Sam Ran

Sam Ran

By Thomas Bergin

Sam ran. But it was not a scared run, or an angry run. It was one of deep joy and happiness. He ran through fields of deeper green then he had ever seen before. The trees were old and strong, and their leaves rustled with sweet music. The cares of the world had disappeared leaving only Sam and his overwhelmingly blissful emotions. Sam reached the crest of a hill and sat down to admire the view. He was not tired, for what he could feel was not physical, and his senses seemed irrelevant in this place. The birds flew in the valley below, but their flight was not natural and they glided in an awkward dance. There were clouds in the sky, but not once did they falter the suns radiance. Such it was that there was no shade under the trees, but it was not hot. Sam thought his skin was tingling, but it felt much more like a tingling of the mind. And as he stared out to the horizon he knew that this was Peace, and that he would dwell here forever. Even then he did not realise the clear differences between this place and reality. Perfections and faults that meshed together to create an environment entirely unlike his own. The trees below him glistened with an eerily unnatural beauty, and the surface of a deep blue creek sparkled at him through the branches. Everything was alive and moving, although there was no breeze.

Yes there was something unnatural about this place.

And he realised it all too late. And he felt the feeling that he had felt many times before. As the unpleasant feelings of the world crept in via his senses. And the landscape before him darkened, and the colours flickered violently. He had seen this happen, and he cringed as his oasis crumbled away. And people's voices reached in and called him away.

His beautiful world went black, and noise filled his ears.

"Sam, I understand that you were sleeping during your English class today." The Counsellor looked into Sam's eyes trying to glimpse a scrap of meaning from their dark recesses. There was emotion there, something triggering this behaviour. "Before our last session you had been caught sleeping during Mathematics." She continued to pry into his eyes, looking for something his words could not express, were he to talk. "Sam, Im going to ask you straight up if there are any things happening in your home life that might be affecting your sleeping pattern. Too many late nights, troubles with your parents, perhaps something at school?."

His eyes flickered.

"Do you ever dream Ms. McKenzie?" Sam voiced his question confidently.

"Sam I don't want you to feel that this session is here for anyone but you."

"I mean, do you really dream? Is there a definite moment where you feel that you have broken free from the world?"

"Is that what you are trying to do Sam, Escape?"

"My dreams don't last long enough for complete satisfaction. They aren't what I hope them to be."

"And what is that?"

"Under my control."

"Dreams are not meant to be under our control Sam, they are a representation of our thoughts and emotions. Feelings explored by our sub-conscious." She looked at his face and noticed a small twitch of defiance, as he struggled to explain his world.

"Have you ever heard of Lucid dreaming Ms. McKenzie?"

"No Sam I can't say that I have"

"There are some instances during sleep where a dreamer understands that they are in a dream, and have the power to change the dream completely. But usually people are taken along in the flow of the dream and believe it to be reality until they wake up and forget about it completely."

"Have you achieved this before Sam?"

"No Miss I haven't."

Sam lay on his bed, looking at the roof. His vision was blurred a little by the large purple-black bruise squinting his right eye. He closed his eyes and strained his forehead, holding back tears, and thinking of the world inside his mind. If only there was some way that I could stay there, he thought to himself. He dreamt everyone night these days. He had learned techniques to induce dreams. He practised them during class when he thought no one was watching. He couldn't deal with school anymore. His marks were below average, and the teachers had given up on him.

Most days after school he would just sit and strain his mind, hoping that his surroundings would just pop, and he would be sitting in his dream world. He had recently become interesting in the concept of Lucid Dreaming, and he wished to attempt to use it as means by which he could extend his dreams. But even when he saw things that clearly weren't possible he was too giddy with excitement to put two and two together and his dream went on, and he wasn't aware.

As he lay there his mind began to slip, and he slept. His complexion went blank.

Sam ran. And he was scared.

The street was darkened and plain clouds swooped over head. There was no change in the density of the light, everything was dull. There were no areas of darkness, or light, just the same dull tone of grey. And he ran.

He was aware of the footsteps gaining on him, but he was determined to outrun them, to outsmart them. But he was not thinking, he was running.

He ran past dull cement houses, each the same, each without sense of emotion. And he realised that he didn't know where he was. Each house had a guard dog, and each guard dog snarled as he ran by. And he tripped. He skidded along the cement, and he continued to slide. And he felt no pain. After he had stopped sliding he saw how far he had went, and he saw the skin on his arms. And it was unbroken. This isn't real, he thought to himself, I am not feeling, I am dreaming.

He turned to face the on comers, and he saw they had the same face. And he wished them away.

And they were gone.

And he was in the fields again. And the birds were at his feet. And he dreamt of a pond, and the ground sloped down before him. He was wearing his bathers. His eye was no longer bruised, and he was happy.

He slipped into the water and he flew across its surface. And when he looked beneath the surface he saw a world undiscovered, and beasts of immense beauty swam up to meet him.

And the water was not cold, it was wonderful.

"How is he?"

"Your son's vital signs are remaining stable, and there appears to be no change in his condition."

"What is his condition Doctor?"

"Mrs. Dell I want to assure you that Sam is perfectly fine, there appears to be nothing wrong with him. His mental condition is perfect."

"But he is in a Coma. Doctor how can he be ok?"

"We have no explanation for it. He simple went to sleep and didn't wake up."

And lying in the bed between them Sam dreamt, and there was a smile on his face.