesn't even have an opening."
"Are you serious right now?"
"Yes Mom am serious. We can't even keep running, it literally the end of the road, and it not like we can break open a huge gigantic rock. And by the way, you said the voices you heard was right behind us from where we sat, but we ran for over thirty minutes I think."
[Sighs] "This is too bad" Aliya said in a rather sad tone. "Since we are both seeing different things, maybe we should go back, I know by now the group should be looking for us."
"Wait Mom. Is not like I don't believe you ok. Just give me a minutes."
Alisha took few steps away from her Mother but not out of sight. She sat down in a meditation position, closed her eyes tight, she took a long breath in and breathed out to relax herself. Aliya looked at her daughter in awe, "What the heck is she doing" she thought.
Few minutes later, Alisha got up with a happy but flabbergasted face. She hurriedly walked to her Mom like someone who seem to have good news to share.
"Are you ok?" Aliya asked in a concern tone.
"Yes Mom am ok but you won't believe what am going to tell you right now."
"What is it?"
[Alisha sighed and began to to explain]
"You are right about the footpath between the two rocks Mom. He thinks It could be one of the invisible doors that lead to the mythical hidden world or hidden nation? [she paused] Anyways, world or nation the same thing. So, he thinks that the reason only you can see the door is because of the Pool of Nenkeh. He thinks you must have drank a little bit of the water before you were rescued from it, and that is the only way a normal human can see the doors to the hidden world."
Alisha's explanation freaked Aliya. She became totally speechless, even someone born mute has never been so silent. She set her eyes on Alisha, she has a lot of question to asked but didn't know where to start asking from.
"Knock it off Mom." Alisha shouted at her.
[Startled] "Yes Um.. Wh-who's 'He'? I mean who is the 'He' you kept mentioning" she asked.
"Dad of cause" Alisha answered.
"Yes! Of cause..Matthew, Pff" Aliya scoffed.
[Feeling Sad] "I know you don't like me bringing up this Dad thing. You probably still don't believe that I can actually see and communicate with him but believe me Mom.. Matthew is right there and I had to ask him for explanation about the two rocks that only you can see."
"Well it ok. I am cool" Aliya reluctantly agreed.
"So what should we do?" Alisha asked.
"Huh! Let go ba.. Wait!" Aliya paused.
"What is it Mom?"
"I don't remember drinking any water from that pool, however, I fetch some."
"What? You fetch water from the evil pool after what it tried to do you?"
"No.. Fetching the water in my bottle was the first thing I did the moment I reached the Pool, it was so fresh and enchanting and cool, I couldn't endure it, I had to fetch some of it. That is the water I have been drinking since. The same water I have in my backpack right now."
A completely shocked Alisha stood staring at Aliya. If eyes could devour anything, Alisha could have devoured Aliya with her eyes.
"Y-you've been moving around with evil water in your bag?" Aliya asked with a shaky voice.
[Chuckles] "You think so?"
"Yes! Mom"
"Well I don't. Think about it for a second. If this water was completely evil, it would have killed me by now. Since It couldn't devour me while I was in the pool.. Thanks to you by the way, It gave me the ability to see what other people can not see,. 'The Hidden World'. "
"You think so Mom?"
"Yes and it makes complete sense. Maybe you should drink a little of it and let see what happens."
[Terrified] "What? No, No and definitely No. I am not drinking that evil water?"
"Hey.. Calm down now. The water will not kill you. I mean look at me, I am still alive right."
"So what if you are still alive?.. That water almost drained your soul"
"Trust me Alisha, if this water is truly harmful or evil I wouldn't be alive by now. Just give it a try."
"Are you sure Mom?.. I will do this because I trust you but if anything crazy happen to me, you and I will have scores to settle."
"I agree. We can go in there together. We stick together remember?"
[Sighs] "Ok Mom" Alisha agreed.
After drinking from the water, the veil dropped from Alisha's eyes, at first it was blurry but gradually everything came to light. She could now see the same footpath that passes through the two rocks that Aliya was seeing. Aliya stood between the two rocks, stretched forth her right hand to her daughter, "Hold my hand" she said. "Let explore the unknown together."