Emily sat down in a garden, the sun was shining softly through the trees. The smell coming from the fresh flowers filled the air, and she could feel the grass under her feet. She was laughing, feeling warm and happy as she sat down with a man. His face was blurry, but she didn't need to see it clearly. Just being so close to him felt right. They shared a connection that ran deep, even though she couldn't explain it.
"Who are you?" Emily asked, her voice was gentle, but the wind seemed to carry her words away. He reached for her hand, and his touch felt so safe, warm, and familiar. She couldn't help but smiled.
But then, in that moment, something changed. The whole garden grew dark, and a chill spread all through the air. A shadowy dark figure appeared and stepped in between her and the man. It looks so tall, faceless, and cold. The warmth she once felt vanished as the strange figure grabbed her by her arm and forcefully pulling her away from the man.
"No!" Emily yelled, she tried to reach for him, but her voice felt trapped. She fought so hard to break free from the force that held her, kicking and screaming, but the figure's grip was too strong on her. "Let me go please!" she cried out, but the shadow held her tight, ignoring her pleas. She watched as the man's blurry figure began to fade and disappearing into the growing darkness.
Tears flowed freely her eyes. "Don't leave me!" she screamed again , but it was too late. The man was gone and the shadow consumed her.
With a gasp, Emily bolted upright in bed. Her heart raced, and her hands were trembling as she sat up in bed. The dream... again. She wiped the sweat dripping from her forehead away, and tried to calm herself down. It wasn't the first time she'd had that dream, and every time it felt more real.
Her breath was coming in shallow, panicked bursts. She pressed her hand to her chest to feel the rapid thumping of her heart. The man in the dream—who was he? Why did it feel like losing him meant losing a part of herself? The dream—it wasn't the first time she'd had it. Each time, the man was there, and each time, he slipped further from her grasp. Who was he? Why did she feel such a strong connection with him?
She buried her face in her hands, trying to shake the lingering fear. It felt too real, like more than just a dream. And she knew, deep down, it had something to do with her past. But that was the problem—her past was a haze, shattered into fragments after the accident.
With so many pieces of her memory missing after the accident, she didn't know where to begin.
The sound of a voice broke her thoughts. "Em, you up?" It was Sophia, her cousin, her usual cheerful tone carrying through the walls. A few seconds later, the door creaked open, and Sophia poked her head in, smiling brightly. "Good morning, sleepyhead!"
Emily forced a small smile. "Morning, Soph."
Sophia entered the room, still dressed in her pajamas, her hair messy from sleep. She sat on the edge of Emily's bed, her eyes scanning Emily's face. "Are You okay? You look like you've seen a ghost."
Emily hesitated, her thoughts still tangled with the remnants of the dream. Should she talk about it? Would Sophia even understand
"I....I had that dream again."she said quietly with her voice wavering slightly.
Sophia raised an eyebrow but kept her tone light. "The one with the mystery man in the garden? The one where everything goes dark?" She made a spooky ghost noise and wiggled her fingers playfully.
Emily couldn't help but chuckle, even though the weight of the dream still clung to her. "Yeah, that one. It's always the same... I'm with him, but then something—someone—takes me away, and I lose him. I don't know why, but it feels... important. It feels so real every time, like I know him, like I need to find him. But I can't, and I wake up... like this.She gestured to herself, still feeling shaken.."
Sophia waved it off with a casual hand. "It's probably just your brain messing with you, Em. You've been through a lot. I mean, the accident, your parents..." Her voice softened as she mentioned the accident. "It's no surprise your subconscious is trying to make sense of it all. Trauma does weird things to people, just relax girl"
"I guess," Emily said, her voice barely above a whisper. She wanted to believe that, but the dreams felt so real, like it was more than just stress or trauma. There was something deeper, something she couldn't shake.
Sophia reached out, squeezing Emily's hand gently. "You're still healing, remember? Uncle and I brought you here for a reason, so you could start fresh and leave all that behind. Give yourself time. Your mind will catch up." She grinned, trying to lighten the mood.
Emily smiled, grateful for Sophia's attempt to cheer her up, but deep inside, the unease wouldn't fade. "Thanks, Soph. I just... I don't know what to do with these dreams. I feel like I'm forgetting something—something important."
Sophia leaned back, crossing her arms. "Maybe you are. Or maybe it's just your brain trying to fill in the blanks. Either way, you don't have to figure it all out now. You've got a whole new life ahead of you here. How about we focus on that instead?"
Emily nodded, but her mind was still racing with thoughts of the dream. She had moved from California to a small city in Vermont with her cousin and uncle, trying to rebuild her life after the accident that took her parents lives and left her in coma for weeks.
Her uncle, James had suggested that she relocate with them to Vermont where she can fully recover from the accident and it's trauma. But every day felt like she was walking around in someone else's shoes, and these dreams weren't helping.
Something about the dream felt like a clue to something she'd lost, something she needed to find again.
Sophia nudged her playfully. "Come on, cheer up. I'll make us some breakfast. You like pancakes, right?"
Emily laughed, shaking her head. "Soph, I've lived with you for months. Of course I like pancakes."
"Well, today's a special day then. Extra syrup coming right up!" Sophia hopped off the bed and headed for the door, pausing to flash one last smile. "We've got a whole new life to enjoy, Em. Let's make the most of it."
Emily watched her go, her smile fading as the door closed. She glanced toward the window, where the morning sun was coming from, but instead of feeling warm, she felt cold.
The dream lingered in her mind, that blurry man, the garden, the shadow. A part of her life she couldn't remember, a man whose face she couldn't see, and a past that was slipping further away every day.
Who are you? she thought once again, staring at the bright sky outside, feeling lost.