Dreaming of Him

Starry Night

We slowly approached the woods, finding a path nearby to walk on.  I had walked this path alone many times, but I wasn’t about to tell Cal that.  We followed the path for about a mile until it got too dark to see without any flashlights.  I checked my watch.  “It’s already 10:00?”  I said, looking at Cal.  He grabbed my hand and pulled me forward, turning on his flashlight as we went.  When we started to near the curve of the path, I stopped Cal.  

“I feel like we need to keep going straight.”  I said quietly, looking at the dark forest looming ahead of us. 

Cal glanced back at me before he took a step forward.  “What are we waiting for?” 

I let him lead the way into the darkness, following slightly behind him. The animals were out now, making rustling noises in the leaves. We continued in the dark for about five minutes before Cal stopped in his tracks. He turned to face me. “It’s not too late to go back, Maia.”  He said with concern.  

I promptly shook my head.  “No, I need to do this.”  

As we were walking, I could feel the heaviness of my backpack on my back.  My steps felt heavier and it seemed like we had been walking for hours.  I checked the time again.  It was 10:45, which meant we were actually making good time. 

We continued forward about another mile until we happened across an opening.  I could see light shining through the trees as my heart rate accelerated.  This isn’t the first time I’ve been here, I thought to myself.  

I grabbed Cal’s arm to stop him from continuing forward.  He met my wide eyes and looked at me with surprise.  “Is this the place?”  He said, looking around.  He moved to step towards the clearing before I stopped him.

“Let me go first, what if he’s there?” I said, stepping forward.  Cal nodded and followed behind me.  I felt gratitude for Cal as I felt his presence just a step behind me.  I led us to the opening, carefully maneuvering between the trees.  Vines hanging from the trees were catching on our clothes as we walked, but luckily we prepared for this.  I pushed my way through the last section of trees before I entered the clearing. 

The clearing was a lot bigger than it seemed in my dreams.  I looked around myself at the familiar look of the space, thinking back to all of the dreams that have occurred there.  Cal stepped into the space next to me, looking around as well.  “Is this the place?” Cal said, looking around the clearing.  

I nodded, stepping forward again.  “I don’t see him..” I said, spinning around this time to look at each part of the clearing.  I never really looked at the area around me in my dreams, I was usually focused on the guy that was there.  However, he didn’t seem to be here.  I took the blanket out of my backpack and laid it on the ground.  I flopped down onto it, pouring out the contents out of my backpack.  A large variety of snacks and drinks fell out.  “Cal!” I said, laughing.  “No wonder my backpack was so heavy!” 

I solemnly looked up at the stars in the sky.  "At least tonight is a starry night. It's beautiful out here."  A tear slipped down my cheek as Cal sat next to me, patting me on the back.  “I’m sorry Maia.  What do you think this means?”

I frowned, contemplating my answer.  However, just as I began to speak, I noticed the leaves rustling in the woods just out of view.  I stood up to get a closer look, but as I did, one of the largest wolves I’ve ever seen entered the clearing.  The shaggy brown hair of the wolf looked soft and I felt drawn towards it.  It noticed us and sat down near the edge of the clearing.  

At this point, Cal had also noticed the wolf.  He stood up in front of me, pushing me behind him.  “Stay back Maia, this thing could be dangerous.”  

I couldn’t help myself from peering over his shoulder at the wolf, when I noticed the blue eyes staring back at me through the fur.  I gasped, stepping around Cal.  He tried to grab my arm and pull me back, but I was too far away.  I had begun to slowly approach the wolf, yet the wolf remained seated near the edge of the clearing. I neared the wolf, standing only about six feet away from it.  Reaching out, I looked into the blue eyes as I let it sniff my hand.  It looked like it bowed down to me, leaning forward on its front legs before it stood up and turned around, dashing out of sight again.  I released the breath I hadn’t realized I was holding before I turned back to face Cal, who was speechless.  When the wolf left, it felt like part of me left with it.  I looked back at Cal in confusion, but he continued to stare at the opening in the woods that the wolf had just left through.  I turned around again, noticing something coming back into the clearing.  This time, it was the man from my dreams.