The Dream between Us

Things feel too real

I slept for hours after getting home, but the sleep wasn't peaceful. I dreamt of a place I had never seen before but it felt so familiar. Like a life I had lived previously.

I found myself walking through a stone corridor, its walls cold and ancient, lit by a pale glow with no source. The air was still, yet I sensed movement… like shadows shifting just out of sight, like creatures that breathed without sound. Someone was calling my name from the far end.

Not loudly. Not urgently. But with a familiarity that sent a shill down my spine.

When I reached the end of the hallway, a door carved with symbols I didn't recognise swung open on its own. The silhouette of a person slipped inside, their voice…male, I thought… echoing softly through the stone passage.

“Elara… come.”

My instincts pushed me forward. I didn't question why. I didn't hesitate. I followed.

And just as I crossed the threshold…

I woke up choking on my own breath.

I shot upright in bed, heart pounding, sweat cold on my skin.

Luca burst into the room like he’d been standing right outside the door. I didn't even remember asking him to stay.

“Elara, what happened?” His voice was tight with worry. I pressed a trembling hand to my chest, trying to steady the frantic beat of my heart. “I… I remembered something,” I whispered.

His brows pulled together. “ What do you mean?”

I swallowed hard, the images still burned behind my eyelids. “ The corridor. The door. His voice. It felt like a past life… like I have been there before.”

Luca slowly sat at the edge of my bed. “Did the voice say anything?”

I hesitated.

“Yes. It said my name… like it wasn't the first time.”

His face shifted… something like recognition, or dread, or both.

“Elara,” he said carefully, “you need to tell me exactly what you saw.”

I hesitated, trying to collect the words. “It… It was a corridor. Stone walls, carved symbols. And someone… someone was waiting at the end. I couldn't see his face but he was standing there, waiting for me.

Luca just sat at the edge of the bed, not sure of what to say. He studied me quietly, his eyes softening. “Hey… slow down,” he said, placing a gentle hand on my shoulder. “ Breathe. You're home now. Whatever it is… you're safe.”

I let out a shaky breath, the tension in my chest easing slightly under his touch.

“But it felt… real. Too real. Luca, it's like I was somewhere else, and someone… someone called my name like they knew me. Like they had been waiting for me forever.

He gave me a small, reassuring smile, brushing my hair behind my ear. “ I get it, Elara. I don't fully understand what's happening, but I know you don't have to face it alone.”

I sank back into the bed, letting the blankets wrap around me. “I don't know what to do,” I admitted softly.

“You don't have to do anything right now,” Luca said, sitting beside me. “Just rest. Eat something later. Call me if you need to. And don't overthink it”. He grabbed his bags and proceeded to stand up.

“I have to leave now, my roommate will soon be back from lectures and I have to be home before because he didn't leave the dorm with his keys.”

I nodded, closing my eyes. “Okay… just let me know when you're home.”

Luca gave my hand a gentle squeeze before pulling away. “I’ll text you when I’m home. Try to get some sleep, alright?”

I nodded again, barely able to form words, and watched him leave the room. The click of the door closing behind him sounded louder than it should have, like it marked the end of some fragile moment.

I lay there for a while, staring at the ceiling, trying to make sense of the dream… or was it a memory? My mind kept replaying the corridor, the door, the figure calling my name. Every time I closed my eyes, I felt that pull again, tugging me somewhere I didn't belong yet felt drawn to.

Hours passed, or maybe only minutes. Time had no shape here. Finally , I rolled to my side, curling into the blankets, and let myself drift. But sleep wasn't kind.

The corridor returned. The stone walls were colder this time, and the air smelled faintly of rain and smoke. The figure stood at the far end, cloaked in shadow. I took a hesitant step forward, my heartbeat loud in my ears.

“Elara …” the voice called again, and this time it wasn't soft. It resonated through my chest, echoing in a way that made the hairs on my arms stand.

I wanted to run, but my feet moved toward it, as it was drawn by some invisible thread. Every step made the world blur, silver light spilling from the cracks in the walls. The figure raised a hand, palm out, beckoning me closer.

And then… I woke up.

Sunlight filtered weakly through the blinds. My sheets were twisted around me, and sweat clung to my hair. My heart pounded like a drum. I didn't know if it was relief or fear that flooded me more, but one thing was certain: this wasn't just a dream.

I sat up slowly, my hands gripping the edges of the mattress. The pull was gone, for now but the sense of being watched lingered, like a shadow in the corner of the room. I reached for my phone. No texts. No missed calls.

I exhaled shakily. Mira would be home soon. And when she is… I knew I’d have to tell her what had happened. But even as I thought it, part of me resisted. How could I explain a place I’d never been, a voice I’d never heard before yet knew as intimately as my own?

I shook my head, trying to force normalcy. Lunch first. Shower second. And maybe, just maybe, some semblance of peace in between.