As the first rays of morning sunlight peek through the blinds, they cast the golden hues across the room. A young woman was asleep on the soft bed, her fair complexion illuminated by the gentle glow, accentuating the delicate contours of her features. Long, black wavy hair cascaded around her like a veil, framing her face and pooling against the pillow in dark contrast to her pale skin.
Despite the serene morning light filtering through the glass windows, the young woman's sleep seemed to be troubled. Tossing and turning beneath the covers, her fair complexion took on a pallor as discomfort etched the lines of worry across her forehead. Her lips were pressed together in a grimace, betraying the turmoil within her.
----
Clad in her soft pink pajamas, Liu Xinyu found herself walking aimlessly in a forest. She followed a faint trail that winded its way through the undergrowth. As she delved deeper into the forest, the path became less distinct, fading into the labyrinth of tangled branches and gnarled roots.
With each step, the trees seemed to be closing in around her, their twisting forms casting eerie shadows that danced in the dappled sunlight. Panic slowly started to creep into her senses as she realized that she was lost, disoriented by the maze of greenery that stretched in every direction.
Frantically, she started running, trying to find her way out but came to a halt when she found herself standing at an intersection. She looked at the many trails that suddenly opened before her, not knowing which one was the right one.
"Xinyu! This is the right way."
She heard a soft voice calling out from one of the trails.
"Xin Xin! Xin Xin! We love you!"
Loud cheers could be heard from another trail.
"Liu Xinyu, you'd never know what it feels like to have your dreams shatter right before your eyes. After all, you have always been living your dream!"
A loud shriek made Liu Xinyu's head hurt. She looked down at her fluffy bunny slippers and covered her ears with her hands as she crouched down, trying to stop all those voices from getting to her. She did not wish to hear any of that. She actually knew what those trails represented. Weren't they just like the life choices she made? She had been through them all and it never led to her destination. Wasn't she still finding herself back at the intersection where she had to make another choice once again?
Would making a choice change anything for her? She didn't think so. She was still as lost in life as she felt at the beginning. After each failure, she was only being pushed down the road of losing herself more and more.
"Shut up! Shut up all of you!" she shrieked loudly. "I don't wanna make a choice anymore. I don't want to find my way out! So, stop calling my name!"
----
"Xiǎo Yú (Little Fish)! Are you still sleeping?"
With a knock on the door, the doorknob was opened and an elegant but gentle-looking middle-aged woman entered. Looking at the young woman buried under the covers, she shook her head and walked over.
"Why are you still..."
The older woman's gentle nagging came to a halt when she heard a whimper escape from Liu Xinyu's lips. She noticed her furrowed brows and the layer of sweat that appeared on her forehead. It was clear that slumber was haunted by a nightmare, a darkness that pierced through the tranquility of the morning.
"Xiǎo Yú, wake up!" The woman frantically held Liu Xinyu's sleeping frame in her arms and called out to her. "Liu Xinyu! Wake up! Right now!"
As if someone pulled her forcefully from the grip of her nightmare, Liu Xinyu's eyes slowly fluttered before she focused her eyes on her mother's face which was filled with fear and unease. Liu Xinyu was a little taken aback seeing this expression on her mother's face and for a moment, she couldn't come back to her senses.
Taking a tissue from the nightstand, her mother, Liu Xing wiped the cold sweat from her face and kissed her forehead saying, "You're becoming more and more like a cat. How much are you gonna sleep?" Liu Xing smiled gently at her and the earlier fear and unease were nowhere to be seen as if it was never there. "You should get up, my Xiǎo Yú! Come down and have breakfast. You know your father won't eat without you."
Liu Xinyu rubbed her eyes and sat up as she touched the place where her mother kissed her, she asked, "Is today something special? How come you are giving me a morning kiss, Mama?"
Liu Xing narrowed her eyes at her daughter, "As if I never do that."
"You are not the type to show affection. That role in our family belongs to Baba! Are you possessed by his spirit?" Liu Xinyu's voice sounded lazy and a bit softer as she had just woken up but hadn't recovered from her slumber or the nightmare yet.
Liu Xing tapped her nose saying, "Haven't you heard? Over time, husbands and wives begin to mirror each other's colors"
Liu Xinyu playfully belched when she heard that remark, "Save your affection for later in the day; I've only just woken up! I really can't digest it so early in the morning."
"It's not even that early." Liu Xing laughed at her reaction and turned to leave, "Okay, I'm leaving. Come down in ten minutes."
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
Liu Xing shook her head and left with a smile on her face but once she closed the bedroom door, her smile waned a little.
Inside the room, Liu Xinyu held her head in her hands and recalled the nightmare. She could remember it so vividly that she couldn't differentiate it from reality for a moment. Especially since she was wearing the same soft pink pajamas and lying right by her bed were her fluffy bunny slippers too. The details of the nightmare were too real for her to take it casually.