Eyes fluttering closed, Mak sunk further into his bed with the weariness of the day to a restful sleep. School, homework, that math study session with Aisha had been a long weekend. Cricket never left his mind, but amidst it all. Every moment counts, the match against Riverdale High was within the next few days.
The world around him started shifting as sleep took hold. He stood on a vast cricket field, something unreal and alive, more vivid and alive than any real field he'd played on. A setting sun shimmered on the grass under his feet, the air was crisp and cool and strangely invigorating. Everything from the distant stands to the bat in his hand was crystal clear. The place felt like a dream – where cricket wasn't just a game, it was the very space for learning and development.
Mak looked down and saw he in his cricket gear and was ready to practice. He had a bat leaning against his legs and a wicket standing tall in the middle of the pitch. He was alone and there was no one else around, just the game he loved. Instead, he felt excited.
A strange feeling went over him as he picked up the bat. It wasn't just any ordinary dream. The weight of the bat, texture of the grip, the stretch of the muscles in his legs... it all felt heavy and he could feel everything. Everything felt real.
A ball materialised in front of Mak's waiting eyes, floating above the pitch as if it were waiting to be swung at. He brought the bat down in a perfect arc, and the ball cracked off the middle and flew through the air with a satisfying thwack.
Another ball appeared, then another. His reactions were faster, sharper each time. Automatically, the adjustments were made, the bat moving with precision as if with mind of its own. His footwork got better, his swings got better. When he was in the dream it almost felt as if time time was bent, minutes passed like hours, and with each shot he played it was another lesson, another tutorage to the mechanics of his batting.
Mak knew he was getting better with each hit and grinned. This is unreal, he thought. It was exactly what he needed.
Something even more extraordinary happened as he continued working on his favorite sports. Things began to change around him. And now the field grew, the bowlers—the phantom bowlers, bowlers with speed and skill. Each delivery came at him in different styles: pace, swing, spin and even yorkers. Instead of being overwhelmed, Mak's mind absorbed the patterns. His feet went into position and his bat connected with each ball cleanly. Mistakes he made just disappeared, and he fixed it for the next shot.
The dream was teaching him. It was showing him how to move, how to think faster, how to react with precision. He replayed every scenario, got it wrong, and replayed every shot until he got it right. It wasn't just practice, it was him perfecting his skills at an impossible rate.
Mak noticed after what felt like hours of play the fielders. Suspended suddenly around the ground like shadows, they tested his placement, his timing. He drove the ball to the gaps as they shifted, giving him something to think about strategically. The dream wasn't just about power or technique anymore, rather it was teaching him the mental side of the game, the awareness of the field and the split second decisions you need to outwit the opposition.
It was incredible, his bat found the sweet spot over and over. He imagined that he was getting the kind of experience that you could only get by spending years in the real world.
The dream shifted again now. Mak now found himself behind the stumps, with the wicket keeper's gloves on. The same phantom bowler threw a delivery at the batsman, and he crouched, ready to catch the ball. Mak's hands snapped the ball out of the air, as the ball spun sharply off the pitch. He threw it back with more confidence than he had ever had before.
The drills continued, each drill designed to get him to not only react faster, but also make better judgments, and to anticipate the game. It was as if his mind had clicked some new meta level of working and could feel himself becoming sharper with each elapsing moment. It was the perfect training ground; no mistakes, no failure, no pressure.
Time blurred again. Mak spent hours catching, batting and wicket keeping that all melted into hours. The game seemed to be feeding him the answers and he felt unbeatable. The movements were precise, calculated, almost second nature now. His body sort of rolled it backwards and forwards and pretty much did the exact same thing as before, but his mind … well, his mind just seemed to have taken the strategies and the whatnot of the game without even knowing it.
Soon the sky in the dream started to change, from the warm orange glow to a deep purple. The clarity of the moment began to fade, the field started to fade. Mak looked around as the dream came to an end, but felt no sadness. But he felt a quiet confidence settle over him, as if this surreal practice session was something he would remember even when he woke.
The bat cracking against the ball faded, the pitch faded with it. The cool breeze was dispelled and was replaced with the soft rustle of the real world.
His body was still humming with adrenaline from the dream and Mak woke up with a start. Blinking in the soft light of dawn filtering through his window, he lay there for a moment. It'd been such a dream, it'd almost felt too real. His muscles still remembered, his mind still playing the shots he had perfected in the dream world.
Mak sat up in bed slowly, a feeling of calm coming over him. He knew there was something different. He had the dream mark on him, not just in his mind, but in his body. It was like his real abilities had soaked up the hours of practice in the dream.
Mak's heart beat with excitement. He just couldn't wait to hit the field to see if the dream had made him sharper. He had never felt this ready, ready for whatever was going to come.
Mak woke up early for the day and rushed through his washroom. Having rinsed his teeth and tool the bath, he went to the kitchen, ready to taste the smell of a delicious breakfast. His mother Angali was busy with laying down utensils on the dining table and his younger sister Ava was already busy having toast.
"Good morning, Brother!" Ava giggled, still holding the fork with food stuck on it in her mouth. "Did you dream in your sleep last night? because I had a dream."
Mak laughed as he took a glass and filled it with juice. "You could say that. That was more like practice, though. It seemed like I was actually practicing!"Mak Paused and continued" You have woken up quite early today"
"Well, because dad is leaving for his business trip and he will be gone before i return so i asked mom to wake me up early," she said While sticking her tongue out at him.
Mak sighed then smiled as he shook his head. "Yeah, right. This is very nice of you Ava"
At that moment Rajesh, his father entered the Dining room carrying a briefcase. "Morning, everyone! This is as far as his thoughts went before he joined them at the table, "So, what's this about dreams?"
Mak paused for a second and replied " I had a really intense cricket dream last night," he said after some time and with an effort to try and sound as excited as he was.
Rajesh's eye widened in response; he looked interested. "Sounds like a good sign. You should pour that energy into today's practice. It is always possible that something will happen before the match."
"Speaking of which," Mak's mother Anjali interrupted the conversation, "your father has a business trip to Hyderabad today. He will be away for a couple of days."
Mak's heart sank momentarily. He was always uncomfortable when his father was out of the house. "When are you leaving, Dad?", he asked.
"Just after lunch. "I'll be back on Friday," Rajesh said and looked at Mak with comprehension. "You'll be fine. Stay on your practice and the game."
"Yes Dad, I know," Mak replied trying to put on a brave face.
After taking breakfast, Mak joined others in washing the dishes although his mind was still going round on the dream and the match to be played. He still felt so puzzled as he reached for his bag and walked out of the house. The dream had seemed, in fact, quite realistic, but would it prove to be useful in the actual game?
While walking to school he tried hard to recall each and every detail of the dream he had in the night. The grip of the bat, the sound of striking the middle, phantoms bowlers challenging him and he wished to know whether it made any difference or not by stepping onto the field.
This time he reached the school gates and saw Raghav waiting for him. "Sup, Ready for practice today?" Raghav asked, smirking.
"Of course I am" Mak replied, as both him and Mak walked into school. He began to think if what he learned in the dream would be useful in real-life.