Under the Floor Boards

After breakfast I talked Michaela into taking me to the location of the map I’d dreamed. The place reminded my where I grew up. Just a cabin in the woods. There were several identical little houses with numbers on them.

Michaela walked along each one looking at the doors. “This one is 3C’“.

I had my notebook tucked under my arms crossed across my chest. I forgot my gloves in the jeep and i didn’t want to go back and get them. Mich opened the door and gestured for me to go in. “You said you had instructions. I’ll stay out here.”

I stood and stared in the biting cold and looked at the open door. Michaela watched me. “You okay?”

I shook my head. “No.” But I walked inside the room and shut the door. The instructions were vague. I hadn’t remembered a lot of those things about the dream. I pressed the floorboards until I found the loose one and pried it up with some air.

I wasn’t sure what I would find. It was dusty and I sneezed several times. I found a box. It wasn’t anything fancy. It had a skull and crossbones burnt into the top of it. I lifted it to my nose and smelled the cedar and sneezed because of the accumulation of all the dust.

I was stalling. I opened the box and found a lot of things. On top was a watch with black face and a leather band. I didn’t have colors in my journal but it was a watch. And a zippo lighter. I didn’t remember the triangle thing until I saw the twisted metal form.

My breath caught. Whatever I had dreamed – the man in it. He was real.

I sat in stunned silence. He was real.

It echoed in my mind even as I closed my eyes and leaned against the bed. He was real.

I didn’t so much as will myself to sleep as my body relaxed as I pulled the box tight against my chest. He was real. It was almost exhilarating but I felt my body sink into sleep.

I didn’t so much as wake up as know I was someplace else. I wasn’t that little boy but I was in that room. Something nagged at me. The whispers started as always… Monster. I felt a slight blip of terror as they sounded in my head. I was still a monster. My mother had died thinking that – knowing what I was. But I could still smell him through the dream, the box pulled against my chest. it was new, the realization that my reality was not what I was feeling.

I looked up at the feet that just appeared in front of me. My eyes trailed along a body but the face wasn’t right. I don’t know why – maybe because I’d seen the man on TV. I didn’t have any idea what I looked like. Myself I gathered. But I didn’t bother looking, didn’t really care. I wasn’t hiding from him. I don’t think I ever had.

He was a dream walker and that fear flared inside of me. The things he could make me do if he only knew how.

He knelt down in front of me and smiled, “I’m not going to hurt you pretty boy.”

I don’t know why it didn’t bother me, the sound of his voice, the way he said it. Usually pretty boy bothered me. Usually it’s what a guy calls me when he just wants a fuck. But this was different.

“You think too much when you’re grown.” he grinned at me.

I uncurled my arms from my chest and the box fell into my arms. “I found it.”

The smile on his lips grew and he lifted the lid to see what was inside. It looked exactly like I’d seen it in the real world. He smiled and put it back. “You believe I’m real now?”

I shrugged. “You are convincing me.” I said as I reached across and grabbed his t-shirt. It was some comic book character I had no idea who it was, or where it was from. I tugged him towards me setting the box aside with my other hand. His legs straddle mine as he sat on top of my legs and I pulled him down to kiss.

I let out a low moan and he bit my bottom lip. “We’re too far away right now. For you next birthday, I don’t want you to spend it alone like this past one.”

I thought next year I wouldn’t be alone. I’d be at the club dancing with every pretty girl and trying to find a good fuck.

He laughed, “So vivid.”

I cocked my head to the side. “You can read my thoughts?”

“Among other things.” he said with a smirk. He pressed his lips to mine and whatever thoughts I was about to had turned back to his soft lips. The way he tasted. He was heaven.

“I’ll meet you at Aspect.” He said. “I’ll wear this t-shirt. You find me on your birthday. You and I can go home together…” He let it trail off as he kissed me harder and when I pushed my tongue into his mouth he bit – hard.

I yowled as he said “I’m sorry, but you need to remember.”

And I did. My eyes popped open and I took out my phone and made the appointment. In less than a year I’d meet my mysterious dream guy. I don’t know why that made me nervous. I touched my lips, my tongue only hurt in a phantom sort of way, it was a memory more than anything. I wanted to feel his lips on mine.

Michaela pushed open the door, “You okay? I heard you scream.”

“I’m alright.”

“Did you find what you were looking for?”

I nodded. And put the floorboard and bed back in place and patted the box. “I did.” I found a lot more than I was expecting.

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