"Where am I?" I wondered as a shiver ran down my arms. I found myself in a dark forest, where the trees, like twisted and deformed ghosts, rose amidst the desolation. The place looked like it had been ravaged by a terrible war, leaving behind nothing but ashes and ruins. The air was thick, dense, almost impossible to breathe, charged with a tension that felt alive.
The charred branches reached up to the sky, twisted, as if they were hands trying to escape the earth. Everything was still, except for the faint crunch of my own footsteps on dead leaves. The ground beneath my feet felt damp, carrying the trace of a recent rain.
"What happened here?"
The feeling of unease grew, as if I were about to witness something terrifying, something I wasn't meant to see.
"Ahh!" I shouted loudly, opening my eyes, startled. In front of me, there she was.
"Son," my mom said with a worried voice. Seeing her face, I noticed the concern in her gaze. "Are you okay? You're sweating so much, and you were mumbling in your sleep. What's wrong?"
"I'm fine, it's just a dream... ahhh..." A pain began to throb in my head.
"What's wrong, son?" she insisted.
"It's nothing… Just a headache."
I paused, and a laugh escaped me. It was a completely ridiculous conclusion. All I could say was, "That might be the problem." I got up from bed. My mother watched every step I took as I made my way over to my change of clothes.
"Heh," she let out a soft laugh. "You remind me of my brother," she said.
"Brother? You've never mentioned that. Do you have a brother, Mom?"
"I did," she replied, her tone growing a bit softer. "He was like you, very mature for his age. Always asking questions and talking about anything that caught his interest or curiosity. He was three years younger than me, but you wouldn't have known it by the way he spoke. My brother had the most incredible dreams, and he used to tell them to me just before I'd fall asleep. I always wondered where he got those ideas from because they were truly incredible."
I stopped and approached her. "What kind of dreams was she telling you?"
"Like the dream of a benevolent god or blue creatures, also the inhabitants of the interior of the earth and some monsters."
"That sounds amazing; those were some good dreams. And what happened to him? Where is he now?"
"He's with my father now," she said softly, avoiding any more details. "Well, son, I'll leave you to get dressed. Later, you can tell me about that dream of yours."
"All right, Mom," I murmured as I tried to finish changing.
My mother Nací was gone; now I didn't feel too optimistic; instead, my thoughts filled my mind with panic.
That dream, no, rather, that nightmare, had brought my thoughts to a screeching halt. It was the strangest experience I had had in a long time. I was in a forest, completely charred, with flames still flickering in places, although the storm above me was beginning to extinguish them. The atmosphere was stark, desolate, as if everything that once had life had been ripped away, leaving me with only a sense of overwhelming dread.
What disturbed me most was seeing a snake amid all that chaos. A dark creature, coiled up, stalking its prey—a mouse or maybe a rat—cornered in the ashes. It was so close I could almost feel the fear of that small creature, watching it try to defend itself in vain. Just as the snake was about to strike, the mouse, in an act of desperation, stood up as if it meant to face it. It didn't stand a chance. The snake sank its fangs into it mercilessly, and the mouse dropped to the ground, writhing in pain.
Captured by the scene, I could only see as legs came closer. I couldn't decide on my own movements. Then, a branch cracked under my foot. The snake, with a subtle movement, lifted its head and fixed its gaze on me. Its eyes pierced through me with a coldness that froze me. Before I could do anything, it lunged directly at my face.
That's when I woke up, just before his fangs could reach me.
I'll try to forget about it and move on. I thought, though I remained a bit pensive.
"Well, let's go."