“Into a Deep Slumber”

Way back then, I have been experiencing long dreams, and most of the time it just feels so real. By long
dreams, I definitely mean super loooonnggg dreams. It usually lasts like a month or more than that, but
whenever I wake up, it’s like a normal 8-hour sleep. What’s staggering about it is that I get to control my
actions, my decisions, and I can really think clearly, just like how I am in the real world. Sometimes, I
even dream in my own dream, which makes it both creepy and interesting at the same time. There are
also times where I confuse the reality with the dreams I have. I share stories to my friends which I think
we did before, but, most of the time, they don’t remember that we did that. It really is annoying and
frustrating. I feel like I’ve been travelling to different dimensions or like another universe and getting to
see how I am there; how I use to live in those worlds.

The only way I get to discover that I am still dreaming is that when I see clocks that are not working. So
basically, in every nightmare I have, there are no specific time, even when I ask people what the date is
or what time is it already, they just stare at me blankly or say that I do not need that kind of information.
There was also a time where I really tried to force someone to tell me what the time was, but what they
did was panic and run all over the place and told me to wake up and that I do not belong there. That
time, I did not know how to wake up, so the “dream people” tried to carry and tie me to a cross. I can
see each of them, some of their faces were kind of familiar, but most of them have super pale skin, with
their eyes wide open. They were all grinning at me but they were they were chanting the ritual as if they
were in incredible pain. After that, the next thing I know was that, I was having a sleep paralysis.

I really don’t get or know why I started having nightmares like this, but the only thing I could remember
is that before these things happened, I met an old lady. She was trying to offer me stuffs like jewelries.
However, during that time, I just failed half of my exams, that’s why I was extremely in a bad mood.
Nevertheless, the old lady kept on insisting for me to buy her merchandise, but my emotions got the
best of me. So, what I did was push her. Mind you that it was not that strong, her products did not even
fall, well at least most of it. After that, she just stared at me furiously and started whispering something.
I started having goosebumps, but good thing my ride arrived.

Anyway, going back to what I was saying earlier, I feel like I haven’t been experiencing these dreams as
much as I did before. I started dreaming about normal things now. I don’t really get why sometimes,
there’s just something off. Whenever, I tried to find clocks, I just can’t seem to see one. There are even
no shops that sells clocks. I thought to myself that maybe, that’s just how it is; maybe, people just
disregard what the date or time is. It is just too impossible for me to still be inside a dream. I haven’t
been waking up, since I was in Senior Highschool. I mean, I have a job now, and-- a family.

Or just so I thought… Perhaps, I am just in denial. All these years or however long I spent my life here, I
never wanted to go back because--

“Mom?”

I got back to my senses when I heard my daughter speak. However, the first thing that slipped out my
mouth was;

“What date is it today?”. I looked at my husband and he said, “What? Why? You seem to look perplexed,
hon. But don’t worry, there’s no special event right now.”
“No, I—just answer me, please. What date is it today?”

“What do you mean, mom? It’s the 28 th of Janua…” Before she even got to finish the sentence, they
glitched right before my eyes and they turned into, like, one of those analog horror movies I used to
watch as a kid. Then and there, I just knew.

I’m doomed.