Chapter 1 - Through The Eyes Of A Dreamer: Repetitive Motions

The first chapter of this first person story sees the protagonist enter a new world.

Chapter I

Through The Eyes Of A Dreamer: Repetitive Motions

Here I am again at the edge of this dank, dark, eerie pier. Although never coming here of choice, I've lost count of the amount of times my mind has sent me to this, well I’d call it a different world I spend my day to day life in. It’s definitely a place where I have never been by foot. But this pier has no end when I turn behind me all I see is the thick, golden fog, which I dare to wonder into. As normal when I’m here I look down into the muddy, horrid, monster like sea, and what do I see glaring back at me with a look of apathy and stoic nature. It is me I am looking back at myself through the reflection of the devilish sea.

The plain concrete floor is beneath my feet, the cold metal railings are beside me; I peer out to the sea. There is a single ominous street lamp giving out a golden glow slightly illuminating the world. It is bright enough so I can see past my hand at least. I've never gone past the protection bestowed by this golden color light. Now let us see if this will pan out like every other time I’m sent here.

“What is that?” A figure not seen before has appeared in the shadow, the cover of the fog. I can’t see its eyes but I know it is staring at me, burning a hole in my mind, seeing into the seeds of my soul. While I stand here stupefied at this human-shape figure floating off shore, off the edge of the damp dreary pier. Its shadow has long flowing hair, its clothing is long and ghost like, and its hands are pointed with the shape of knives for fingers. This isn't normal; normally at this point I’m confronted by him.

For some reason he’s late. His footsteps are approaching. The air becomes colder than what it was. The silence is filled with the breathing of this man, this impostor, this doppelganger. As he walks through the fog, the image I saw in the sea comes slowly into place as I look behind me. He only ever spoke the same speech. I’m not expecting any different this time.

“I am you and you are me, one cannot be without the other. Just as white has black, Yin has Yang, you have me.”

Every time he tells me this, every time I’m left clueless, what does he mean? I understand that the man in front of me is my copy. Is he the mystery that keeps bringing me back? If he leaves me with this again how am I supposed to figure it out? This world is just a puzzle, one that I cannot escape, one which will one day be my tomb. As for each time I am here, I feel as though this is more home that the real world, the conscious world. Then as always the doppelganger approaches until I can feel his cold breath upon the hairs of my chin. He controls some sort of strength unknown to me, and throws me into the sea. No waves move me, no breeze saves me, I only fall deeper and deeper into the brown abyss. As the light from the street lamp gets dimmer and dimmer, I wonder why I am not struggling to swim, nor am I trying to catch breath, I simply fall until my eyes close and I take my last breath.

Now in my house, no longer my home, my bed, no longer my haven of safety and comfort. The sun is still a few hours from rising. I can see the golden orange glow from the distant star.

January 17, 1997

I woke up as early as every other day. I’m still wondering what he means with his coded words, but last night my dream had something different. I have realized each time I am there something new is added to the events, but this time it was different I felt something I couldn't compare when that apparition in the fog glared at me.

I only recently started recording my dreams, but recently they've been changing, with slight change each night. Maybe I’ll find the answer eventually, hopefully before I go completely mad. My day to day life is nothing to gloat about: normal home, normal wife, normal job. I am constantly wishing for a little excitement. This dream is a door to the excitement I long for

Today is the day where everything changes, the day which will change everything. I open my door to go to work. I step out onto the concrete but what I see is not my normal car, with the normal neighborhood, it is the pier with a lonely light on in the distance. Unlike my dream there is no fog, it is day time but with not a cloud in the sky the moon was staring at me. I stare back.

I’m neither scared nor confused by this. I feel as though this is what is meant to be. That this is exactly what I want. In the distance I see two figures, not covered by fog this time, only barely visible past the curvature of the earth. I do not check to close my house’s front door; I already know it is locked shut behind me. I start my walk towards the figures, and slowly a man with long flowing hair comes into view. Hair as white as the moon which shone above him. Robes ghostly like the apparition, it was of no mystery that as he stared into my eyes I felt the same as in the dream, the feeling of emptiness. The only difference this time is I could see his eyes, full of hate, red like the blood I’m sure he has drawn with his knife like hands. Red cat eyes. Red cat eyes that could turn the strongest to stone. He smiles at me with a sinister look. He licks his lips showing off his fangs. Is he man or beast? It’s irrelevant, the other man is me, the doppelganger.

Author's Note

Any constructive criticism is welcome.